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FORUM HOUSE RABBIT Q & A My new bunny was abused and is very skittish, need advice

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    • Snailmix
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        I own a 6 month old Lionhead and decided to adopt another rabbit to keep him company. Well, I brought my bunny to the rescue to see how he reacts to different bunnies and he immediately bonded with one in particular, so I adopted that one. However, this rabbit was clearly abused by her previous owners and is absolutely terrified of humans. I’ve only had her for a few days, so I’m obviously not expecting her to be completely comfortable with me, but I can barely even get near her. If I touch her at all, she flips out and runs away. She usually stays under the bed or under a desk or anywhere that I wouldn’t be able to get to her. At one point, I had to lift her up and into the cage because she wouldn’t go in on her own and she immediately freaked out and scratched the hell out of me. This might be the wrong topic for this because the bonding I need help with is getting her to bond with me, not the other rabbit. I wasn’t sure what topic to include this in. With the other rabbit, she’s actually fine. They haven’t fought much, if at all. They’re still separated at night, but I keep them in the same room most of the day and they don’t seem annoyed by each other at all. It’s me she can’t stand. What can I do to get her to trust me and realize that I’m not a predator? It’s especially hard when she doesn’t even want to be anywhere near me.


      • _Elouise_
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          I just experienced this with my new girl. I would try to not pick her up right now because that’s a serious break in her “trust” doing something that causes her so much anxiety will make her more inclined to run away from you. Will she eat veggies from you? A super good idea is to just out yourself in her space. Maybe herd to a smaller room and bring a book. Just sit on the floor and kind of ignore everything she’s doing. Just let her come up to you and explore you just like any new territory. Don’t try letting her or even move towards her let her come to you. Once she seems more comfortable around you maybe offer her veggies you can start by putting them in her own space and gradually move them closer to you. If she’s comfortable with that and all approaches are looking good you can try and give her some pets! If she runs I would stop immediately and go back a couple steps. This isn’t something that will happen overnight it can take months and she might never bond or be super comfortable around you and she might only want to spend time with your other bunny… good luck!!!


        • ThorBunny
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            Eloise said most of my advice, but I’ll reiterate that those sound like good ideas!

            1) Don’t pick her up. Most rabbits, even ones who like humans will FREAK out when their paws are off the ground. I think those that tolerate it are in the minority. If you need to move her, maybe you could just herd her with a pen or other objects?

            2) Hand feed her treats/veggies

            3) Sit on the ground with her for as long as you can and just ignore her. Bring a book, or your computer, or some knitting. Even when she comes up to you, just completely ignore her. Over time she’ll learn you are not a threat.

            It’s great that you rescued her and she is getting on well with your other bun! Pictures?

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        FORUM HOUSE RABBIT Q & A My new bunny was abused and is very skittish, need advice