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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 Can my bunny become cuddly?

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    • Kayla
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        Hi! We recently got a little girl bunny, she has been with us for a week and is 9 weeks old. Our little girl seems to be pretty scared of us when we walk by or move near the hutch in our living room. How long can this take to fade? I know she needs to adjust still, and temperament plays a huge role in how she will change, but im having a really hard time gauging what her temperament is. She seems very happy in her hutch (cleans herself, eats, drinks, runs up and down the ramp, back and forth in the bottom half, binkies rarely) and comes out to explore occasionally when we leave the door open (we have older dogs so I will rotate letting the bunny or dogs having free range of the house). I notice she is more likely to come out of we are not in the room. She will sometimes not run when I pet her, but will mostly run away into her tunnel or litter box.

        I’m okay if she never becomes a cuddly bunny, but I would like to know what I can do to help her enjoy cuddling if there is anything. I’ve heard so much conflicting info I’m confused! Some say to handle a lot, other say let them come to you, it’s just so confusing to know what I should do! I know I need to accept her for who she is, but if there is anything I can do to help her enjoy me and become cuddly, I want to do it. I just can’t figure out what the right thing to do is. Advice? Is there hope for her to become cuddly even though she isn’t cuddly as a baby yet?

        Thank you for your advice!


      • Bam
        Moderator
        16836 posts Send Private Message

          I thinks ou should let her come to you now, in the very beginning of your relationship. If you just sit or lie still on the floor, she’ll eventually become curious and want to check you out.
          Handling is important of course, but I think that should come later.
          Some bunnies never become cuddly and some become cuddly. Mine weren’t cuddly when I got them. They developed “cuddliness” after they’d got to know me. It didn’t happen in days but in months.


        • Gina.Jenny
          Participant
          2244 posts Send Private Message

            I have a special ‘treat-time’ whistle. I’ve just taken on two rescue bunny girls, along with my two boy lops and two guinea pigs, and the girls very quickly learnt that me plus whistle equaled treat. A quarter of a dandelion leaf, or a very small slice of carrot or cucumber was enough, and the first couple of days, I whistled and gave a tiny treat every half hour, and this morning, the rescue bunny we’ve only had a week and a half came to the cage door when I came downstairs this morning, and happily had ear rubs. I don’t know if either girl will ever become cuddly, but food can lead to affection! I guess its a trust and respect thing to a bunny?


          • Eepster
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            1236 posts Send Private Message

              Sit on the floor near her hutch, but not blocking it, like three or four feet from the entrance. Sit quietly reading or some other quiet activity where you aren’t really paying attention to her. Just ignore her. Don’t try to touch her, just focus on your book or whatever. You don’t need to be a statue, just relaxed and not focused on her.

              Focusing on her will make you seem like a predator, and rabbits are prey animals. Sitting companionably makes you feel like you aren’t trying to hide and stalk her, so you won’t be displaying predatory behavior.


            • RosiePosie
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                Just like any animal, some are cuddly and some aren’t. Rosie likes to be pet, but otherwise doesn’t like to be cuddled or cuddle with us. However, she is only 5 months old (ish) and once is spayed she might change her mind. We spend a lot of time letting her come to us, which has helped with her becoming more relaxed and chill with us.


              • DaisyMae
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                  Letting our bun come to us worked well. Hand feeding her really helped her bond to us too. The first veggie she tried was carrot tops and whenever she saw we had one she would hop over so we could feed her. She also enjoyed it when we would hold a big piece of kale by the stem and she could tear pieces off. It took time for her to get to know her environment and us, and now she loves to be petted but still doesn’t like to be picked up.


                • Bam
                  Moderator
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                    Most bunnies will never like being picked up. Some very young bunnies won’t mind, but once they’ve become adolescents and adults, being picked up is generally frowned upon by most rabbits. Predators pick rabbits up, then eat them =(

                    But cuddles and nose-rubs and rubs to the forehead is a very different thing. That’s how rabbits treat (and are treated by) their rabbit-friends.


                  • eva
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                      If you respect her boundaries she will learn to trust you and then begin to love you.


                    • vanessa
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                        Each bunny is different. My least tame bunny, Morgana, has taken over a year to let me pet her. She only started allowing me to touch her after watching her pal Avalon enjoy being petted, and watching him run up to me when I arrive with veggies. So she takes on his behavior. But I don’t handle that pair a lot, so they are both afraid of being picked up. They are outside bunnies, in a super large shed and run, so they are happy with their space, and happy with eachother, and I spend about 3 hours outside every day. So they are use to seeing me, but not in a snuggly sort of way. My first pair – had many vet visits, so I had to handle them, and after a few times of realizing that I wasn’t going to eat them, they accepted being picked up. Once they were over that, they were always happy and exited to see me. But as for cuddly – they were cuddly with each other, and they enjoyed and approached me for petting, but not to snuggle like a cat or dog does. When the male of my first pair passed away, I adopted my new little lop. He is crazy calm, super easy to handle, and an attention hound. He just wants to be petted all the time. Him and the “widower” female are now indoor rabbits. (I don’t have space to bring the other pair in, so they have a 4×8 shed with a 48ft perimiter run. Morgana became happier and more tolerable of me as I increased her living area. She hated me while she was in her smallest habitat). Back to the lop and his girlfriend (busy with bonding). His girlfriend, Gwen, loves being petted too. They both respond differently. She (as with the other bunnies) gets all flat when I pet her. The new lop raises his head which surprised me. Then today he settled in a bunny loaf position. Not the usual response I get when petting the other bunnies, but that is how he enjoys it. That’s about as cuddly as mine get, and I suspect as cudly as they all get. Although the lop is easy to handle, and not scared of much, I agree with Bam that rabbits don’t like being picked up. They learn to trust us, and learn that we won’t eat them, and they’ll be safely put down again, so they tolerate being handled. They enjoy being petted, which is similar to them grooming eachother. My lop enjoys being brushed, none of the others do. With patience and respect, they will show you more affection, but they aren’t snuggly with humans, like cats or dogs are. However – they are incredibly snuggly with eachother once bonded. And that is a real joy to watch.


                      • vanessa
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                          Kayla, how is your bunny? I thought of you today as my Lancelot snuggled up to me. I adopted him. I had nothing to do with his snuggliness. When I come into the room, he buzzes (which I have read about but never heard), and runs circles around and between my feet till I pet him. Then he raises his head and shoves it up against my hand. Very demanding for petting. Totally cute. So I sat down and he settled himself next to me for petting. That’s the snuggliest my bunnies have been with me. He is totally adorable. His pal that I am working at bonding, flattens her head for petting when I come in. She runs up to me, but she doesn’t get up to my lap like he does. She has been through a lot. Working at bonding her with Lancelot is making her more appreciative of being petted. How is your bunny doing?

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                      Forum BEHAVIOR Can my bunny become cuddly?