You’ve only had him for two weeks. Rabbits are prey animals so it takes them a while to warm up to people. Some bunnies take months to trust people. But, having a dog pacing outside his enclosure is probably part of the reason why he’s terrified. It’s not fair on him.

Of course you can’t hit a rabbit. If he nips and it hurts you can make a high pitched squeal to let him know it hurts, but he’s also nipping to communicate something to you – he’s flinching and lunging because he’s scared of you, so stop trying to touch him and scaring him. You have to be very patient with rabbits, and if you don’t have the patience to wait for him to feel comfortable, then rehoming might be best.

Rabbits are prey animals, they take time to develop trust and feel safe – even around people that respect their boundaries. Now, not only has this poor little rabbit been taken from his old home into a new environment, with a scary person – you keep touching him, and you have a scary dog that stares at him when he’s in his cage and follows him whining when he’s out.

It’s sad and concerning that you’ve been thinking of re homing him for the last week when you’ve only had him a fortnight. I mean, really look at all the factors going on here. He needs time (two weeks is nothing), he needs you to stop touching him and he needs to be safe from the dog. If you cannot be patient and wait for him to feel safe and comfortable, if you cannot stop touching him and thus scaring him and if you cannot keep him the dog away then yes, you probably should rehome him.

I also don’t understand why having a dog is stopping you from having him out of his cage. Do you not have a room that is off limits to the dog that you can put bun in? It’s unfair to have one animal cooped up because you have another. Both animals deserve a happy life and keeping your rabbit in a cage for long periods is completely unfair and unjustified. If you are able to bun proof an entire room, you can let bun out without him having to be at arms length as in theory there won’t be anyhing that can harm him. And of course, that’ll help him learn that you aren’t a threat. 

Your dog needs medical help for her anxiety. Not being able to leave you alone for an hour or few isnt healthy or safe for the animal. There are medications a vet can prescribe to help, and some vets will recommend special vests. I think you need to start with your dog, first.

For your bun, its pretty much been covered by the other posters. Rabbits can take a long time to trust people, especially if that person seems threatening (hitting, tapping, yelling, grabbing at, etc are all horrible for a rabbit and can/will traumatize a rabbit). The more threatening your rabbit sees you, the less they will trust you and the more they will become fearful of you, trying to attack you when they see you or full out avoiding you. You can gain trust by not being traumatizing and limiting traumatizing surroundings (the dog, for example). After your rabbit learns to calm down, you start to build trust by laying on the floor, not touching them, and just talking softly with them for an hour or few at a time, every day. Your rabbit will learn to trust you as you will be presenting yourself as completely nonthreatening.

To be honest, I do not believe you have enough time or understanding for a rabbit right now. Rehoming is done out of love for the animal knowing you cannot give it the minimums needed for the animal to have a healthy life. Rehoming when you cannot properly care for the animal is not a horrible thing, it is a loving thing.

For story, my Bombur took about two years to warm up completely (about a year to warm up to basic touch and talk), and even still he is terrified of strangers. He has never gone through or lived in traumatizing situations.

Hi Sammy,

In my experience the best way to win over a rabbit is to ignore them and hang out on the floor in shorts or a skirt, with no socks on. Lying on your stomach reading works well – just watch the book. Some rabbits eat them. The rabbit will eventually come snuffle your feet and ankles. They cannot seem to help themselves. Since he sounds scared, let him lead the interacting.

You could hang out doing this with treats in your hand to offer, so that he realizes that hands are not scary. Just do not move the hand. Put a treat down and keep your hand still. I only recommend this if he is gentle with his mouth. I would do this with my Cincinnati, but not Daisy. She might accidentally graze my hand.

As for Olivia, I would look into doing something with her: agility, obedience, tracking… Training beyond the basics, to actually do something together. Something to engage her mind. Not just the follow-the-cheese-in-my-hand type training that does not seem to really get a dog thinking. Being mentally and physically exercised may help her. I do not have a dog, but every happy dog I have ever known did cooperative things with people regularly and visited with other dogs.

I also think that the two animals should not have direct contact. It will upset them both, for different reasons. I would put Sammy in his own room.

Hi! It is possible (though not guaranteed) for you, Sammy, and Olivia to live harmoniously together, but the process can take weeks/months. Therefore, time and commitment will be key if you want to try.

Most of the issues you mentioned (ie. Sammy being skittish) can be resolved by solidifying a bond between you and Sammy; this alone can take weeks or months depending on the bun. First, he needs to feel safe/comfortable with his new home. For now, Olivia should be kept out of sight and at a distance from him. Second, he needs to feel safe/comfortable with you. Start small and work your way forward. For instance, sit or lay near him/his cage as often as possible. Your presence alone will help build the foundation to work towards his trust; try to refrain from petting him until he is more comfortable.

(Note: Buns can be territorial of their cage, and they might lunge at your hands when you reach in the cage.)

When he is out of his cage, offer him some treats by placing them on the floor near you. Then, work your way up to having him eat treats from your hand. Once he has learned to trust you, then you can start the introduction to Olivia. The introductions should be non-interactive at first. For instance, give Olivia something with Sammy’s scent on it (ie. fleece blanket) and also give Sammy something with Olivia’s scent on it. Once they both show less and less interest in each other’s scent, then you can start visual meetings, then physical, etc.

(Note: If either animal shows signs of discomfort/stress, you should stop immediately and give them a break. Also, do not introduce them if you think Olivia’s anxiety would cause her to accidentally lash out at Sammy).

Leashes for buns are controversial. Some bun owners have used them without incident, while other bun owners will not even try them. Personally, I do not leash Luna because of the high risk of broken bones/back injuries leashes pose to buns. If you want to bring Sammy outside, you can purchase an xpen and place it in the yard. He can hang out in the xpen (under constant supervision of course), and won’t be able to go under the shed.

A good tip that seems to help many people is just to come down to his level by laying on the ground while he is out or in his pen. Read a book, magazine or watch TV while he sniffs and runs around you. Do this everyday until he seems more confident around you. I know Myrtle is still nervous of me.

Remember a rabbits vision isn’t good, they don’t see in colour and only really see your outline so if you hold large objects or bend into funny angles this will make the rabbit scared if they have never seen this action before. So it will take time for a rabbit to get use to different sounds, smells and figures around them. 

Not a whole lot to add – give Sammy time. LOTS of time. I’ve had Panda and Fernando live with me for six months now, and Panda is only just really starting to get comfortable with letting me pet her, and then it happens when she’s already lowered her head for grooming by Fernando. Also, she’s just beginning to really get brave enough to boop me with her nose when she wants me to move or otherwise do something. Her favorite thing to do is still to shelter in a nice dark place like a hidey box or the ramp connecting the buns’ condo’s two levels, and I’ve long since learned that the best thing to do is to let her be and do what she feels comfortable with.