New bunny suddenly became shy…please help!

[Kay Elle]

Hello! One week ago my boyfriend and I adopted a 10 week old Holland Lop buck from a breeder (he has malocclusion, so he was free). When I met him at the breeder’s house, he was so calm and sweet. He never resisted being held, and he cuddled right up to me. The first 2 days after I brought him home, he was just as cuddly. I had him in a temporary pet carrier as I was waiting for his cage to come in the mail. I could reach in and pet him, and take him out and cuddle him on the couch. He would sit on my lap and my boyfriend’s lap calmly without problems for upwards of 30 minutes. It was great.

2 days after he came home, we put him in his new cage. It’s very big, and has 3 stories. He seemed to like it right away. But it’s around this time that his behavior changed. That night, our friend came over and after holding my rabbit for a few minutes, I let my friend hold him. After a few minutes, my rabbit peed on him! This was the first time our rabbit has ever acted badly before, so we were surprised. We put him back in his cage calmly, but this seemed to be the turning point in his behavior.

After that night, he started running away and flailing when I’d try to pick him up. He wouldn’t let me pet him anymore. When we finally succeeded in picking him up, he would immediately pee on me! I haven’t been able to pick him up without him peeing on me since.

I do everything I can to help my rabbit trust me. We open the door to his cage and let him hop around freely in the kitchen when we’re able to watch him. He seems to really like this. When I sit in the kitchen with him, he’ll sometimes hop over to me and smell me, but he won’t stay long. He won’t really let me pet him. And he certainly won’t let me pick him up.

So I have a few questions, and it would be so amazing if someone could give their input…

1) Is it common for rabbits to change their behavior after leaving the breeder, or have we done something wrong?

2) Our rabbit is 10 weeks old, so is it common for baby young rabbits to be more cautious and shy than they will be once they’re older?

3) Since we’ve only had him 1 week, is it possible he’s still adjusting? Or should he be more trusting of us by now?

4) When he flinches away from being petted or picked up, should we keep persisting? Or should we just leave him alone? I want to get him used to being handled while he’s young, but many people caution against pushing the rabbit when they’re not comfortable.

5) What’s the best way to encourage him to want to be around us? I need him to accept being picked up because he has malocclusion so he’ll need to visit the vet, and we need to groom his fur occasionally. So what’s the best way to encourage him to let us pick him up?

6) Is he peeing on me just because he’s scared? Or is he doing it on purpose, to try to be returned to his cage?

Thank you SO much for your help! I just want our rabbit to be as happy as possible.

[Bam]

He may have been sort of stunned when you first brought him home. Confused, bewildered, in a state of emotional over-load. It’s not uncommon in dogs that change owners.

2. He will be getting into sexual maturity soon and puberty in a rabbit generally means behavioural issues. Hormones start running rampant in their little bodies and brains, think human teen-ager and you more or less get the picture.

3. One week is absolutely NOTHING with a rabbit. They’re prey animals, they need time to learn to trust you. What if you’re planning to eat him? He won’t know for sure until he’s been investigating your intentions for some time.

4. I say let him come to you now in the beginning. Offer a treat that he can only have if he approaches you. Let him explore you on the floor. Don’t try to pet him, you could try not to even look at him as he does his exploration of you (although it is very, very hard not to look at a rabbit because of its massive cuteness), just let him climb all over you and check you out properly. Some bunnies will soon become more brave and adventurous, some will be more withdrawn and need a longer time. All bunnies are individuals and fearfulness as well as aggression have strong heritability. That he hops away when you try to pet him and that he hates being picked up is totally normal rabbit behaviour and absolutely not a sign of anything being done wrongly!

5. Same as 4. Teach him to associate you with good stuff like craisins and later, perhaps nose-rubs or caressing of the ears, most bunnies are very fond of being groomed in or around the face. You can do nose-rubs without picking him up at first.

6. I think the peeing on you is a sign of fear. My bunny Bam peed on me in the beginning, a while longer on my mum – then he just stopped, now he never does it. He can sit in one’s lap forever and just melt and let himself be pet.

 Your bun seems to have come to a good and loving home and I’m sure he’ll be very happy, you just need to be patient with him!

Best of luck and please keep us posted!

[Kay Elle]

Bam, thank you so much for your advice. I’m happy to give him all the time he needs to gain his trust, so it’s comforting to hear that with patience he can come around. I was just really concerned because when we first got him, he seemed so comfortable being held and so this seemed to be a big step backwards. It’s reassuring to hear you say that his behavior is normal, that he just needs more time and patience – because I have lots of both!

[MoveDiagonally]

Most rabbits do not like to be held or cuddled but babies sometimes tolerate it. A better way to bond would be to get down on his level. Occupy yourself with a book or something else and pretty much ignore him. That usually peaks their curiosity.

[Irina]

You have received great advice so far- I have nothing new to add other than that I went through something very similar. My three bunnies were cuddle bugs from 3 weeks to about 10 week sold. We picked them up and carried them around without protest- they never tried to get away it avoid being picked up. It seemed to change almost overnight- they started to run away when we went near them and would struggle if we put our hands on them. I did as you have been advised: I stopped trying to pick them up and spent a lot of time on the floor when they had playtime- I read books, paid bills, talked on the phone etc. I usually had raisins on my lap, and they would come over and tentatively climb up to get some. Then I put them in my pocket so they would have to wait a bit for me to get them. After that I started to pet them while they had their treat. It took about two weeks until I could pet them without them wanting to get away. Shortly after, they would come over and nudge me waiting for some loving. I also wanted to be able to pick them up/handle them
easily- both for grooming/nails but also because I have an outdoor hutch in a fenced in pen (top covered too) that I want to bring them out to. I need to be able to pick them up when needed. After they were comfortable sitting on my lap eating treats, I would pick up tier front paws and give them a treat while on my lap. Gradually picked up back end too- with treats ofcourse- although not every time. This worked really well for me. When it is time to go back in their pen, one has learned “go in” as a command and it is easy. My two boys like to play with me and have me follow them around until they flop and I pet them and pick them up to put them in their pen. It has worked really well for me. Good luck!!!

[Lindsayjgunn]

Hi There,
I’m having the same problem and would like to try your raisin suggestion. My holland lop is 10 weeks old though. Is it too early for him to have raisins?

Thank you!

[Pumpkins Mommy]

I’m having the same problem with my 9 week old baby bun.. was so sweet in the beginning but now he hops away from me… won’t let me pick him up.. it’s making me so sad but I’m trying to be patient too! the breeder says i should just force him into being picked up since he was handled essentially from birth so he should be ok with it.. but everything i’ve read about bunnies says that I should just let him come to me…. 🙁

[Mr. Bun-bun]

I would not just pick him up. I would work with him to earn his trust. If you force him to be picked up chances are he will associate you with bad scarry things and not want to come around you at all. Lay down with him and let him get to know you. On his level. I don’t understand why a breeder would say that. I mean the older they get the less they are willing to be picked up. Think about teenage kids. Hahahahaha. Mind if their own. Keep working with. Use treats so he will associate you with good things. Then maybe later on you mght get a chance to hold him

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