Bonding with my rabbit

[ZUZU]

Hi! Recently, I’ve just taken in a year old lionhead rabbit named Zuzu from a lady who was moving and said that the environment would not be ideal for him and wanted to rehome him. I’ve had him for a little over a month now and we’ve had very little progress in bonding. I’ve had two other rabbits before, both of which I bonded very fast with. They never had any issues being handled or pet or showed any signs of agression or unhappiness. The lady that previously owned Zuzu told me that he was super friendly and she could hold him and she never had any problems bonding with him. I’m aware that sometimes it can take months to bond with a rabbit and it’s usually easier when the bunny is young, but he’ll barely let me pet him and recently, he’s been growling whenever I try to. He’ll take treats out of my hands but run away to eat them and will rarely take any fruits and veggies from my hand. I feel like he’s going to get lonely if we don’t bond soon, since he had such a strong bond with his previous owner. I just don’t know how to get through to him. I’m always on the floor with him and he will walk on top of me but he never seems to actually want my attention. I just don’t know what to do to bond with him and I’m starting to feel hopeless. 

[Deleted User]

Don’t run around trying to show him affection. You’ll scare him and he’ll see you as a predator. Asriel was very skittish when I first had him. It took a month and half of being on the floor with him and sitting in his x-pen for him to even come up for pats, and even then it would be only one or two and then scampering away. Be patient. I’ve had Asriel two months now, and now he loves having his nose rubbed and flops next to me for them. Petting the rest of the body is sometimes iffy with him still.
Just lay on the floor with him. Talk soothingly. His natural curiosity will take over and he’ll probably sniff you or boop you. Don’t touch or pet him immediately. He needs to know you’re not going to constantly touch him when he’s near you. In time, he’ll probably enjoy it. He’s getting used to you and his new environment and his personality probably won’t come out until he’s comfortable with you.

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