Is my bunny anti-social?

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BINKYBUNNY FORUMS

This topic has 5sd replies, 2 voices, and was last updated 9 years, 6 months ago by Odette.

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- 09/27/2016 at 4:15 PM
  Cloud
  Participant
  12 posts
  I got my first bunny about 1,5 months ago. When I first got him, he was really nice and sweet. Not very friendly, but you could pick him up easily and pet him whenever you wanted. I had an issue getting him back into cage so I let him free roam for a couple days until I got him a pen. For the past 1.5 months, I have not been forceful to get him to trust me. The only “social” thing I would do is sit in his cage, and let him sniff me. Even then, he would only sniff me and then turn his butt to me. The only time he is “friendly” is when I give him a piece of lettuce or a treat. To get him to trust me I ONLY fed him lettuce and treats by hand in hopes he would associate me with treats.
  
  ANYWAYS,
  
  1.5 months later if I even put my hand near him, he will grunt, lunge and try to bite me. I feel like there is nothing I can personally do to keep him entertained (he seems to just want me away from him), so lately I have just been shredding up lettuce and taking his pellets and hiding them around his pen to keep him entertained. I am barely giving him any attention anymore because it doesn’t seem that he wants it. I never scared him, hurt him or did anything wrong I don’t know why he is so aggressive towards me.
  
  Also, he enjoys being pet. On the rare occasion that he lets me pet him, he loves when I pet his cheeks/above his nose and closes his eyes and purrs in contentment.
  
  I want to give him company and be social with him being that rabbits are social animals. I don’t want him to be bored, he just sits in a box all day and isn’t the slightest bit interested in me. I want to let him out of the cage when I feel that our bond has strengthened to a point where I can pick him up without him being mad at me for the rest of the day and trying to bite me anytime I go into his cage. I don’t know how to make him happy. Is it possible that he’s just a lazy, antisocial bunny? He is very happy when I let him out of his pen (its a big pen attached to his cage). But I feel like the space I give him might destroy our bond even more because he will just run away or hide under the couch and isolate himself further.
  
  What can I do to make him trust/like me that I haven’t already tried doing?
- 09/27/2016 at 5:08 PM
  Odette
  Participant
  584 posts
  He sounds territorial about his cage.
  
  You might try sitting down in his pen, but well away from the cage. Ignore him. Sit with a book and a treat. It may take a while. 1.5 months isn’t really that long to earn bunny trust. Some are very gregarious, some like my Odette start out timid and learn to trust.
  
  Also, you didn’t mention his age. They can be grumpy and have behavioral changes with puberty.
- 09/27/2016 at 6:14 PM
  Cloud
  Participant
  12 posts
  Thank you for your reply. He’s almost 2. He used to trust me! He used to climb all over me before, then suddenly he just stopped. The only time he allows me to pet him is when hes in his cage. He’s aggressive outside of his cage.. weird?
- 09/27/2016 at 6:18 PM
  Odette
  Participant
  584 posts
  I misunderstood! Sorry. He’s ok with you in his cage. That means he does trust you. Most rabbits are the opposite.
  
  Is he neutered? Maybe hormones?
- 09/28/2016 at 1:26 PM
  Cloud
  Participant
  12 posts
  Yes he is neutered. I got him from a shelter, he is super easy to pick up. Just sometimes (regardless of location), he will jump at me and try to bite me if I sit too close to him or try to pet him.
- 09/28/2016 at 1:51 PM
  Odette
  Participant
  584 posts
  I don’t know, Cloud. Bunnies can be moody. You are doing everything right. I wouldn’t worry too much unless the change in behavior is accompanied by something that seems health-related.
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