when you say that he doesn’t show “affection towards me” what is your definition of showing affection?

Bunnies do show affection but in their way, so I was wondering what you had in mind. However, speaking generally, Rabbits, don’t show affection in a way that mother animals may do. For example, they aren’t very cuddly in nature and a lot of times it has to be on their terms.

My bun will hop over to me and give me kisses on the feet but if i try to pet to reciprocate, she doesn’t like it and hops away. So I was wondering what you were looking for in terms of demonstrating affection.

When you say “handling”, what do you mean? Picking him up? Because if so, then this could be affecting how he sees you – “big, scary, noisy thing that is lifting me off the ground! Gah!”

It is important to know how to pick him up, if he needs to be moved, but you should also figure out what he goes crazy for treat wise and try to entice him to move where you need him with that instead. It will help him associate you with good things, and will make him less scared of you.

Similarly, have you tried offering him some healthy treats (eg. a green he likes) and hand-feeding him a little?

He also may be a bun who wants a partner. Some bunnies are more interested in other rabbits than they are in people. But try to first develop your relationship a little more and give it a little bit more time before you jump to any conclusions.

Have you tried papaya enzyme tablets? They’re good for digestion and most rabbits go absolutely nuts for them. You may want to try these or other kinds of healthy treats to get him to move.

He may not be thrilled with your mild handling every day, but it’s not the worst thing – eventually, especially if you treat him after you do this, he will probably get used to it after quite some time.

The reason I say that another bunny might not be a bad idea is that your description of his attitude suggests to me that he’d be more interested in a bunny friend who might also be able to make him feel more comfortable and secure. How big is your enclosure? If there’s an x-pen attached then it should be all right for one other bun, they don’t need that much more room if properly bonded.

Since you’ve only had him for a few months, I’d give it a bit more time so that he adjusts fully to his home, and then look into potentially going on bunny speed dates to see if he might find a partner.

This isn’t a decision you have to make extremely quickly, but it may help to do this for the long run.

Ah, yes you may want to look into somehow creating a minor extension for a bit more room if you do eventually look into this option. Two rabbits don’t really cost more than one – your only major concern is that you double your chances of one getting sick, but that’s the biggest concern.

Bonded rabbits are typically calmer and more cooperative than nervous singletons. It does ease their stress considerably, makes them a lot happier and calmer. They can share a litterbox, but you may want to consider getting a bigger one.

Like I said, I don’t think you need to rush on this. You can wait a while and see what would be best.