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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.

BINKYBUNNY FORUMS

Forum BEHAVIOR Bunny Personality

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    • TheHappyHare
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                        I know bonding with your rabbit takes time, but is it possible that Charlie just won’t ever be friendly with me like my former bunnies? I get upset when I think that he won’t be friendly with me and feel I have made some kind of mistake. I know that some people are perfectly content raising grumpy bunnies, but that was not and is not my hope. 

                      Is there something I can do to help him feel warmer toward me? He seems to be much friendlier with me when he is hungry. He’s hoping for a treat maybe? In general, I like to keep him well fed with free hay, so he never gets too hungry. He is by no means a mean bunny. He hasn’t bitten, and I had my hand right in front of his mouth trimming his nails and cleaning out his scent gland. He just hates to be held/carried so much so that it makes it difficult to care for him because he struggles violently. He won’t hop in and out of the cage on his own no matter what I’ve gotten for him be it ramp or steps. I have been picking him up to take him out or put him back and he gets scared of this. After he is down on the floor with me he is very happy and binkies and comes to put his paws on me and noses me so I feel he must feel I’m safe and be comfortable – I MEAN BINKIES! Those only come when they don’t feel death is imminent LOL  I guess maybe I’m just venting, fretting, and missing my past bunnies  I guess I just want him to at least accept being picked up or carried for a few seconds. He doesn’t have to love it. That is ok. I understand bunnies don’t love to me held and cuddled all the time, but this is so violently scared that it makes caring for him difficult. 


      • C_Harris
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          My bun loves pets, but she’s not overly affectionate either. I just recently started training her…for now, I only do this when she’s in the cage. I offer her all the hay she wants, and she only gets things she LOVES when I come to her cage (to help her know that my presence = good things!). I just started this last night….she’s picky, but she LOVES cilantro. I get some cilantro from the fridge, rinse it, then bring it over to her cage. I sit down next to it, open the door, and then say her name (Rhosgobel), and then offer her a stem of cilantro. We do this for many 5 minutes, and then she’s done. I’m going to do this about 6 or 7 times a day during the times she’s not out and about. I’ll slowly begin training her in other ways…but for now we’re focusing on bonding and her name. Best of luck to you!


        • LoveChaCha
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            When I got my bun as a baby, I had high expectations of her. After a while, I stopped. She is who she is and I cannot change her. She has become such a wonderful girl and I could not ask for more.

            My lady bun is bossy, affectionate, and demanding. She does not like pets on MY TIME, but rather her time. Some bunnies just don’t like to be pet period. I would not pick your bun up to take him out of his place. Let him come out on his own. That may cause some issues because bunnies don’t normally like to be held. Perhaps if you off him a treat near his cage or in his cage to entice him to get back in will help.


          • sleepy538
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              i once read that you should never put a bunny in or take a bunny out of its cage, barring emergencies. let the bunny come out on his time, though trying to entice him out is just fine. if it’s time for him to go in, you can pick him up and put him in front of his cage door and nudge him forward, but let him jump in of his own accord.


            • LittlePuffyTail
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                Some bunnies take a good while to warm up to their owners. You also have to remember that all bunnies are individuals and have different personalities. They are as unique as people. The best way to spend time with your bun is to sit on the floor and ignore him/her. They will get curious and eventually come over for attention. You also have to discover what type of attention your bunny likes.

                How long have you had your bunny?


              • LBJ10
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                  For the things you need to pick him up for, do you give him a treat? Leopold has really mellowed about being picked up because he knows he’s going to get a treat. Doesn’t mean he likes it, but he doesn’t struggle as much now as he did when he was younger. I agree with the others though, you want getting in and out of the cage to be a nice experience to picking him up to do that probably isn’t a good thing.


                • tanlover14
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                    Awww, I wouldn’t get too down on your bun. As many people have stated, some bunnies prefer everything on their time and sometimes they just need a lot more time to grow and come out of their shells.

                    However, if you’re interested – I would try clicker training with your little guy! Buns catch on really quickly and I think this may make some of those difficult tasks easier to handle as well as getting some good quality bonding in with your bun. I would really recommend it for you. As it’s really good for strengthening bond between human and bunny while trying him to do necessary and unnecessary things!


                  • mia
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                      One of mine is like that and I almost never pick her up. When I do, I end up with scars and lots of blood from scratches and well as biting. Being picked up is limited only to when they need to be transported somewhere (doc appts, nails trims, etc) and I have to fence her into a small area to pick her up. Even during nail trims by professionals, only a few can be done before struggling kicks in and that’s with distractions (nose rubs) already included. She’ll come nudge me and put her paws on me but if I try to pet, often times she’ll grunt/growl and thump away. It also took both of mine several months to leave their condo on their own.

                      It’s just like having a child, you have to be patient and accept them for who they are but still try to instill good behavior.


                    • TheHappyHare
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                        We are doing well today. I set up the steps for him, but haven’t forced him out to play though he LOVES to run around the house. I hand fed him his pellets which he thought was weird at first, but he caught on quickly. I fed him for about 5 mins and gave him his remaining portion in a bowl. I think we made some progress in this small act. Also, I will begin giving him a treat when/if I need to pick him up so at the very least there is some pay off for his ‘suffering’. Thank you for all of the ideas and suggestions. You are a wealth of knowledge to be sure!


                      • TheHappyHare
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                          The feeding of the pellets is making a huge different. He has come right up to me and taken the pellets. It seems to have changed his mind about me quite a bit I did carry him out to living room today and he tolerated being carried fairly well. He was just much calmer after I fed him pellets like it was a peace offering. I’m currently feeding him his night time portion by hand as well. He is hopping around the living room and keeping it very tidy. He has nudged me a couple times and is performing generous amounts of air leaps and binkies I hope today is the same!


                        • tanlover14
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                            Bribing your bun to love you sounds back — but it’s easy and typically a sure thing. I think we are ALL guilty of bribing our buns for love.


                          • Elrohwen
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                              Posted By tanlover14 on 01/10/2013 05:49 PM

                              I think we are ALL guilty of bribing our buns for love.

                              Yes! Otto hates to be touched, but will let me give him hugs, all because I trained him to allow it with treats. I like to hug him, he likes to get treats, so it works out for both of us. lol


                            • TheHappyHare
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                                LOL bribing for love is working here!


                              • Buckley's Mum
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                                  My bun is utterly utterly addorable and I’m totally in love with him, but I’ve had to accept that he’s not a “cuddly” or affectionate bun. I’ve had him just over 2 months now and he’s coming up for 6 months old, he does NOT like being touched, he will bolt if I try and touch him, so picking him up is a definite no-no. I’ve got a vet’s appointment to get his nails cut because he obviously won’t let me touch him.

                                  I tried the clicker training but he bolted at the sound of the clicker and wouldn’t come out of hiding. But yes, I buy his love, every time I lay on the floor he comes to me because he thinks I’ve got a treat (and I usually have) and he will let me hand feed him. This is as close as we can get as he has his boundaries. I’ve come to accept this and me wanting to hold and cuddle him is “my” issue and it’s a human thing to show love, but it’s obviously not a rabbit thing. I still have hopes that things will improve and he’ll become more affectionate and let me stroke him, but if he doesn’t I’ll still love him to bits like I do now. I don’t know, but does neutering a rabbit change their personality?


                                • LittlePuffyTail
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                                    Some people find that neutering calms their buns down a bit, other people don’t notice much change. At 6 months old, he is still a “teenager” and will most likely change somewhat in personality anyway.

                                    My lop Bindi loves to be cuddled and hugged but ONLY on the floor. Most bunnies enjoy attention with their human at their level. Imagine how scary it is for a big creature (humans) to grab you and squeeze you when you are a prey animal. I say that bunnies are “big teases” because they are insanely cute and teddy-bear looking but hate to be picked up and cuddled.

                                    And the old saying about men sure fits for bunnies “The way to their heart is through their stomach!”


                                  • tanlover14
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                                      Glad the bribing is helping, HappyHare!!

                                      Buckley, I agree with LPT.. The “teenage” stage is quite a stage. All three of my buns have changed somewhat since they were 6 months old. Since they’ve gotten older and have calmed down a bit (they are 11 months old now) they are easier to pet and cuddle with. By cuddle, I mean lay on the floor with them and I can pet them while they lay. They still allow NO picking up, at all. Which is fine with me. For me, it’s basically become me figuring out how I can get close to them in which way is acceptable for them. With all my buns it’s very different. One of my boys HATES being pet while he lays but the other day I was laying next to him while he was laying down and I quietly leaned my head against him and BOOM, we stayed like that together for a half hour! My girl will usually run away when she’s getting pet while she’s out and about but when she’s laying down she’s much more tolerant of it. Anyways, it’s all about figuring out what works for both of you! For us, it was simply doing things with our buns until we figured out a “cuddling” strategy for them. hahah!


                                    • tanlover14
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                                        Oh, Buckley! I just thought about how my girl bun used to be EXTREMELY skittish (quite how your boy sounds). She would never get in our laps or allow pets for the first few months we had her. I think her spay calmed her down a lot but we began making giving treats a game. Like we had her climb into our laps before we would give her a treat (without petting her!). So she finally began to climb into our laps looking for treats. And then when she was comfortable with that we began doing the same but giving her a pet or two while she was in our laps. We worked with her VERY slowly and now she’s a great girl!


                                      • Swamp Pop
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                                          Our buns are the same way- very very skittish, and also very moody! This week we’ve barely seen them, since they bolt into their hidey-boxes at the sound of our approach. Just like different rabbits can have wildly different personalities, any rabbit can have a groucy day and a playful day. Mac’s been molting, too, which means daily grooming.  He hates, hates, hates grooming so that probably has a lot to do with it. I think we’ve just decided to give up and let them live on their own terms; if they don’t like to be touched, we just don’t touch them except when absolutely necessary. In fact, since this week they seem absolutely terrified of us, we’re just staying out of their room entirely except to feed them and change their litterbox and water (and of course to groom Mac).


                                        • tanlover14
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                                            Swamp Pop, hmmm… I actually think you’re taking the wrong approach!

                                            As you said — they don’t like to be touched. And seem terrified. Maybe you just haven’t let them investigate you enough! I know with our VERY skittish girl, we had to make ourselves VERY appeasing to her. Actually, the first time my girl really ever took an interest in me was one day when I was cleaning their condo and I was on all fours cleaning and all of sudden I had a bunny on my back. I was shocked to say the least. As I was quite sure she had absolutely no interest in me or getting to know me. I quickly found out very different as I just wasn’t approaching her the way she wanted to be approached. At the time, there was only one small area of the room she would even walk around in despite the fact that she could explore the whole room if she wanted. So I sat in that area with a book. And ignored the living daylights out of her! This intrigued her (for some unknown reason) and she began to investigate me. Slowly. And I just continued to ignore her. Eventually, I made a trail of treats from me to where she usually likes to lounge around. And continued to ignore. She ignored the treats next to me but eventually her curiosity got the better of her. And after a few weeks she was in my lap. All without me attempting to pet her. Any hand coming towards her would always send her on a instant retreat across the room and I’d always be back to square one.

                                            I would just simply try hanging around with them! Bringing in some work of some kind you have (maybe homework, book, anything really) and just ignoring them! Bunnies hate being ignored… from what I’ve found with my three. They are always trying to throw my book out of my hand or trying to yank on my laptop when I have it with me or nosing my phone. LOL. I think you just simply need to try your buns from a different approach!

                                            Sorry for the intrusion, I feel like I’m butting in as you seem to be perfectly content with your relationship with your buns… but if you’re interested, I thought it may be worth a shot for you trying!


                                          • Sarita
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                                              Actually in many ways I totally agree with Swamp Pop – let your rabbit be your rabbit and accept them on their own terms. They will eventually learn to trust you and enjoy your company. You don’t have to be intrusive and sometimes simply having a routine that they know what to expect helps them gain trust. I don’t expect any of my rabbits to “enjoy” my company but I enjoy theirs whether it’s simply taking care of them or if they want pets, then I am happy to oblige that way as well. Some rabbits are introverts and some are extroverts.


                                            • Swamp Pop
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                                                Hey tanlover, thanks for the advice! I didn’t mean to give the wrong impression- we definitely try to spend “quality time” with the bunnies whenever we can. We just try to be sensitive to their moods. For quality time on Saturday, for example, they wouldn’t come out for hours even after we sat in their room and read all afternoon. As soon as we left, we could hear them in there chasing each other around and binkying. After a similar experience Sunday, we decided to give them a little time till they felt more social. They’re rescue rabbits, so they probably learned a long time ago not to trust people, and we just accept the fact that some days or even weeks they’ll be our invisible little poop machines

                                                Other days are better, of course- Jane has gotten to the point where she’s let me pet her a few times, and Mac actually nudged me with his nose a few weeks ago! Again, these bunnies absolutely abhor any kind of physical contact and seem very uncomfortable in the presence of people, so these are huge steps forward. We’re hoping someday they’ll be content enough to come further out of their shells, but we love them very much and we’re just taking it one day at a time.


                                              • tanlover14
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                                                  Awww, that’s so great Swamp Pop! I understand your situation now. And I agree with both you and Sarita wholeheartedly! Sometimes I feel like some people write their bunnies off as not friendly or like they don’t care for you to socialize with them — which is why I thought I’d mention my experience with my girl Sidney. I didn’t feel like you gave a wrong impression either as I can tell you’re great bunny owners simply because you respect their differences so much without it being a negative factor to you!! Just figured I’d share my experience with her (as it seemed sem-similar to yours) because we now have a great relationship with her. When in the beginning with this one rabbit, I just left alone because I felt she didn’t want me anywhere near her when in reality, I just didn’t give her the time and kind of attention SHE wanted. When we did, then she came out of her shell and started trusting us quite a bit.

                                                  And I’m totally squealing on the inside thinking about them nudging you and letting a few pets. I literally like screamed on the inside when Sidney nudged and let me pet her for the first time. And I totally didn’t mean to sound rude as in saying you were going about it the wrong way — I MEANT to just say if you haven’t tried what I tried you should and you might be pleasantly surprised! Of course, like you said — some days my girl will just stay in her cage and not want any of our attention which is fine with us also! I know in the beginning with her I just felt so sad because she seemed so terrified of me and that’s not what I wanted. (Not for me, but I wanted her to feel comfortable and at ease in her new home). I don’t think I saw an introduction thread of yours! You should start one! I would love to see pictures of your buns or even just hear about them (ages, breed, ect)!


                                                • Swamp Pop
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                                                    No worries at all tanlover, I understood you. My wife and I are pretty new to bunnies, so we’ll take all the advice we can get! I did have an intro thread, it’s right here: https://binkybunny.com/FORUM/tabid/54/aft/122615/Default.aspx. I’m hoping to have more pictures soon to show off!


                                                  • Buckley's Mum
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                                                      When I got Buckley I spent at least 4 hours every night for about 4 weeks just sitting on the floor watching him and hoping he’d come to me, but he didn’t. In about week 5 I discovered that he was too scared of me as I still looked too big, but when I layed face down on the floor, he eventually came to investigate and this has worked great. But even now if I sit on the floor, he’ll come over for a sniff but that’s it, he won’t touch me or take treats and he has never jumped onto my lap or over me. I guess he’s still young and on Monday we have a pre-op assessment for his snip, so maybe after that we can make some progress of getting closer – fingers crossed x


                                                    • tanlover14
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                                                        It may help — my girl was so jumpy until we got her spayed. I’m not sure if it was her hormones or what made her that way.. but after her spay she opened up a LOT more so fingers crossed it helps you with your boy!

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                                                    Forum BEHAVIOR Bunny Personality