Hello, I hope this is the right place for this.

I love my 3 year old Lionhead rabbit, Ty. Ty is a beautiful and smart rabbit, however he has a few quirks that I’m starting to think are my fault.

The main problem is that he runs away from everything, even me. If I open his cage door to put him out in his run, he’ll run away from my hand. On the flip side, when it’s time for me to put him back, he’ll run away from me again. If I’m sitting on the couch and he climbs up on me, I can’t pet him, else he’ll run away from me. Basically, Ty only likes contact when it’s on his terms, and I can’t move or pet him. This makes me really sad, because I love him and I want him to love me back.

Ty has shown signs of this behavior since he was very young. However, I always thought that he would eventually grow out of it. I thought that once I got him neutered, or once he got a little older, things would change, and they haven’t. I’ve tried tempting him with treats. Ty will now eat outside his cage, in the past he wouldn’t touch food offered to him outside it. However, he wil not eat out of my hand or anything.

I was wondering if anyone had any advice for me about helping him feel more comfortable around me/other humans. I have been considering looking into getting him a partner, however I am a senior in high school so my parents would have to look after both bunnies.

Thanks!

Some information that might be helpful:

I got Ty from a friend (their rabbit had babies) when he was 8 weeks old. No prior abuse or anything to make him so wary of humans

He has acted standoffish from the beginning. I thought it would disappear the longer I kept him, no such luck.

Ty was neutered at about a year old. Procedure went fine.

I have had one rabbit in the past, a sweet female mini lop.