Your rabbit has just experienced a great change. This time will be stressful for him, and he will need time to adjust and take it easy. He has a new home, new family, new sights and smells, and this is the first time your baby has been without his brother or any siblings at all.
1st Day - You just brought your rabbit home! Congratulations. After you put the baby in his home, leave him alone for an hour or two. Check on him often, but if he stays in the back corner and has wide, scared eyes, don't bother him. Talk in a quiet, soothing voice and call him by his name. At the end of the day, if he hasn't eaten or drank, that's fine. Many won't do that for the first few days. Offer him food, but just use the kind I gave you for the first day.
2nd Day - Depending on your baby's personality, he might be excited to see you the next morning! Check to see if he ate or drank. No? Does he still stay in the back of the cage? That's okay. Just leave him be, but continue to check on him every few hours. If he comes to the front of the cage, you can pet him, scratch his nose, ect. Don't pick him up yet. Begin mixing half/half food for your rabbit, and continue until the baggie is gone (usually by the end of the week).
3rd Day - By today, most rabbits will be eating and drinking and that signals that they are settling in well. If they haven't eaten or used the bathroom, please contact me and I'll try to help you get him back on track. Today, if your rabbit seems interested in you, you can hold your baby!
Put your right under his bum and your left hand under his front legs/in his armpits (if rabbits have armpits...), and put him on your chest. Most rabbits find this to be a soothing place to be. Pet his head and ears, but if he struggles, sit down and put him in your lap. Don't put him back in his cage if he struggles. That will only tell him that he got his way. If he looks scared and stressed out, put him back in his cage. Don't get rowdy, crazy or noisy around him just yet... ;)
4th Day - At this point, you can begin to handle your rabbit more and more and start the bond. Please see my other blog post about that. If your rabbit runs from you at this point, keep your movements slow and take everything very easy, a little bit at a time. Feed him treats (oats, if the rabbit is under 6mos old), from your hand and after he has been good after handling.
5th Day - Same as 4th. Continue to handle, play with and hold. Get the rabbit used to the sound of your voice.
6th Day - Give your rabbit new toys, and do a simple health check to make sure everything is fine and going smoothly. Make sure the rabbit has been eating, drinking, ect. Check the droppings and make sure they look like healthy rabbit poops.
7th Day - If you are going to show or do 4-H with your rabbit you can begin practicing. The baggie I gave you with my feed should be about gone. You can start to let your rabbit have exercise outside the cage.
This is the end of the first week. With any further questions, please contact me. I would love to help.
Enjoy your new life with your bunny! It only gets better from here! :)