It sounds to me like you’ve got a good start with spending time with your new bunny. My advice woudl be to spend more time with your bunny on the ground or floor. Let them sniff and be curious about you, this way they get used to you. You may want to also keep some treats like a couple raisins handy to give as a treat when your bunny is up close. This way they also get used to you. Try and pet them a few times each time so they know you will not hurt them. It takes time for a bunny to grow used to you.

Welcome loopy-lop! Yes, quite a devastating loss to Portugal eh? I can see how that could ruffle up a bunny tail!  

Don’t despair, at least not about your bunny, he just needs time to get used to things. The fact that he is coming up to you even though he runs away is a good sign.  Rabbits who are getting to know each other, but DO NOT hate each other, ignore each other.  It’s their way of saying, I may want to be friends, and so by ignoring you, I am letting you know I am not threatening you.”  Ignoring is actually a “friendly” sign as ironic as that seems.   But if you give him too much freedom right away, he may become distant and even unruly.   Like a teenager who has been given a car with no curfew. 

 And I do understand how cute and irresistible they are when they are babies.    It’s almost impossible to follow the rules! : )  My very first bunny I got as a baby, and I was also told to give him some time in his cage  And I can’t deny it, I too broke the rules.   But, now knowing what I know, I would have probably made his outings shorter.  

Rabbits, as prey animals, are creatures of habit, and when things change it stresses them out, and makes them extremely cautious.  A lot has happened to your new little guy.  He recently was taken away from his mother and siblings, and then either put in a pet store or you adopted him directly.  Either way, it’s pretty scary for him, and if he wasn’t handled early on, he may not know what in the world to think of humans. 

Do you know if he was handled before you got him? 

He is now on his own and it’s just in his prey nature to be a bit cautious.   I think HoppyBunny gave some great advice about hanging out with him, and offering him treats.  Be careful about giving him too many because he’s so young, but you can offer him his regular pellets too.  I know that one member found a healthy alternative to treats for bunnies under 12 weeks: Hay cakes.  And your bunny is young enough to have alfalfa, so an alfalfa hay cake might be yummy for him.

Offering him his food via your hand will help  him understand good things come from there.  You can also just lay your hand down and let him get used to it.   He may never enjoy being picked up as most bunnies don’t.  But you may be able to at least get him to tolerate it which is good when you need to trim nails.

I usually do not advocate picking up a bunny just to cuddle, but I usually deal with people who have adopted adult bunnies. But because your bunny is so young, I feel it is a good idea to get him used to handling to make easier and less stressful for him when you do nail trims, transport etc.    This may at least get him to tolerate it, but like most bunnies, he may never enjoy it.

But I don’t suggest picking him up now.   I suggest picking him up later when he’s gotten used to you and his new surroundings.   Also note: bunnies who hate being picked up can kick their back legs or leap out of your arms, both of which can break their back.   So stay low to the ground and make sure his back legs are secure.  

But again, because he’s so freaked out right now, don’t attempt this for a week or so.  Otherwise you could make it worse.  He won’t trust you at all.

Oh, I know you said your keeping your bunny out in a hutch.   Have you ever considered having a bunny inside of the house?   aka: A house rabbit? 

And again, Welcome and keep us updated!

Hi!
I got my bunny, Sable, from a pet store too.  Luckily the lady working there has a house bunny of her own and was very helpful.  She recommended handling him at least once a day, not a problem since he’s sooo cute.  Fortunately, he seemed to take to me right away and he’s only ‘made strange’ a couple of times.  All of the advice I’ve found here has been a great help too.  For instance, we let him run in the living room the first day .. what a poop factory!  Then I found this site and we quickly built a pen for him.  We have kept him confined to the pen though I do take him out once or twice a day to let him play on the couch.  Since the third day he hasn’t even pooped on the couch, he seems to understand that it’s my territory.

I’m the one who is using the hay cubes as treats.  Sable wouldn’t consider the same pellets he could easily get from his dish if they were given by hand, but wave a piece of one of those hay cakes under his nose and he’s good as gold.  He’s quite permissive while chomping down on it.  I think you might want to consider trying these for your bun since I’ve read that too much spinach can be a definite problem especially for babies.  Sable just reached the 12 week mark and I’m only now looking into trying some greens with him.  Binkybunny posted a link for diet info in a reply to my “Treats for babies” thread.  I just printed out their list of suggested veggies so that I can make sure to get the right things for him.  Thanks Binky!

I hope you enjoy your bunny as much as we have our little bundle of energy/joy!!

Glad to hear things are working out!  It’s amazing how quickly they learn things isn’t it?

I know what you mean about the poop.  I can’t believe the piles that come out of such a little creature.  I think I read somewhere that an average size rabbit can produce about 150 pellets a day.  Then there’s the size of those pellets, it almost looks like little Sable is hiding a much bigger friend somewhere

I’m sure things will just continue to get better and better.

His hairdo!  Of course! Why didn’t I think of that.    

And congrats on things progressing well.  And like Anistark said, it will get better and better.

It is amazing the dropping quantity isn’t it?  Especially baby bunnies.  They are the messiest of all.   They usually take longer to littertrain, and they just poo everywhere, which really makes it seem like a huge amount.  But lots of those round poops is a good sign that his digestive system is working well.  A very important thing especially in rabbits!.

He does sound like a clever one.   What a smartypants he is!  Bunnies are much smarter than people have given them credit for (at least in the past).  They can be clicker trained too. 

My bunny, Bailey, knows the word litterbox.  If I even think she’s going to go in the wrong place, I say “litterbox”  a few times and off she goes and jumps in the box.

I  don’t doubt that with your gentle “messy” patient approach, you will have your bunny bonded to you in no time.   Keep us updated on your progress. 

i’ve had my bun a good few weeks now, but i have to pick him up twice a day to give him antibiotics. hardly fun for him, and i wonder now if this is hindering bonding! he’s never liked being approached. he doesn’t mind coming for a sniff when i lie down, but i can’t wait for the antibiotics to stop so i can just be a nice mummy rather than a mean mummy giving him smelly tasting liquids!

good news for me though was that he has only ever pooed in his cage! he poos everywhere in the cage and it’s a bugger to clean, but it is so nice to not have to worry about finding poo elsewhere. he’s only a baby and i’m assuming that is why, when i clean all his poos into his litter tray, he looks at me with a smug look and then hops up to where i just cleaned them from and just does some more, about a foot away from the litter tray.

devil!

Sazemoo –  I know being the meanie mum isn’t any fun for both of you, and I actually have to do that right now with Rucy as she is fighting an infection. 

Loopy-lop –

Ah, I’m sorry he’s still shying away from you.  I think you have more of a challenge because it sounds like he’s either in his territory, a more confined place he feels like you’re invading, or he has lots of freedom away from you and becomes anti-social. (though that one thing about him finding interest in another area of the hutch while you are in there, may be his way to show he doesn’t want to fight.   Bunnies sometimes do this when they don’t want to be threatened, when they just want to maintain peace, when they’re just trying to read your body language.   So he may “act” like he doesn’t care, but he is watching you.  (of course, if he’s running out in the yard and exploring – then he’s  just exploring.) 

Also, it must be harder to litter train him in a smaller area – while he is already defending his territory. And he is reaching that age where his hormones are beginning to surge – like an ornery teenager and being territorial, even growling & lunging, is not uncommon. (Most of the time neutering helps temper this) 

You were right on when you said he may pee on his things because he’s protective, so unfortunately reaching in and putting him into this litterbox may have adverse effects in such close quarters – because you can’t really direct him or scoot him, because my guess is, by doing so means you’d be invading his “protectived” areas.

   Do you have access to a dog pen type of fencing – like an x-pen? 

I think this can help in a number of ways.

1st: You can sit in there with him (out in the yard  or wherever) and spend time where you are not invading his space, where you are both lounging, but he can’t be so distant that he becomes anti-social.  You can also continue litter training in the pen.  Just bring the litterbox into the x-pen. and put a treat in there to just encourage usage.  

2nd:  You can put him in the x-pen while you need to reach in and clean, feed, etc.his hutch.  That way he won’t be there and feel invaded.   By the way, keep a few beddings that you can rotate out quickly, and put all those piles of poo, and take a paper towel and try and soak up any urine from the bedding and put that in his litterbox.  (you have a box? or do you just let it fall through the wire grid in the hutch?)  It is a real pain, but keeping every place BUT his litterbox clean will also help him.  It does take time, and it’s a lot of cleaning. But in time, this will help him get it.

Also, if there is ANY way you can rig it so he can get out and enter on his own without you reaching in to pick him up?  That may help too, so he doesn’t see your hands as something negative.  EVEN if it means he will get freedom, some bunnies hate being picked up from the beginning, and they don’t associate “being caught” with freedom.

Another suggestion – When you try to pet him, do you try to pet his back or his head?  Some bunnies view petting their head with grooming, while petting their back with being threatened to be humped – dominated.   Most will get over that, but if he’s shy, he may want to only be petted a certain way first.

Keep us updated.   Bunnies are all so different and there are so many way to approach different problems.  So hang in there, and keep trying and hopefully soon we’ll find something that works.

I had to laugh at “typical man”.  Isn’t that the truth!  My husband is so guilty of that too –  only focus on one thing at a time. 

Though your yard is smaller (but normal for the city I live in),  I’m still thinking of even a smaller area for you two to be confined in.  The pens I’m thinking of are about 1.5 meters x 1.5 meters (give or take a few feet) 

But first, what about letting him run around a bit to get that out of his system and then sitting with him in a pen in your living room.   That way he can’t hide under a piece of furniture.   If you don’t really have access or want to purchase a x-pen, then maybe you can think of another way to confine you both into a smaller section .  It will have to be comfortable for you, so bring pillows or whatever, so that sitting on the floor doesn’t become so uncomfortable and make you want to get out too soon. 

Watch TV, read a book, write, work,or whatever while you are in there.  (I use to do all the things I usually avoided – like taxes, shopping lists, etc)   Plus, this “ignoring” can cue him into that you are not threatening.  And let him just find interest in you until he flops down to rest.  Then pet him.  Don’t hover your hand over him, or go to slow, as he may take that as “stalking” like predator to prey. He may pop up, but don’t worry, it’ll take time and patience.  Oh, and be sure to put a small litterbox in there with you, so when you’re spending time, he’ll have a place to go, plus it can help reinforce litterbox habits. 

It may take a couple of weeks, so don’t get discouraged if nothing changes over a few days.

Let us know if you do try that, how you end up doing it and keep us updated on Lollo’s progress.

Loopy-lop,

Your posts crack me up!  

And Yahoooo! Congrats on the ongoing bonding.