My bunny is strange

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BINKYBUNNY FORUMS

This topic has 6sd replies, 5 voices, and was last updated 8 years, 2 months ago by LittlePuffyTail.

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- 03/06/2018 at 6:33 AM
  Maggie
  Participant
  12 posts
  Hey! So I’ve had my bun Floyd for about 3 months now. Floyd doesn’t want to be petted and sometimes when I reach into the cage he tries to bite me. I’ve been buying him toys but isn’t interesting in playing. Most of the time he just lays down all spread out on the floor. He binkies and runs around in the evening. As a little bun the previous owner didnt socialize him or play with him. He was kept outside in the cold. Is my bunny just not going to like me because of that or should I give him more time? I can handfeed him and he sniffs me when he is actually out hopping but Im starting to lose hope about him ever wanting to be petted or played with. What should I do?
- 03/06/2018 at 6:36 AM
  sarahthegemini
  Participant
  5584 posts
  My boy took months to enjoy being pet and now he’s the most affectionate out of the two. Just give him time
  
  Rabbits generally don’t do much during the day so I wouldn’t worry if he spends a lot of the day just lounging.
- 03/06/2018 at 6:42 AM
  ThorBunny
  Participant
  824 posts
  It can take a while for a shy rabbit to warm up to being pet, don’t loose hope
  
  Is it possible to not reach into his cage when he is in there anymore? Can you let him come out on his own and only clean when he is not in the cage? Having a secure home base where they are not bothered can help make a bun feel more secure. If he is more secure he might feel more comfortable being affectionate!
- 03/06/2018 at 11:27 AM
  Maggie
  Participant
  12 posts
  Alright. I’ll give him some more time then! Should I still try to interact with him or just leave him to be for now? I dont want to be too pushy.
  
  About the cage – thats usually what I have to do. I lure Floyd out of the cage and then clean up. But even if its just fixing minor things inside the cage Floyd always grunts and goes in for a bite whenever I reach inside. Should I let this be for now? Or should I be worried?
- 03/06/2018 at 11:39 AM
  Serenity
  Participant
  173 posts
  I have the same problem with one of does, Ginny. Hermione is her polar opposite, adores pets and people and playing but Ginny will have none of it.
  Every morning at the same time I’ll give Ginny pellets so knows my presence means food and associates it with positive feelings. Then I’ll hold my hand in her cage and let her sniff me. Most of the time she flattens her ears and lunges at me but I just let her then pull back, let her sniff me again and repeat it over and over. After a couple minutes she realizes that my hand is there to stroke her and not hurt her so she’ll warm up, even hop out of the cage and sniff around me, let me cuddle her. It just takes a bit for her to warm up. She’s not angry, just scared and wary of being touched, any sudden movements scare her. We’re making very slow but sure progress and I’m sure you will too if you just have a LOT of patience and either tolerance to painful scratches or a strong glove, lol.
- 03/06/2018 at 2:58 PM
  Maggie
  Participant
  12 posts
  Sounds good to me! A lot of patience and endurance, I can manage that. I hope that Floyd can warm up to me with time, he’s such a lovely little bunny. It makes me distressed that he might’ve suffered a trauma as a young bun and I worry that he will never trust humans again. I’d be a bit unfortunate if that happened but for now I’ll try my best. Just a little bit jealous since it seems like all the bunny owners on here had their bunnies warm up to them right away.
- 03/06/2018 at 4:07 PM
  LittlePuffyTail
  Moderator
  18092 posts
  The best way to make a bunny interested in you is to ignore them. Honestly, it works. I just adopted a very skittish bunny and when I let her out for run-time I just ignore her. I read or watch TV on the floor (being at their level is really important). Eventually bunny will get curious and come over. You can have some little pellets or small treats for offering if you like. And when you go to pet him, approach from the side, never from above, as a prey animal, this is a very scary thing. Just a bit over a week with my girl and I’ve noticed a huge difference. Best of luck!
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