Rabbits are active animals and will jump around or roam around all the time. You might start worrying if you see your bunny sitting in one corner without moving around. Here is the list of five possible reasons why the bunny might be sitting without moving in one corner.
When the bunny starts to feel territorial, shy, uncomfortable, or sick, it will sit in one corner. When you see the rabbit sitting in any corner, you need to understand its previous and current behavior. Do not jump into your worries before doing this.
When you are worried about the pet bunny’s behavior all the time, you have to read this post. Here, you will learn a few reasons why the bunny remains in a corner.
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The Pet Bunny Feels Shy
A few bunnies feel shy and like to have alone time. Your bunny tends to spend more time in one corner as it feels safe there. When you have visitors at your home and if the bunny is staying at the corner, you do not have to worry. Your rabbit might be feeling shy around them and enjoys sitting at the corner. The bunny feels that the corner is a safe spot which gives it extra security.
It is a natural and typical thing for the rabbit to feel shy. It is better to modify your behavior, and the bunny will feel safe around you. When you interact with the bunny by force, it thinks of you as a threat or predator and feels afraid and nervous. When you have a new or young bunny in your house, the above situation often happens.
One of the prominent false statements about bunnies is that they like it when you hold or cuddle them. Though it is alright to carry the bunnies for a short time, they want to walk around by themselves. Bunnies love their personal space. You can follow a few ways to modify your approach towards the rabbits so that they will feel close to you. Give them alone time and feed them treats in rare situations. You can give many types of food to the bunny, such as pieces of Apple, fragrant herbs, carrots, and oats.
The Surrounding Environment Is New To The Bunny
When you take a new bunny to your home, it may sit in one corner for a long time. Rabbits feel safe at a corner spot when they are in new surroundings. When you first take the bunny to your home, it is better to keep them in a small space. For a week or two weeks, you should keep it in its pen. Later, you can introduce your house to the bunny one by one.
You should leave the bunny for some days when you take it to a new environment. It takes time to adapt itself to the surroundings. Keep the rabbit in its pen or a cardboard box. The bunny feels safe and comfortable to roam around in that space rather than sitting in one corner. You must place all the bunny’s essentials inside or within its reach.
There are a few ways you can use to know if the bunny is feeling comfortable or not. When the rabbit likes you, it expresses that by a soft nibble on your hands, circling your feet, and acting calm. If it is relaxing, roaming around, or doing binky, the bunny becomes comfortable with the new environment. A binky is an action in which the bunny hops into the air and twists its body.
Bunny’s Safe Area Is The Corner
You should understand the bunny’s nature and personality. Bunnies living in the wild are the easy prey animals, and many animals kill them. It is the reason why bunnies are less friendly than kittens and puppies. When the bunny continues to sit at one corner, it is on alert about the possible predators.
The bunnies feel safe from other animals when they sit at the corner. When the rabbit is waiting in the same corner for a long time, it is afraid and anxious. If you see that your bunny is in this situation, do not hold or take it out from that spot. It is the safe spot of the bunnies. When you pick it, the rabbit feels uneasy and starts showing aggression towards you.
When you do not want to pick it from its safe spot, but if you are not willing to leave the bunny alone, you can sit near the pen. It is better to wait till the rabbit approaches you. You should never force the bunny to come to you for holding it. When you sit there, the bunny will feel safe around you instead of thinking of you as a predator. Give some time and space to the bunny to feel comfortable around you.
The Bunny Is Territorial
Sometimes, the bunny feels territorial around that corner of your household. When you see that the bunny is scratching its chin on various items near the corner, it is territorial.
Being territorial is a natural and ordinary behavior of the bunnies. Chinning is an action where the bunny rubs its nose on several items. When the rabbits want their scent on the thing, they will rub it on them. They are marking the territory with their smell.
In the spring season, bunnies act aggressively and become territorial. When your bunny is sitting at one corner during spring, it is marking the territory. If the bunny feels uneasy when you pick it up or carry it, it starts acting aggressively. It is better to think about why the bunny is showing aggressive behavior. Give the rabbits alone time and space.
The Bunny Is Sick
When the bunny is in pain, it will stay in one corner all the time without moving to other places. It might happen when the rabbit is feeling ill. During these types of situations, you should take the bunny to the veterinarian as soon as possible.
If you want, you can feed them green leaf veggies or pellets. But, when the bunny is refusing the food, you have to contact the veterinarian.
Other hints of sickness:
- Change in appetite
- Losing fur or hair
- Swelling around the face area
- Odd behavior
- Unstable fecal output
- Saliva dripping
- Less breathing
- Change in posture
When you find any of the above symptoms in the bunny, take it to your veterinarian. If you take the rabbit in time, there are chances of avoiding further sickness.