Baby Questions

[Buneary]

I have a 9 week old holland lop named Chibi and I have questions about having a baby bun! Chibi is very sweet and curious. The breeder i got her from had said even though their full personalities are not there yet, Chibi had the biggest out of the litter. I also know her personality now might not be the case later when she is older and spayed. Right now she is very sweet, coming up to us curiously, even our dog. She also is so curious about our other bun (5 month spayed lionhead) and wishes nothing more than to cuddle and groom her, but they are in separate cages by each other because Chibi isnt fixed yet and my older bun tries to bite her (even through the cage bars). I don’t know if its true or not that bonding with your bun can be easier if you got them young? (im referring to chibi and I bonding) I can already see our relationship blossoming, i see her getting more and more used to me each day. Shes definitely an explorer, making herself comfortable wherever she goes. When we first brought her home she had instantly made herself comfortable in her new home, running around binking everywhere, jumping up on top of things, exploring everywhere she could. I could see what the breeder meant when she had such a personality already. I had talked to another girl who had gotten a bun from the same litter I got Chibi (Chibi’s sister), she had told me her bun is very shy and skittish. I’m not really sure what my questions are, i am open to opinions and tips. Will her and I bond easier? (I’ve had my older bun for almost 3 months and she is still very cautious around me; her personality is more timid, shy.) Will Chibi’s personality completely change when she is older and spayed? Will bonding both my buns be easier because they will be roommates for a few months? We will start bonding once Chibi is spayed and healed. I just hope my older bun will stop trying to bite chibi through the cage bars. When I let her out to play she goes up to chibi’s cage trying to bite her. When I let Chibi out, chibi goes up to her and then she tries to bite her again. Will this behaviour diminish soon?
Thank you so much! Please give me feedback on all of this.

[LongEaredLions]

As far as you bonding with her—this often depends on the bunny. Possibly if she is younger it may be easier, but it’s not a for sure thing.
Spaying and age haven’t really seemed to change the personalities of my bunnies, besides to remove unwanted behaviors. As with all animals, rabbits do tend to have less energy as they age, but I don’t think you have to worry about that anytime soon.
Rabbits can smell different after fixing which means that other bunnies might not recognize them as the old bunny. This means that being ‘roommates’ likely will not influence the bonding process, though it is a possibility. If neither of your rabbits seems stressed by their neighbor, however, it can’t hurt, though the biting behavior would concern me.

[Buneary]

Thank you! I wonder why Buneary (my older bun) acts this way. They seem okay through the cage bars but once one of them go up to the other and Buneary smells her she goes for the bite. And it’s hard, pulling her off the cage she accidentally bit me and drew blood. Very concerning since my little one is is small and fragile. It’s difficult because their cages are connected to the same play pen, so when one is out she can go up to the other. I have to cover the cage of the one who isn’t out playing with sheets or fleece so they can’t see each other. They do spend time sniffing each other when both are in cages and they can’t really reach each other. Hoping this behavior will go away and she will learn to get used to living next to another bun and possibly with her soon.
Also, any tips on strengthening the bond with my baby and I? How slow should I take the process? I never know if I’m taking it too fast or not. I’d love nothing more than for her to trust me. I try not to pick her up as much as I can. She seems okay with being picked up most times but I know she doesn’t like it, is she only letting me pick her up now because she’s a baby or is it good for later on that I’m handling her young and she might get used to it?(the breeder also handled her young).
Again, thank you so much for your feedback.

[suzannebrooks]

A bunny is the cutest pet. Once I used to have 9 rabbits in my room. But As I grew up I didn’t have enough time to nurture them. So day by day the number of them decreased. Now I have 2 rabbits with me. They are with me since 1.5 years. I feed them well and I also got a toy stroller for them.

[sarahthegemini]

In terms of developing your bond with Chibi, the best thing you can do is go slow and don’t force it. She’ll learn that you’re not a threat in her own time. It can be frustrating as we want them to feel safe and secure with us but it’s in a bun’s nature to be wary. My Peanut took months, he’d climb on me and take treats from me but he didn’t really want to be touched for probably around 4 ish months. I took it slow. I resisted the temptation to pat his little butt!!! And after a while I felt like it was okay to pet him, just once or twice and then stop. I then just built up from there. He loves being pet now

Neither my girl or my boy changed personalities after spaying and neutering. They’re still exactly the same just with better litter habits…well up until the last few days where it’s all gone a bit awry!

[Buneary]

Wow thank you! Does your bun go up to you for pets when you’re near? When your Peanut was neutered did that help the bond towards you two? Did he go to you for comfort or did he keep to himself and want to be left alone after surgery? I’m still figuring out what a owner and bunny relationship feels like. Ive always had dogs and I’m new to having bunnies so I have no clue on what they’re thinking. What does a bunny do when they love you and how can you tell? Should I bond with her in a small space or more open?

[sarahthegemini]

Yeah he’ll approach for pets and sometimes if he’s just bun loafed, I’ll sit with him and pet him and he sticks around for it whereas he would have hopped away before. I don’t think it was him being neutered that helped, I think it was consistency in routine which only happened after we bonded him and Buttercup, allowing him to feel comfortable and gain confidence and just going at his pace I think Buttercup helped him gain confidence too as she’s a more confident bun.

If I remember correctly, peanut was a bit groggy for a few hours after his neuter and then went back to being himself which at that point was taking treats from me and being around me bit no touching.

Bunnies sometimes lick their human friend to show affection tho mine have it done that once or twice
For Me, I can tell they love me because they run to me for pets, nose boop me, flop near me/against me, bun loaf by me etc. They don’t allow anyone else really to pet them, even my partner and Buttercup in particular allows only me to pet her bum lol even Peanut isn’t allowed near it!

I would say bond in a space that allows you to sit down and essentially ignore her and wait for her to investigate you. Put toys near you and see what happens

[Buneary]

Your bunnies sound lovely how long and how often should I have my bonding sessions with her? When is it okay to start reaching
out to her and petting her?

[Deleted User]

If she’s come up to you and crawled all over you or sniffed around you, put out your hand and see her reaction. If she’s comfortable she’ll stay put and you can pet her. Bun’s will let you know if they don’t like something. Bombur loved being pet from the second we met him at the breeder’s place. Asriel is a nose rub only bunny, and sometimes they’re very quick nose rubs and done. Your bun kinda sets the pace and you can gauge by their reactions to you as to whether to move faster or not.

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