Welcome to BB Haythere (haha)! There’s a new Welcome thread BB is starting where February newcomers can post to get their name out there: https://binkybunny.com/FORUM/tabid/54/aft/165121/Default.aspx . Feel free to post and introduce yourself more formally (or just your rabbits) there as well!

Fear while cooking is not uncommon, and there have been posts in the past about it (Search function is down, but if you google “site: binkybunny.com ________”, you’ll be able to search). Here’s one: https://binkybunny.com/FORUM/tabid/54/aft/157455/Default.aspx (just don’t reply to old topics; make a new one like you’ve had!)

It’s important to narrow down if it’s the sound of the oven or smell of the oven that’s setting them off. If you live with someone else, I suggest an experiment where someone starts up the oven, opens it, etc.. (without cooking anything), and another person be with the rabbits, and see exactly what/when the fear takes place. If it’s noise related, maybe playing music by the rabbit’s room when you’re about to cook may help drown out the sound. If it’s the smell of cooking food in the oven, closing the door or burning a safe candle may be best. Maybe you could time your cooking time with their feeding time, so they get a positive association? Another maneuver, though its effectiveness varies depending on what the rabbit is thinking, is having the rabbits in view of the oven so they can see what it is and that it’s not some mysterious predator. When Wick shows fear to something, like the food processor, the stick-sound of a lint roller, I carry him to it or let him sniff at it so he establishes it’s A-okay. … Always be cautious of hot ovens and rabbits though…

Have you tried anything like above?

Panda and Fernando definitely don’t enjoy it when I’m cooking on the stove, especially if it’s a meat dish such as hamburgers. They typically retreat as far as they can in their condo to their litterbox and don’t emerge again until at least several minutes after I’m done and the sound (and smell) have faded.

Icey wasn’t so afraid of the cooking. Maybe if we took the lid off of something in the skillet and it was frying, that would get her perked up. But there was always something about the aluminum foil. I tried tearing it slow, tearing it fast, tearing it as quiet as possible, nothing seemed to matter. Just moving it through the air, after cutting or tearing the sheet, from the counter to the dish trying to be careful and the slightest sound of the foil wafting in the air, and she was off like a rocket. I could never figure out what part of it was the scary part. All I could do was just talk to her loud and give her a heads up before the foil handling so she would be attentive and sort of prepared and not be startled from total comfort or sleep. But yes it was always a mad dash to hiding.

Sorry, no real advice in all that, I know.  Just some relatability.

This can happen if you are cooking meat. Most new rabbits will be a little nervous but then get use to it. All of mine have never been bothered by it. But then i don’t cook things that have a strong smell to it. Try opening the window and shutting the door when you are cooking 🙂

I’m veggie and Luna in particular is scared of cooking smells, so I know it’s not just meat smells that gross them out. I do think the noise, and the strong smells tend to scare them. Luna knows that nothing bad is going to happen but she still hides in her box when I’m cooking. I try to drop bits of veg on the floor for her to find and hoover up while I’m cooking, but it’s just one of those things I think.

Thor’s main living space is in the kitchen and she was very scared of cooking smells at first! I agree that it’s not just meat. In particular, she seems to hate sizzling sounds and garlic/onion cooking. However, over time she has gotten de-sensitized to the cooking smells and no longer cowers in fear I did some training with her by feeding her a small treat of whatever veggie I was cooking (provided it was bunny safe) while the oven or stovetop was on. Or I would pet her while my partner cooked. Not sure if it was that or just time and exposure, but she is much better now!

I’ve never experienced this with my buns, possibly because I’m vegetarian, but I’ve definitely heard of this often here on BB.