Welcome, Charlie, and congrats on your new bunny!

This is a difficult problem for many people and I would suggest patience with your bf. It is very likely that he will never bond with your bunny, and for good reason. His resistance to handle the bunny and its things are a way of protecting himself from a potentially bad reaction. I would not press him, or expect him to do more than be in the same room with your bunny.

Actually, it might not be a bad idea to keep one room, like the livingroom, a No-Bunny zone. You don’t really need to interact with your bunny on the couch, and keeping him off will keep the cushions clean of any territorial pee or poops, and with as little fur as possible. If your bf knows that you have a room that’s safe for him to breathe comfortably, he will appreciate it. Allergies are a problem that have thresholds. He may be mildly allergic to the fur, and mildly to the hay, but put the two together and it will send him into a potential danger zone. I have allergies to women’s perfumes, and scented sprays, so I may love someone but if they are wearing perfume I can’t wait until they leave.

A separate room for the bunny is a good solution, and you can even put bunny in there when bf visits. You will have the allergens on you, too. Remember, bunnies live for around 10 years, so you’re looking at a long term way of life changing. Working out compromises may always be necessary.

Oh, and what’s your bunny’s name? Can we see pix?

My husband is not as goofy over the rabbits as I am- but he can’t help but smile when the bunnies accept a treat/Craisin from his fingers. He thinks it is cute and he loves to watch them chew their treats and lick their lips!

My husband isn’t really an animal person either. He has made sacrifices and deals with them though. I only have Pepe free roaming and he’ll pet him when he passes by him. He is a little wary of Pepe though because Pepe likes to bite! Also Pepe jumps on the bed and I have to grab him or else he’ll grab a few nibbles off of who is ever there and he’ll also dig on the mattress and pillow like a crazy rabbit (and on occasion pee on the bed so I have to watch him very carefully). So Pepe while full of personality is a bit of a handful. He doesn’t come downstairs any longer either because I put in an area rug that I think he does not like the smell of (the dye I guess).

My other rabbits have a room to themselves. I am the sole caretaker too so that makes a difference – I don’t expect my husband to help me out.

Awww, Im sure he will warm up to him. Keep some allergy meds close, like Zyrtec or something equally powerful! Is your bun shedding? I know mine is right now, a lot, so I’m constantly grooming him. It helps keep the allergies to a minimum. Maybe you need to have some bonding sesions for the two of them

Bummer. I hope y’all can work something out.
For now – I would agree on keeping the living room a pet free zone. Hopefully your boyfriend will appreciate the effort.

The first time my now husband came over to my place – I had forgotten to ask him how he felt about dogs. As he was at the door, he said he was mildly allergic – oh no! – then he said “Wow, you have huskies!” and was right down on the floor playing with them – whew!

I have to admit – I don’t really “get” why some people don’t like animals. I think it would be tough to live with someone who did not want them around. I know lots of people who have allergies and still have pets.

Sounds like you are workkingthings out.  Thats good.  Sometimes people will get the timmy or alfalfa cubes for their buns due to allergies. Doesn’t have as much fiber but it can make a difference with allergies.

I have allergies to timmy hay.  I still use it however my buns are tired of it and will hardly eat it so I keep switching hays.

Hubby isn’t an animal person either. He doesn’t like them in the house and thinks of them as food.  HE knows better than to suggest that about my babies. Which is good.

HE pets Ruby some.  Cotton won’t let hubby touch him.  When he notices is hubby petting him he runs away.  Cotton won’t accept treats from him either.  Ruby does tho.

My fiance is an animal person to some extent, but he was a bit wary of getting a bun at first. We talked it over and he agreed to let me get one, but I don’t think he was super excited (definitely not as excited as if we were getting a dog, for example) and saw it as just another of my little furry pets (I’ve had gerbils for years; he thinks they’re cute, but really doesn’t pay attention to them). After having Otto home for a few weeks, he was totally smitten 🙂 Now he loves Otto as much as I do and spends lots of time hanging out with him and training him to lick noses on command. He’s definitely a bunny person now! Hopefully your boyfriend will come around too.

I tend to agree with Sage Cat though; I just can’t understand people who aren’t into animals! It’s such a foreign concept to me.

My boyfriends best friend is really allergic to cats and his fiancee has 3, but he gets PRICEY allergy shots every month. That’s what I call true love.