I have this lovely little 2 year old bun called Snul. I love her to bits, but she stresses me out so much with her behavior.

I am out of work at the moment and have been for some time, which means I have plenty of time to socialize my buns. I have “sessions” with Snul every day, but I have a different outcome every time. Most days I like to bring her with me into bed while I watch a movie and just have her lay on my chest and pet her on the forehead – sometimes she will lick me all over my face and chat her teeth and just almost fall asleep while enjoying her cuddles, but next time I do the same she will act like she’s never tried it before and almost panic in an attempt to get away. 

This morning I sat on the floor with her while giving her breakfast on my lap, trying to teach her that being on me is not a dangerous thing, which is something I do often. She will sit on my lap and eat a few pieces of food, then she will jump down and then jump back up again, and I will calmly touch her ears to get her used to being pet. And it usually goes really well until all of a sudden she runs away in total panic and doesn’t dare to come back and just curls up in the corner. 

Also, I’ve taught my bunnies to “accept” being lifted and held at certain times (for example at the vet and when being transported) so they are easy to handle, and Snul accepts that almost always, except for those days when I go to pick her up (she will usually just sit still on the spot and let me lift her) and she runs all around the kitchen in complete panic stomping and flicking her feet. 

I will often lay down on the floor when my buns are running free in the house, and most of the time they will both come up to me and sniff around, jump on me and just be very curious, but sometimes Snul will curl up in the corner and just sit there while stomping continuously.

Sometimes she will change the way she behaves several times a day – today is a great example. She follows me around, wants to be pet, eats breakfast, all of a sudden she’s afraid. I leave her alone for a bit, come back out and now she wants to talk to me again. 

In short, what I’m trying to say is: It’s like living with Dr. Jekyll and Dr. Hyde, one moment she’s this super cuddly cute bunny and the next she acts like she’s never even seen a human being before… 

Is there anyone who knows what the cause of this could be? 

**** Just to clear any misunderstandings (after I might have misused the word “cuddle”, I’ve changed it to “pet” instead): I don’t “force” her to cuddle up with me, I pet her without holding her, both when I’ve brought her into the bed – yes I carry her there, but I let go of her again, and she then either lies down on my chest or runs away, it is her decision and I respect it, when I lie on the floor with them I let them come to me, etc. I Never “hold them down” to cuddle