It can be difficult when you have another rabbit that’s comparably much more friendly, but in actuality, most rabbits do not really enjoy being pet, and if they do, it’s only when they ask for it, not whenever the owner reaches out to do it.

The fact that she’s comfortable being around you and being hand-fed by you is still a nice level of a healthy relationship. Like a person that doesn’t like to hug, even though Lily doesn’t enjoy being pet, it doesn’t mean she’s not friendly. Rabbits are prey animals, so it’s very difficult to make one enjoy being touched by large beings like humans randomly at times.

Give her time, and continue showing care and love for her. Some rabbits can take much longer to come out of their shell fully as well. This can be months and even years, so be patient.

What Wick said is spot on. I had a situation much similar to you when Bombur and Az were their age and younger. The minute we brought Bombur home he just wanted to be loved. He was always coming up to us for attention, and he very much still does. Az was quite the opposite. The first 2 months that we had them Az hardly came out of his cage, and when he did he would typically hide in a corner and not come out. Petting was a no go. Eventually I “stopped caring”. Not in a literal sense, but just when he was out I wouldn’t bother him at all. I wouldn’t touch him or go near him. I’d stay on the floor and eventually throughout the day/night he started getting curious and would occasionally come up and boop me then quickly run away (he’s still like this with my husband). As the months went on I kept letting him do his own thing. Eventually we discovered he loved nose rubs. Once you started rubbing his little snoot he was a completely different bunny. He started coming out of his shell a lot and became very active and playful. Even now, Az is not the biggest cuddler, and I’ve had them almost a year. Az would much rather be exploring and hopping around then getting loved on. When I start doing things around him he’ll start following me and I know he wants attention because he’ll periscope up to me and ask for snoot rubs. Again, this is all on his schedule. Not mine. There are days the only time I pet him is just before I give him hay at bedtime or his morning pellets or dinner greens. There are also amazing days when he’ll hop on my chest and let me give him snoot rubs for 30 minutes. But the important thing is that this is what he wants. He is very much a loving bunny, he just shows it differently. It’s unfair to Lily to compare her to Cocoa. Like people, bunnies have their own unique personalities, and you shouldn’t try to make them be a certain way. With time and patience, Lily might come out of her shell one day.

They were around 8-9 months when Asriel started really getting comfortable. It’s been about 2 months that he’ll come up on my lap and following me around the room. I actually think he’s even sweeter than Bombur now. Yes, Bombur is still the most affectionate little snuggle bun on the planet. But that’s mainly because he’ll hop on the bed and lay down and if you start kissing him he’ll just sit there until it’s time for him to go back in. Asriel is more of an active seeker. When he wants attention he will seek you out, and it so much more rewarding because it took such a long time.

You can also think about it this way: Cocoa knows you’re the source of food, so he tries to warm up to you because he just wants food, but Lily loves you regardless so she’s not bugging you because she understands you’ll bring food out of love…. hehe.

Wick will nudge and lick me, but 95% of the time it’s because it’s food time and he’s trying to tell me that.

Lint rollers are safe yes. If she’s very relaxed, you can try to sneak in some hand grooming, which is effective if you find an area where all the fur is ready to be shed. You just need to pull gently so it comes off naturally, not yank it out.

My rabbits are th same. They don’t like to be pet much. Duke wanted tons of attention after his neuter. Today, he’s back to hanging out in his corner. I usually lay on the floor and they’ll come around, sniff me, nose touch me or climb on me. I let them while I play on my phone. Sometimes I fall asleep and when I wake up they’re next me to me or Duke is sniffing my hair and rubbing his face all over it. Sometimes I take Duke outside just me and him. Frejya doesn’t like going outside at all. Duke will follow me but inside not really. Frejya follows me from room to room. I’ve only had them for about six months now. I just let them come to me when they’re ready.

This may sound a bit dramatic but I think one of life’s greatest lessons is to be able to love someone (or somebun in this case) wholeheartedly and accept them for who they are.

To be honest it sounds really unfair to Lily if you rehome her for something that she can’t even control. It may be far more rewarding for both of you if you do manage to learn how to love her

Posted By Cocoa on 4/14/2018 8:27 AM

My parents won’t let me keep two separate rabbits permenantly. I really don’t want to rehome her. I don’t think I will have to though because they are getting along a lot better

When did your parents decide this? Because on a previous thread, you said you can’t upgrade one of the bunny’s tiny cages because it’s just temporary til the two are bonded but then you said your parents would let you upgrade if bonding doesn’t work. Which is it?