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The subject of intentional breeding or meat rabbits is prohibited. The answers provided on this board are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet.  It is your responsibility to assess the information being given and seek professional advice/second opinion from your veterinarian and/or qualified behaviorist.

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Forum HOUSE RABBIT Q & A How to bond with rabbit? Also..

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    • FuzzieL0ve
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      18 posts Send Private Message

        Hey everyone at BB!

        As you can tell, I’m a new member at Binky Bunny. I recently got my second rabbit who is a baby (9 weeks) and I’m having difficulty bonding with her.. I feel scared to discipline her because I don’t want little Maisy to hate me later on.

        I absolutely HATE it when Maisy hides out under my couch. For a couple reasons;

        1) They are moving seats, so if someone were to sit and recline, she would surely be hurt.

        2) I dont know what is under there.. and I’m afraid she’ll eat something she isn’t supposed to.

        I also don’t want to be considered ‘mean mommy’ because I really hope to have a close bond with my baby girl..

        On the bonding note.. I bought Maisy from a breeder on Thursday, June 7th. With time she is getting more and more comfortable in my house and even binkies several times a day. When she is out hopping around the living room, however, she hates to be touched and runs away when I try. She lets me pet her when she is in her cage though, and that is the only time I can successfully pick her up without a struggle.

        I want Maisy to love me as much as I love her… So I guess my second question is how did you all bond with the new bunny? Thank you for the tips!

        PS: sorry if this is in the wrong section.. I didn’t know where it would fit!


      • peppypoo
        Participant
        1945 posts Send Private Message

          Welcome! Maisy is adorable in your sig

          Is there a way to just prevent Maisy from going under the recliner with some kind of barrier? You’re right to be worried for her safety – it can be dangerous if someone reclines while she is under there. However, I do not recommend solving the problem by punishing her and making her afraid of the area. As you said, punishment can just damage the trust between you and Maisy instead.

          As for bonding, try just hanging out in the same room as her for a while when she is out and hopping about. Let her approach you on her own terms, though you can definitely bribe with treats and such. Even though they’re so irresistibly cuddly, try to refrain from cornering her and picking her up…few rabbits appreciate this. Eventually as she becomes more used to your presence, she may even come up to you to beg for pets or even “groom” you in return!


        • peppypoo
          Participant
          1945 posts Send Private Message

            Also, about her hating to be touched – some bunnies are just like this…it varies a lot just on personality. While my Peppy is an endless attention seeker, Remi is rather more skittish and only allows pets and touches sometimes. Of course, Remi has “improved” somewhat over the years that we’ve had him but he’ll never be as much of a snuggle bunny as Peppy.


          • FuzzieL0ve
            Participant
            18 posts Send Private Message

              Thank you peppypoo!

              Yes, there is a way to block it off, but I always feel bad because it’s her favorite place. She just seems so discouraged to see it is blocked off. 

              I just blocked it off and let her out to hop around. the couch is the first place she hopped over to. And even now she continues to hop away from the couch only to hop back to see if anything is changed… I guess I’m just a big softie.

              She also doesn’t seem to have an interest in toys.  I’ve tried paper towel tubes, a carrot toy, paper plates, and even an old phonebook. She just doesn’t seem interested. I don’t want Maisy to be bored when she has her play time! The only thing that seems to entertain her would to be going under the couch.

              Maisy truly is irresistibly cuddley!! When she allows me to place her in my lap for some grooming she’s just a little cuddle monster (as you can see in my signature )

              I’ve sat on the ground criss-cross-applesauce while she hops around, sometimes she comes up to sniff me, sometimes she doesn’t. She does loves when I gift her some bits of carrot and small chunks of Saltine crackers! I guess it will just take some time. Thank you for all your help!


            • Beka27
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              16016 posts Send Private Message

                The couch needs to be blocked off and another “den-like” area provided for her to safely hide. A basic coffee table or non-reclining chair can serve this purpose, or you can build something, or the BB store sells the Maze Haven that can provide hours of entertainment and peace and quiet. Buns are prey animals, and being out in the open can make them feel insecure.


              • scatterbunny
                Participant
                27 posts Send Private Message

                  Something i have done with my new bunny that seems to be working is hand feeding. After giving him a day or two to adjust to the new house/smells/noises, i started hand feeding him his pelets and everytime i walked by his pen i would give him a “treat” even if its just lettuce, dandelion,a blade of grass so he associates me with good things. Now he runs toward me when he sees me coming even though i dont always treat him now. He will come up and bump me with his nose if i sit on the floor. He still isnt too sure about being pet, last night was the first time he came up and asked to be pet and then he only allowed a few strokes, but we are making progress.


                • Madrhy
                  Participant
                  38 posts Send Private Message

                    I’m new here too and haven’t had our little Beefa for long (about a month) but what seems to be working well for us is giving him his own space. The kids know when he goes in his cage they are to leave him alone and we never lift him out or place him in we just open the door and he comes out by himself when he’s ready and sort of herd him in at bedtime. Now when he wants to escape the kids he knows he has places to go and when he wants some love he comes looking for it. At first he spent a lot of time in his space avoiding much contact but he’s gotten used to us all now and he’s started grooming my husband and I a lot (climbs on the back of the couch to lick us and nibbles at our hair he’s a funny little creature ) and chases the kids around and plays with them and has moments of pure insanity racing around and making everyone laugh with his antics. He likes to hide out under chairs and tables and in the kid’s play tent. We give him cardboard boxes full of paper or hay and also got him a basket that he can chew and dig in as much as he likes and he loves that. I’m sure Maisy will find new places to feel comfortable soon.


                  • LittlePuffyTail
                    Moderator
                    18092 posts Send Private Message

                      Maisy is probably feeling very overwhelmed being in a new, strange home with a new caretaker. She needs time to adjust. My bunnies all took time to adjust and it was several months before they truly relaxed and I could tell they felt at home and began taking an interest in me. Once she feels at home, her personality will come out more as well and she will probably enjoy toys and your company more. Just spend lots of time at her level, watching TV or reading. Bunnies are curious creatures and she will start coming over to check you out. Dont pet her, just let her sniff you until she feels perfectly comfortable.

                      Shes incredibly cute by the way! They sure torture us by looking like teddy bears but not wanting to snuggle!


                    • FuzzieL0ve
                      Participant
                      18 posts Send Private Message

                        Hey everyone! Thank you all so much for your advice .

                        I chilled out with Maisy all yesterday while she hopped around, feeding her some clover and lettuce as a treat every once in awhile.

                        I found her climbing on my lap to see if I had a treat for her! Breakthrough? Baby steps

                        She still doesn’t let me pet her outside of her cage unless I have a treat, which is okay for me for now. I know she still needs more time to adjust to me. She does, however, enjoy being petted inside her cage. Whenever I walk by she sticks her little face through the bars as much she can so I’ll give her a nose rub!

                        Once again, thank you all for your help .


                      • tanlover14
                        Participant
                        3617 posts Send Private Message

                          My boyfriend and I are also new to the bun bun community and our first little guy has been a crazy little thing. He’s so loving and so playful and just loves attention and people. We went back and got his sister from the same litter and she’s exactly the opposite and a lot more like your bun. She’s really skiddish and we’ve been trying to give her any space she wants and let her come to us but sometimes I can’t help but feel so bad when we’re giving him so much attention and she’s just sitting off to the side watching! It makes me feel like she’s going to feel left out but if you try and pet her she’ll run away (unless you have a treat!). I hate seeing her so skiddish and nervous when she doesn’t need to be!… Hopefully it’ll just take some more time for her to realize she doesn’t need to be so frightened of everything. Even if she hates being pet, I just want her to feel happy and comfortable! She does binky when she comes out to play and gets some veggies so like you I suppose that’s small baby steps! But steps none-the-less!

                          In regards to your bun that won’t play with any toys — our first one was actually the same way! We tried everything from toilet paper rolls to the hanging toys with bells to a pet keychain that has wooden toys on it. But he wouldn’t play with any of them until we bought this ball — pretty sure it came from PetCo or PetSmart and it’s a wicker straw ball with a bell inside. He began playing with that and had a BALL. He absolutely LOVES it and it was only about $3. Can’t really beat that! He also loves when you give him a towel to play around in. He spends hours digging into it and dragging it around the house.

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                      Forum HOUSE RABBIT Q & A How to bond with rabbit? Also..