Grumpy bunny has this mama sad

[Brittany]

Hi everyone! This is my first time in here and also having a bun.
I brought home my holland lop Matilda 8 months ago and it has been a roller coaster with her. One minute she likes me the next runs away when I walk into the room. I have tried everything with her- and she still seems like she does not want anything to do with me. From day one she was a scared, skiddish bun and does not like to be touched. She is very independent and lately I have been giving her more free range of my home. I have 3 female dogs and she has taken a liking to all of them! She will play with them and they tolerate her LOL
But still she won’t go near me . She has become destructive and is not spayed. But will be in 2 days. So I feel like I am always scolding her or squirting her with the water bottle when she misbehaves. She doesn’t spray, grunt or show any signs of being mean. She just likes to chew everything, even after being scolded and she is an escape artist.
My question is- will she become more lovable towards me after she is spayed?? Or do I just need to give her space- which kills me because I love her so much and just want to spend time with her and have her apart of the whole furbaby family and include her.
Any suggestions to help me bond with her ? I hope she doesn’t hate me more after her surgery

[Maddie Rae]

Hi Brittany! I recently brought home a new bunny too, also very shy/independent. What I’ve tried doing is just sitting and spending time with her in her favorite run around space/chill out space without petting her or approaching her. I’ll just sit and watch TV or have my laptop in my lap, etc. Just sitting there and not attempting to pet her. A lot of times bunny would come up to me all by herself! And it might also help to bunny proof some of the main things she goes after (and I think the spaying might also help the chewing.)

[JackRabbit]

Sounds like she associates you with being scolded and sprayed with a squirt bottle. Bunnies chew, period. They chew out of boredom, they chew to wear their teeth down, they chew because they like to taste. Some bunnies are bigger chewers than others. If your bunny is a chewer, you need to give her appropriate things to chew (unlimited hay, applewood sticks, willow chew toys and sticks, cardboard boxes, etc) and block access to what us not appropriate to chew.

Bunnies don’t respond well to scolding or punishment, and the best way to deal with undesirable behaviors is to redirect the bunny toward something appropriate.

[Bam]

I agree with both Maddie Rae and Jack Rabbit. A bunny may take her time to trust humans. It’s very natural for them, in nature, many animals want to have rabbits for dinner. They are at the bottom of the food chain and so they have to be very, very cautious and skittish just to avoid predators. Your Bunny needs to learn that you pose no threat to her.

The best thing is, imo, to let the bunny approach you, without you trying to touch her – just as Maddie Rae describes. Bunnies are innately curious and often can’t resist to check stuff out. You can arm yourself with treats so you can reward her attempts at investigating you!
  
Bunnies ARE chewers, as JR points out. This is why you should take care to cover all electric cords with cable cord wire organizers and provide your bunny with stuff she’s allowed to chew. Twigs and even branches of apple, willow, hazel, hawthorne. Hay that you replenish often. A cardboard box turned upside down that you’ve cut out an entrance and an exit in (bunnies often enjoy remodelling cardboard boxes with their teeth).  Some bunnies enjoy tearing up old newspapers.  

Bunnies are not like dogs and do not understand scolding very well.

She will probably calm down some when her hormone-levels have dropped after the spay. It may take a month and she may become worse during that time, due to her hormones being all over the place.

I wish you the best of luck with her!!

[LoveChaCha]

Hi! My name is Brittany as well

As for spaying, yes! Please get her spayed! Her chances of getting reproductive cancer is much higher if she is not spayed!

Do you give her any cardboard boxes or toys? Bunnies love playing in such things and chew a lot.

Bunnies are forever toddlers, they do not understand punishment. But they do know when they are in trouble.

Having a female bunny myself, they are very much expressive divas. My girl is moody, but very sweet when she wants to. You just learn to accept that is how they are. Rabbits in general do not please hoomins the way dogs do! You must learn their trust I advise laying on the floor with her and keeping occupied with a book or watching tv. They will learn to come up to you and sniff you! Its really cool when they approach you.

[JackRabbit]

LoveChaCha — “forever toddlers” pretty much sums it up!! You just hope for the sweet toddler time and not the terrible twos!

[BunsAndDolls]

Yes to everything, lol. My boy was very skittish when we first got him and couldn’t stand to be touched. We’ve had him about a year now and he still will not tolerate being picked up or handled, but if I’m sitting on the floor he’ll come lie next to me. He also jumps up on the couch to snuggle, and he’ll even crawl up into my lap now. It just has to be on HIS terms, not anybody else’s.

[LittlePuffyTail]

Forever toddlers! Yup! I have two 8 year old toddlers (that’s like 60 in bunny years!).

[hiskatey93]

Cash was atrocious before we got him neutered. He was dismissive of my ex. Ignored and ran away form him. Me on the other hand. He chased me down like a madman and tried to rape my leg. Took out some chunks of flesh too. I pretty much ran from him for the first 2 months of owning him in terror. I was ready to give up and find him a new home, before someone told me neutering him may help.

Once he was neutered and a few weeks passed by BAM. Giant cuddle monster, who loves o snuggle, give kisses, and follow me around. Also charged any other males he disapproved of, including a police officer. ((Had to file a report. Someone broke into my home.))

Fixing definitely helped my issue, and I hope it helps with you as well!

[Brittany]

Hi Everyone !
Thank you for all you feedback!!

Matilda’s surgery went great on Thursday and tonight was the first time I let her play a little. I can tell she feels better and she is back to her playful self and testing my patience 100% LOL———– this might sound strange but I missed her misbehaving ways the last few days.

I threw away the water bottle and using the word “NO” alot less often. I have been re-directing her when I can tell shes about to pull a fast one on me. Other, than that shes healthy and “hoppy” and found out she LOVES the taste of Metacam!!
She did manage to move the gate that was blocking my bed and jumped over it when I wasn’t watching her a few mins ago (i hope she didnt hurt her stiches)- but then I quickly put her in her cage and decided playtime was over for the night and in return she stood in her water dish then flipped it over. UGGHHHHH My grumpy bunny is back! and this mama is Happy

Thanks everyone. Ill keep you updated
lots of luv Brittany xxoxoxo

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