bonding bunny to mommy!

[mocha200]

i really want to bond with my buns. and i would love ideas on how to do it. anything would be great. do you guys know how to train a rabbit when called?  cuz i am trying to train mocha and lulu to do that. any help would be great. oh and how do you know when they  really trust you?

[Minty]

My rabbit comes when called most of the time. I just start by sitting on the floor and tapping the ground in front of me and calling his name. He’ll then hop over to me out of curiosity. It also helps if you have treats to reward this behaviour. If he hears the treat bag shaking he comes running! Of course i only give him a tiny piece but he still appreciates it. I give the Oxbow Dried Banana treats because they’re easy to have on hand quickly. And he is now coming without a treat just out of habit. I think a rabbit trusts you when he will full on flop in front of you and continue to let you pet them, especially along his back. Also if he eats in front of you or grooms facing you, this is a social behaviour and shows that he trusts you enough to do these activities with you around.

I have found that being around during Sully’s most active times has helped me bond with him. If I try interacting with him during his lazy times like during the day, he isn’t interested in socializing with me. If I sit with him in the evening he is very active and enjoys binkying around me and will explore and enjoys lots of pets. If I sit with him with my legs crossed he will put his paws on my lap and stretch up to sniff my face as if to say “What’s going on up there?!” I also bring him his food at his most active times so he begins to expect me and looks forward to it. I feed him his greens in the morning and put them in his Xpen instead of his cage so he is encouraged to come out. I hope these tips help you! I have had my bun for about a month and have a great time bonding with him

[Deleted User]

Ditto Sully.

I found my rabbits bonded with me once I started acting like I was a rabbit. LOL — let me explain: don’t pick them up if you want them to be really comfortable, just be on the floor with them. When they hop up to you out of curiosity, don’t put your hands on them, just let them be in charge. If they sniff your face, pretend like you sniff them back. I rub my nose on my rabbits’ heads for example and I suppose they like this as they sit still for this. Or, you can wet your fingers and ‘groom’ them; it feels like little licks for them. These things will make them warm up to you.

[Minty]

I agree with letting your bun sniff your face. Although we might feel like petting is a nice way to say ‘hi’, most bunnies don’t like human hands mauling them right off the bat. I think touching noses is the bunny equivalent of saying “hi, how are you?”

[RabbitPam]

Rabbits learn their names very quickly, so just keep calling them and sound happy when you do so.

You can formally teach them to come by clicker training, but that’s a more specific process. I am having luck with it with Samantha, but she’s been with me a year now so we are already bonded. It’s going well though, and my problem of getting her to leave my bedroom if I let her in, by using the clicker and treats method when I say Come Here, is working so far.

Recognize when your bunny wants head pets. Many love to have their face, head and behind their ears rubbed by your hands, but you are better off letting them ask you for it. A bunny will come over to you (on the floor usually) and lower their head down with their back end up higher. It is how they ask other bunnies to groom them, so that’s what they want you to do, too.

Be sure to read The Language of Lagamorphs (uh. spelling. Anyone have their link?) for a good overview of what bunny behavior means.

[mocha200]

how do i not pick them up? like for play time how do i not carry them to were they play? or lift them into there carriers?

[Minty]

I have an XPen attached directly to my bun’s cage. However, he will also hop willingly into his carrier if I present it to him. You could also use food to lure them into the carrier. I think it’s important to let your bunny do this on his own instead of picking him up. I made the mistake of always picking my bunny up out of his cage when I wanted to put him in his Xpen, so he became scared of my hands when I reached in to give him a pet. Now that he can come and go as he pleases, he is much more comfortable and knows that my hands don’t always mean I am going to pick him up!

[mocha200]

ok i will try to do that.

[Ali925]

 Here’s the link for language of lagomorphs…

language.rabbitspeak.com/

[Author]

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