Sounds like he really is feeling secure. Well done!
Mostly  if he doesn’t like being picked up – this will not change. Most don’t. However, he may come to tolerate it and for time to time they do need to be picked up and handled. So in my view, it is good to get him accustomed to this by being picked up, held a short time, then rewarded afterward. As to coming up to you….this may happen. If you lay about on the floor, they often come up and settle near you. It’s when you know you’ve become an honorary bun in their eyes.

My rescue bun hates being picked up and for a while it was our goal to train him to being held. But then I read somewhere, that no bun will like being held, but will only tolerate it, and so it is better not to force it. So now he is only held if it is absolutely necessary.

But I do envy those people who just bend slightly down in their knees, make a sound and then the bunny jumps up on their laps and are ready to be lifted. Don’t get how they have managed to train their rabbits like that

My bun still doesn’t come over to sit on my lap, which I would really love. I have had ham for 3 months and he has definitely become more relaxed and loving. He doesn’t run off anymore when I sit down to pet him, and he flops next to me and sleeps with eyes closed, which took quite a while for him to do it. When I sit down with my back to him, he comes over and pushes me with his nose to let me know that he is right here ) He has unfortunately also become more naughty – in the beginning I only needed to clap my hands once and he would stop what he was doing and walk away – now he keeps jumping up on the bed, even if I am in it, and don’t really care if we are chasing him to get him down. I think he is too relaxed about us now! That’s the downside

my bunnies spot is under the table too and i suspect it is the crumbs they like lol xxx i am in the same situation trying to get my bunnies more used to me xx

I think that just the basic nature of rabbits as prey animals means that for the most part they will always be anxious about being picked up. I do not really pick mine up unless I have to, mostly because I don’t mind hanging out on the floor with them and because I prefer watching them binky over picking them up

I actually wouldn’t try to pick him up if he came over and flopped near you. This may actually prevent him from trusting you. A flop is a full state of “I’m happy and relaxed” and for them to do that near you means you have gained trust, so I wouldn’t break that at that moment.

It will be good for you to get used to picking him up eventually just to do nail trims etc, but in general, most bunnies (though there are exceptions) do not like it, and will only tolerate it, but out of the hundreds I’ve seen via volunteering, I would say that there has only been a handful that actually enjoy it.

Just grab some pillows and enjoy the flop with him on the floor. So sweet.

Thanks for rescuing him! I’m glad you saw a vet and they checked him out, better safe than sorry with bunnies.

He sounds like a wonderful bunny. It’s true that personalities are going to be different, but I think you’re doing a great thing by letting him become used to you without forcing yourself on him.

We have had Max (our lop) for one year yesterday. He lived in a warren-like situation with over 20 bunnies at the rescue, we brought him home and bonded him to our mini rex, Meadow. He’s always been quite nervous around us. I’m not sure if that has to do with beginning the stressful bonding process immediately, or if it’s just how he is. So we give Meadow a ton of pets and head scratches b/c she adores the physical contact. We pet Max if he allows us to. To confuse things even further, we can walk past Max and he will not run. He can be fully flopped out and we can stand right next to him and he will not jump up like Meadow does. He allows our 5 year old to pet him wherever, whenever, including when he is flopped out. He is not frightened of the vacuum at all. So for him it may be the adult hands that he does not like… What I do is I present my hand to him in a fist and let him bump it with his nose. He will do this a couple times and then go play.

Oh Good Grief, he’s adorable! xD I am a LONG time Peanuts fan, so that is an excellent name for such a cute bun!
What a treat that he has shown you the flop in a brief three weeks! ^_^ I don’t know how long it was until any of my bunnies did that for me, but it was more than a month, I am sure!
Thank you for rescuing him. He looks supremely happy already. That’s wonderful to see!

Pepper was a park-dumped easter bunny, and spent rather a long time in the shelter – she was around a year and a half old when I got her.  I knew she’d never be a cuddlebun – and I had to treat her for an ear infection early on that didn’t exactly endear me to her!

But after about 8 months she got to the point where she would occasionally let me pet her head – only when she was sitting in one particular place and only when she had the opportunity to get away, but she would tolerate me.  She is inquisitive and very funny, but not very snuggly.  She wasn’t allowed in my bedroom as it was also my sewing studio.  When I would be traveling a lot for faires she started digging out her litterbox, but I started sleeping on the couch a couple of nights a week and she calmed down – turns out that my little sulkybun really missed me after all!  She was too proud to actually ask for pets, but she would sit just out of reach with that “you know, you could be petting me now” look.

Fast Forward to last September with a new condo with more room and access to my bedroom.  I really think that being able to be around me when I’m asleep has made a huge difference.  One day when I was home sick she hopped up on the bed and for the first time in over 3 years actually shoved her head under my hand for pettins!  Over the Xmas holidays she started hopping up on the couch with me and letting me pet her.   Every night when I start turning  out the lights to get ready for bed, while I’m brushing my teeth etc she will make a run to the kitchen for a last trip to the litterbox and a drink, and then she sleeps under my bed.  She’s still too proud to groom me, although she will groom by proxy my pillows and blankets, and I get a lot of “hey, what’s up” head-bonks as she goes about her terribly important bunny-errands.

I’m reasonably convinced that she doesn’t know she’s a bunny.  All our attempts at bunny-dating were disastrous, and while at the Red Door Shelter’s fund raiser this weekend she utterly ignored the pair of buns in the next pen over.  She was curious and friendly with the dogs, and allowed everyone to pet her, and she obviously loves it when I have visitors (particularly the sloppy kind who drop food on the floor).

But I knew going in that adopting an older female would likely mean she’d always be a bit standoffish, and I am okay with that.  I’m an older female and rather set in my ways as well .  I have to look very carefully for signs of affection, but they are there.  We give each other our space

Aw he’s so cute!! 
Archie was found wandering outside.  Didn’t seemed abused, I guess he was either unwanted to someone let him outside and he hopped away.  When I first got Archie (last Dec.) we had him in a smaller cage (before we found out the joys of NIC cubes!) and the first days he was with us he would slowly come out of his cage but would always go back in to lay down.  It takes some time for them to get used to you and trust you; especially rescue buns (IMO).  Now he runs all around, follows us into the kitchen and begs for treats and just recently he’ll let us pick him up and hold him (not for very long though).  But I’m so happy to have at least one bun that won’t struggle to be held (usually). 

Gracie, who we got in Feb. was abused by her previous owners.  Her ears have some scars on them and when we read her story on petfinder I just felt so bad that I knew we had to go get her and spoil her like we do with Archie!  It took her some time to get used to us and we bonded her with Archie.  With all she’s been through it’s kind of surprising to call her a diva   She doesn’t care to be picked up and probably never will be.  She’s about 4 or 5 year old and was mistreated pretty much all her life.  If you pet her back or comb her, she jumps a bit because that’s probably where they hit her sometimes, was on her back.  Poor thing, but she’s doing just fine now.

Arrr wendyzski what a lovely story, she sounds adorable, i cant wait to get to that stage with my two, i would love for them to be in my room with me but they are still a bit young and not as trained as i would like yet lolx x
Snoopy is gorgeous i can understand the cuddle thing as he does look incredibly cuddly so must be hard to resist him. xxx

Bunnie is a little skiddish too. She will jump if you touch her back or end quarters but that might just be because she isn’t really expecting it. She started letting me pet her head and between her eyes. Sometimes if she is laying by the door to our enclosed porch she will let me pet her, but she never asks for it. Neither of them really ask for it. Sir Thumps a lot just kinda plops down and has that look like wendyzski said…you know you could be petting me right now.

It’s quite the sight and very cute. Bunnie is warming up a bit but I know it will take some time considering what she has seen.