Well, I’m not certain how that would benefit Max though. Perhaps he is used to you and feels comfortable so therefore he just ignores you (or so you think he ignores you, this may just be how he is when he’s comfortable). At least he doesn’t run from you.

It seems like Meadow is more likely to get him interested in stuff since you said he follows her up to you.

Well, it certainly cannot hurt to try it – what are you trying to achieve with him with the clicker training though? Do you think it will bring him out of his shyness?

It sounds to me a bit like he’s playing with you when he bumps you then runs.

I have a Dutch shy boy who I was very patient with for over a year, as in letting him come to me (never!), sitting on the floor etc. Finally one day my son happened to scoop him up from the open floor of the condo and give him to me on the couch where I cuddled him for nearly 2 hours. He went from freaked out and hiding under my chin to running back and forth on the couch and always back to me.

Now, while not the most outgoing bun in the house, he will come over to me when out and ask for treats and a nose rub, and lets me pet him in the condo, overall a really big difference in his attitude.

He was in one of those glass cages in the petstore for a long time and I think he was just conditioned to freezing in place and trying to pretend people didn’t exist. In his case, I now think catching him every few days and handling him is getting him over a lot of his shyness, he wouldn’t come on his own to find out I wasn’t going to hurt him or that pets and noserubs are good. I wouldn’t do it to every bunny, but I think in extreme shyness it can help to initiate the contact to start with.

I bet he’s forgiven you – after all he has a gorgeous girlfriend. Maybe he’s just an introvert.

I had a rabbit who did not like to be on the bed either or anywhere else other than the floor and would jump off immediately as well to my displeasure.

I think somewhere new is a good idea, Beka. I had a thread on what happened and it started out by me saying that Daisy had he liked me after all, or at least decided that I was the lesser of 2 evils in the house.

When Mike initially caught him, he sat on the couch and as soon as he loosened his grip that rabbit zoomed across the couch, up my shirt and hid under my neck. That’s where he stayed for 2 hours, everytime I moved him (so I could breathe) or tried to put him on the floor with Lola he would not run, but ZOOM right back to that spot.

So I petted, rubbed and talked to him and I could tell he was relaxing because he started moving his ears around and turned from a tense little furball to a soft nerf bunny against my shoulder.

His partner is the very, very outgoing diva, Lola, and he has gotten better about coming out of the condo on her adventures, but I notice if I get busy and don’t make a point to initiate contact for a few days, he kinda drifts back into his shyness again. Bunnies are so different from each other.

wanta borrow my son to make the bun prefer you? He’s 21, about 6’1 and will eat you out of house and home but he’s yours for a week!

Are you holding Max? I do restrain Daisy from jumping down. After a minute or 2 he gets over his first stage of OMG SHE’S GONNA EAT ME fright and calms down enough to explore me a bit and enjoy some petting.

I do know it’s not recommended to hold a bunny against their will, but with Daisy, it’s the only way I can really make contact with him. When I’m holding him, it’s not the wild kicking out stuff, he just really tries to find a place he can squirm out from under my arm and get away. But by the time we’re through, I have to put him down he’s enjoying it so much.

You’ll find what’s best for Max, just keep trying different approaches…lol good luck!
Kathy

Rupert is a very shy nervous bunny. But he’s made remarkable improvments. We pick him up and have ‘cuddles’ at least once a day, followed by treats. He’s still shy but he used to get white eyes and dig his little paws in if you picked him up. Now he’s sooo fine with it, just sits relaxed in your arms, I can actually hold him with one arm! He runs up to us binkying in the morning and is even starting to run up to us for treats (even being very food motivated, this is a new behavior; He would not come out of hiding spots for any food!).

I don’t think you need to seperate max but you could still spend some bonding time with just him. Just keep scooping him up for a quick cuddle and setting him down. Try to sneak some head pets in when you’re feeding etc.

Nilla bean is also a very shy bunny, and we have had her for a little over a year now and I am just starting to bond with her (by bond, I mean she doesn’t give me her cute little bunny grunt when I try to pet her!)

Do you hand feed Max treats quite often? I feed Nilla Bean a papaya treat once a day, and before feeding it I shake the jar. She knows that when I shake the jar I am going to give a treat so I will kneel on the floor and shake the jar. Bean gets so excited about the papaya treat that she forgets to be scared of me and will run and sit on my lap trying her hardest to get the treat Its really the only time she is that courageous around me, but because of those interactions she has become much less shy around me.

I thought Mimzy, or at least Fiver who seems half trained already, would be ‘clicker capable’, but so far it’s a no-go. I can get Mimzy to stand on his hind legs for a dried blueberry, but that’s about it.
I think with him, he’s just not interested. No performing bunny here.

Pip however, will go on hind legs any time you walk by and expects a nose pet. She’ll jump in your lap the minute you sit down. She ‘begs’ like a dog. Isn’t shy about giving you a nose bump or a nip to tell you to get the heck out of her way. She is one I think that would take to the training well.

Fiver is scared to death of clicking noises. I cannot fill my daily medicine holder around him, he’ll start thumping and whining if he hears the little doors clicking into place. I have to take it all out in the kitchen out of deference to his feelings. Poor thing.

I’m with Sarita on this one. It sounds like he’s initiating a “Chase me” game. Now, chasing a bunny is scary, but if he bumps you and runs, try saying “Chase me!” and running away from him. Like in circles. See if he follows. If he does, then stops, tell him you’re chasing him now and do it a little. Then stop and switch again. Spockie loved the chase me game.

If it is fun for Max, you may tire him out first from running – then try a treat and a snuggle. It just may be that he’s too in need of some exercise to be scooped and still at first. Let him get to the stage where he is a bit pooped. You’ll make a good pillow.

i know that bunnies are not pick-up-and-cuddle monsters BUT i noticed that when i was trying to bond with pinky & get used to having to handle her for grooming that when i picked her up, petted her, and then set her back down she was less likely to try to get away from me than before i picked her up.  now that i am perfectly comfortable & confident picking her up i still make a point of doing so randomly (when i don’t need to groom or anything) just to ‘touch base’.  she’s a very easy bunny to hold… she doesn’t struggle or try to jump down like baby as long as i’m standing tall… so i am confident that this doesn’t traumatize her at all.  and as always when i set her back down she doesn’t run away but rather, stays to sniff around my legs and investigate around.  she’ll let me bend down & pet her without running away too.  would max respond to this too maybe?

Hey, Beka

I hope you’ll keep updating this thread with your progress/ideas…I was actually just having the same worries/wonderings about Robbie.  He’s been a lot shyer and more aloof with me since the neuter/bonding…I’d love to tag along and learn as you go…

Ditto -would love to hear what works and doesn’t work with Max!

Here’s a thought: I can’t be around someone with perfume anymore (allergies – fondness for breathing fresh air, that sort of thing.)
Do you ever wear any when you are near Max? Or have a fragrant shampoo? Or drink vinegar? Seriously, if you smell like a predator or just in some way he doesn’t like, like if you were handling meat for dinner, it might be putting him off.

ie, if you stash some Meadow fur in your pocket, he might snuggle right up to you.

drink vinegar *snicker*

*gurgle* My ears are burning again. >.<

I’ve noticed that as Pip & Mimzy continue their bonding process, Mimzy just has not been as cuddly with me as he was when he was the lone bun. I don’t know if it’s just a guy bunny thing or what, but I do see that he and Pip will be VERY protective of each other (especially when it’s time to go to bed and they still have separate rooms) and are preferring each others company to mine over the months. It makes me sad, but I know Mimzy must really enjoy her as a prospective mate if he will huddle with her under the tent when I come to collect them and stays hidden anywhere he knows she’ll be when I sit in the xpen with them.
He comes out once in awhile to give me a nose bump. But when he realizes I am just sitting there and not going anywhere, he could care less.

Now Fiver likes spending time with me too, but he really doesn’t want ‘close’ company. I wonder if he will become as close to Pip or Mimzy as Mimzy has to Pip if I bond the three, eventually, and then I really won’t have anybunny to cuddle with by myself. But I do want them to be happy, so I guess I have to accept that if it’s what’s to come.

I think you’ve done an excellent job with Mead & Max and you can just look at some of those piccies of the two of them cuddled up, snoozing in their xpen to see how happy they are. You’re a wonderful bunny mum!