Hey BunMarley. I’m sorry to hear your new bun isn’t as welcoming as you’d hope. For some rabbits, it takes literally months to get a comfortable level with their owners. Some times, there are things you can do to potentiate the process, like give him food, be safe, non-aggressive company next to him, etc.., but there will be rabbits where, no matter what you do, will take a lot of time before “warming up”. There are also rabbits that may never really enjoy human interaction. I tend to think that asocial rabbits grow more comfortable if you 1) “invade” their space minimally in their presence (his pen, litter box, whatever it may be), and 2) you’re seen frequently, but never do anything that would frighten you (getting him to assimilate to your presence and realize you’re not someone who’s going to really mess with his life).

Since you’ve recently gotten this rabbit, I do recommend holding off on getting a companion— as you mentioned, it’s a lot of work to bond rabbits, and you want your current rabbit to be intimately familiar with you, and vice versa. Two rabbits could make things potentially more difficult!

I agree with Wick. I hear you BunMarley, when you say you got him for emotional support. I think it’s better to persevere with your current bunny rather than adding responsibility to your current situation. Your bunny may not be cuddly like has been mentioned, but I think it’s still possible to bond with your bunny, and it will just take longer than expect. My bunny has become very forgiving over the years (if I tick him off), so I’ve learnt not to take anything personally anymore. Just continue to spend time with him in the way he wants – even if from a distance – and your bun and you will have a good connection in the end.

How much time does he have to play outside of the cage, and how much room does he have inside and outside of the cage? If he was always ok with handling but is now starting to become upset at handling when it comes to the cage, it sounds like he is bored/has more energy he needs to burn

I agree with all the of the advice above and will add that it took me an entire year of passively sitting with my rabbit to develop a routine and enough of a bond that he finally trusted me enough to start sitting together on the couch. Even now he only likes to be petted when he wants it, otherwise I get the nudge to leave him alone. The best thing you can do is accept your rabbit for who they are now and take your time to grow closer over time.