Ok, it is not such a great idea to give him up if you are attached to him. One thing is he will calm down even if you do not get him neutered. The second year, up to about two and a half, bunnies go crazy because they are teenagers.

My female went crazy for about a year and a half and still is not spayed but now is very calm and sweet. She is our inside rabbit (we have a large heated and air conditioned garden room for the other rabbits and cats).

So, short answer, if neutering will calm him down you might give that a try, but he will probably mellow out with age anyhow.

In terms of the funds you might try to see if you can get discount coupons from the House Rabbit Society or Rabbitwise. I am pretty sure there is some kind of spay/neuter fund one of them has so you can get a discount. If you live near a veterinary college (usually @ your state ag college) they might have the students do it for free, there is a program at Texas A&M like that.

He will calm down, my Olly is just settling down now and he is neutered, he was neutered before I got him, he can be a little monster but its bunny being a bunny, I cannot pick him up, I only managed twice when he had GSI, he was very weak, but he is better and does not want to be picked up, I have learned to accept that, he will kiss me and let me stroke him until he sleeps, but no pick da bunny up, even vets have trouble with him, he used to have temper tantrums and bite me and stamp his foot, but now I can say to him. “Is it night night time?” and he will get in his cage and lay down, or I’ll say. “Ooh mummy in pain how can I give you this treat?” He will find a way to climb up to me, if I fall because I’m disabled he will make such a racket until someone comes or I manage to get up, he is a very good boy, but I think as anyone else would say the best thing is to neuter him, but it doesn’t mean he won’t chew your phone charge or he won’t rip your magazine up or chew through a blanket, it takes time and we have to stay calm, I must admit it wasn’t easy, many times I went out for a walk or sit in the park and have a cry and I’m now 40 years old, it is like looking after a toddler and its stressful, can you perhaps put a few pounds or dollars away in a jar and save up for him to be neutered? We know you love him and will find a way, I always put Olly before myself when I get paid, I’m unemployed because of disabilities and as soon as everything is paid I look to see if Olly needs anything, if I can’t afford it one fortnight, its the next fortnight, can a family member help you pay for his neuter? As I say Olly was neutered before I got him, but when he misbehaved I just used to say. “No don’t do that.” Or. “What have you done here, you don’t do that, silly boy.” I just stayed calm and sometimes if he was doing something and I knew he was safe I ignored him, but if it was bad I would get down to his level and say. “No.” Another thing I did to keep him calm was I got a blusher brush from the cheap shop and touched his nose with it gently and this relaxed him, then I stroked him from nose to tail and he fell asleep, but if you let him run round and do binkies then bunny flop and then go to stoke him he maybe calmer because he will be tired.

My male calmed down a fair bit after the neuter, and his urine didn’t have as strong a smell. He still circles and oinks for attention, and doesn’t enjoy being lifted but will tolerate it. I spend time petting my guy on the floor, so when it comes time to do anything he hates, I can coerce him some, unless it’s syringe feeding medicine, but it may also have lots to do with the neutering. He used to hump my chihuahua’s before the neuter, but it stopped once he got the snip, and life has been easier.

Can you buy a cat scratch mat for him? Our rabbits like to dig on them and it helps keep their nails down. You can usually get cheap nail trims done at the vets or at some pet stores. Youll want to have his nails trimmed before letting him use a scratch pad so he doesnt accidentally snap a nail while digging at the mat

Does Bun feel comfortable out of his cage? It could be that the room he is in is too big and makes him a little nervous. Our Netherland Dwarf is uncomfortable free roaming in our living room because he hasnt explored all of it yet. He will come out for a little bit, then jump back in his cage and hide. He is getting more used to it as time goes on. Maybe Bun prefers smaller areas to start with until he feels more “at home”. Laying down on the floor while he is out is a good start. He will be able to sniff you and get used to you being around while he explores

You are replying right! I joined a bit ago and was a bit confused on the replying as well 

Perhaps hes still a bit nervous about you. You mentioned he doesnt like being picked up much at all, so thats likely it. If you go near him, he thinks you are going to pick him up, so he runs. You could also try bribing him with treats to come near you while you lay on the floor then pet him so he links you to good experiences. It will likely get better with time. Our mini rex learned to be ok with being picked up because he loves being cuddled after being picked up. Our netherland dwarf hates being picked up, even if there are treats to bribe him. Instead, we bribe him back in the cage by putting the treat bag in there so he goes in on his own and doesnt need to be picked up at all

Bunbun, my rabbit does the SAME thing with lying underneath the desk (in between my feet), honking for attention, and nudging for attention. It’s usually a sign that he wants me to devote time to him, even with another rabbit in the room.

I do exactly what Mikey does – I bribe my rabbits in and out of the cage with their favourite treats. I never have to pick them up for this.

I agree with the ideas you mentioned above, about letting your rabbit just do his thing around you. Your boy has obviously come to associate certain movements with being picked up. My boy also was like that. I can’t do the whole “bend down by the side of the rabbit”, because Thor knows exactly what I’m upto, so I’ve learnt to interact a lot with him on the ground, which makes picking him up less stressful nowadays. I approach him outside of his cage, stroke his head, cheeks, belly. When I get my hands close to his stomach (he doesn’t run away much because he gets petted there a lot during floor time), I hold him there securely with his feet on the ground for a short time so he doesn’t freak out. Then I move my left hand to his backside to support his spine, and swiftly pick him up, right hand under chest and left hand lifting bum, securing him to my right side with my right arm and supporting with my left hand near the haunches. Descending can be the worst, and most dangerous. I used to put Thor on a low chair and let him hop off it in the beginning. You don’t want a bunny flying out of your arms, midair. I also avoid putting hands under rabbits feet, because your rabbit can use your knees or palms as launching pads [for disaster].

You can get nail trims at rabbit rescues. They work on donations in my area (US$10) but maybe just explain that money is tight, and they might be able to help you out, who knows? Other than that, a vet can do it for a similar amount. Once, Thor got his nail caught in my house robe, and I thought he was almost going to lose his nail (very scary for me and him).

I was so scared of trimming his nails. I finally got up the courage, after a year (the vet did it before). I put him on a towel on the washing machine lid, stroked his ears and cheeks, gently picked up each foot, and then clipped each nail using the “Press, press, clip” technique. I then gave Thor tiny amounts of papaya treats after each nail clip to create some positive reinforcement. Thor has dark nails, so this was not the easiest, particularly the dewclaw. I never lifted Thor up at all, only his paws. 

The only technique I’ve seen for nail trimming on the floor, is the YouTube one where the woman lets the rabbit eat pellets in a bowl as a distraction, and then clips uncooked spaghetti near the rabbit to desensitise it to the sound of the clippers.  The woman eventually moves on to the actual nail, and the rabbit seems to accept the nail trim.

I hope some of this helps. Every bunny is different. Routine is important for rabbits, but they can read body language like no one’s business. It may take a while, but just keep at it patiently. My rabbit got used to me, and it seems your boy likes you a lot too. Sorry this is so long!

Running around you means he loves you. Our rabbit prefers my wife and will run figure 8’s around her for about 30 minutes.

All my rabbits run away when they are first let out for exercise. They probably do not want to be bothered as it is time to run, explore and binky. After they get tired they lay down and you can pet them all you want.

Usually they are ready to be petted about 1-2 hours after being let out in my experience. In this way they are more like cats than dogs; cats will let you pet them when they want it and cannot be forced to do something they don’t want. But…when they do want to be petted it means a lot because it says “I really like you” rather than “You’re the boss and I am doing this because I have to”.