I guess all his needs are met with the other rabbit and dog, but it would be nice if he showed some love to the person who feeds him. 😉
I wonder what his 1st year of life was like. Maybe he developed an ingrained habit.
You are definitely not alone in this. Plenty have a rabbit that wont come around.
I have a friend that had a rabbit that gave birth to 5 kits. She ended up keeping them all and those rabbits are elderly now. Out of those, a couple were more standoffish then others even though they grew up in the same environment. There was one that always just ran off when you approached her. Lol She was very independent.
I had a lop who I adopted when he was 2 years old. While he was sweet, he was definitely a “no-touchies” bun. I was used to my girl who Id gotten as a baby and she let me handle her and pet her. After he got used to me, there were times when he allowed me to pet him but only on the head, ears and shoulders. Eventually I could pet the fur on his back back and forth. But he would still freak out about being picked up.
When he grew old, he actually seemed to enjoy being held and I suspect my body warmth soothed his old bones. His vision had also gone so he didnt get as disorientated when picked up if that makes sense. He would drape himself over his bond mate and would lap up any pets I offered too, as his other senses (sight/hearing) had gone.
Some people find their rabbits dont like hands but allow you to pet them with your feet. Have you tried putting a sock or glove on your hand to see if he allows pets then? Another thing to watch is in the way your hand approaches them. Some will be skittish about hand coming down from above or in their blind spot in front of the nose. You could try laying your hand on the floor, palm up, next to his head and then just attempt to pet the cheek with one finger initially. Or the ear if he is okay with that. Just some thoughts…
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