Skiddish Bunny.

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BINKYBUNNY FORUMS

This topic has 4sd replies, 3 voices, and was last updated 13 years, 9 months ago by BinkyBunny.

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- 06/14/2012 at 6:31 AM
  tanlover14
  Participant
  3617 posts
  I’m looking for some advice on dealing with our new skiddish tan doe. We bought her brother from the same litter as our first bun and we acquired him when he was two months old. He was skiddish and leery for a few days but then quickly began to become right at home with our family. He loves being pet, he binkies all the time when we have him out, and you can just tell he’s hands down a really happy bunny. So full of energy and life.
  
  His sister we brought home when she was three months old. Being a really young rabbit still, we were hoping she would adjust just as well as her brother did. She hasn’t though. She’s really skiddish of being touched (sometimes she’s fine when you’re giving her treats but usually she either crouches away and out of reach or gets really nervous and will hunch down and just take it). We’ve had her for almost two weeks now and she’s still acting the same way. The only time she is really sociable at all is when she’s out with her brother.   Or when she gets veggies, then she gets really wound up and will binky also.
  
  We are really gentle and patient with our buns, although we are only two months new to the bun community. So it’s sad to see her always being so anxious and scared around us. Any advice on how to bond better with this skiddish bun would be greatly appreciated!
  
  Also, if it makes a difference – she hasn’t been spayed yet but will be in a few weeks. I’ve heard that with the bucks it will change their temperament and make them less aggressive.   Could it potentially make her not so anxious?
- 06/14/2012 at 6:46 AM
  Elrohwen
  Participant
  7318 posts
  Bunnies just have their own personalities and sometimes no matter how they are raised or socialized, some will be more skittish than others. I had my boy since 8 weeks old and he’s had nothing but the best care and socializing, but he still hates to be petted. He’s otherwise a happy guy though and lays around the house totally relaxed, so you can’t always count on affection to know if a bunny is happy. Does she relax? Or does she always seem nervous in the house? A bunny that binkies and lays down in your living room are pretty content bunnies. The fact that she takes treats from you is a good sign!
  
  Just keep being gentle with her and hand feeding her treats. You can also sit on the floor and totally ignore her, letting her explore you and get to know you without worrying about hands reach out to pet her. Bunnies like to approach and get comfortable on their own time, they are prey animals after all, so just give her time to warm up to you. She may never enjoy pets, but I’m sure she’ll get a lot more comfortable over time.
  
  Spaying does lessen aggression and it’s possible part of her personality issues are because of hormones, so it might make some difference.
- 06/14/2012 at 8:39 AM
  tanlover14
  Participant
  3617 posts
  She goes back and forth with being relaxed. Sometimes she’ll relax when she’s in the area that she’s been playing and she’s relaxed in her cage as long as you don’t reach in or anything. Unless you’re giving her veggies. She’s ALWAYS ready for those. We’ve been trying to use the veggies to our advantage since she’s only 4 months old we’ve just started introducing the veggies to her and she gulps them right now every chance she gets. So we’ve been using the veggies to feed and pet her at the same time. She’s totally relaxed when we do that.
  
  The main thing is we just don’t want her to feel the need to get so frightened! We love her even if she’s not comfortable with being pet or doesn’t like it – we just don’t want her to feel like she has to be nervous or scared at all. The other bun we have is rarely ever nervous, even when we take him for rides in his carrier. He shockingly wasn’t even scared when we took him to the vet for his first checkup. He didn’t like it when she held him to check his teeth but when she let him got out an angry dig and then went back to being curious.
  
  We have to take her to the vet for her first checkup and for her to be spayed in a few weeks. Any tips for helping her feel comfortable with that? We just want the best for her!
- 06/14/2012 at 8:45 AM
  Elrohwen
  Participant
  7318 posts
  It’s probably just her personality to be more nervous, since it sounds like she perfectly relaxed in places she’s comfortable with. My girl is also a nervous nelly – she can totally relax in our house, but new places freak her out and she’s sensitive to noises or new things in the house. We just take it slow with her and she’s gradually getting more comfortable with going new places and meeting new people (she lets visitors to our house approach her and pet her now, which she never allowed before).
  
  It will probably help her once she’s finally bonded to your boy. My boy is also very laid back and doesn’t care what’s going on, and it helps my girl be more relaxed to see him chilled out (though she’ll still always be the nervous one). On a car ride, she’s freaking out and breathing fast, but he’s sitting there grooming himself and her and over time she’s relaxing a bit in the car. She’s five years old now, so some of it is just her personality.
  
  You’re definitely on the right track! Sounds like she’s just a bit more sensitive to her surroundings than your other bun. I don’t think there’s anything specific you can do for her first vet trip – she’ll definitely be nervous – but you’ll have her a long time and she’ll gradually get better.
- 06/16/2012 at 11:43 PM
  BinkyBunny
  Moderator
  8776 posts
  One thing that can help skittish bunnies is to create a schedule that is predictable. Same time for feeding, for cleaning, for interaction. That may not be possible for everyone, but if you are able to, that can sometimes help a skittish bunny settle down a bit.
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