Bonding with your rabbits

[lunavenus]

My rabbits are spoiled lil sweethearts. They have their own lil space in my room with an extended playpen and they get their area cleaned everyday because they are lil poop machines that aren’t fully litter trained because they aren’t spayed yet due to their ages.

I’m having trouble bonding with them. I usually do my homework or use my computer while laying down in their play area but every time i come down to spend time with them I feel like they are more scared of me (or maybe they don’t care about me) than fond of me. I’m really nice to them and they do come and sniff me but they just turn away and ditch me. They both go back into their cage (which is always open when I’m home and only closed when I’m away or asleep) and don’t come out Any other time they do binkies and sprints around the playpen in and out of their cage when I’m not near them. To make matters worse, I ended up in the ER today due to a really bad back spasm and spinal issues that left me unable to walk this morning and in excruciating pain and now I can’t spend that much time with them anymore while I’m healing  I DID NOT see this circumstance happening when I was doing research before getting my bunnies. Thankfully, I was put on medication so now I can at least walk but with discomfort. I enjoy my bunnies’ presence so much when they do decide to come out and hang with me or when they let me pet them. I love seeing them half melt/melt position falling asleep when I pet their heads. They are adorable and sweet but now I’m really upset and sad that I can’t bond with them the way I planned to after months of research ……   

I know I can’t force them to love me or bond with me quicker but some tips would be much appreciated… I care for them so much and I want them to see me as a friend too. Things aren’t going the way I was hoping it would lately… Now I feel a bit disappointed and sad… 
Anything that can help me understand them better would be nice. 

[Mikey]

If theyre pretty new, it could be that they arnt used to their surroundings yet, and/or theyre not used to you being around too much. Is it possible for you to lay down on the floor? For one of my bunny babies, laying on the floor and letting him jump around on my back, legs, arms, even head made them feel more comfortable being around me. They learned i wasnt a threat, but instead a big toy for them to play on and give them treats lol! Treats are a good way to get them used to you too. Hold out a treat, let the bunnies come to you, and let them run off. After a few times, stick your other hand out and just hover it. After they feel comfortable taking the treat from you with your other hand there, start trying to pet them while they get the treat

[Q8bunny]

I’d suggest spending time at floor level near them, not with them. That way you can let them investigate you at their leasure, which will build their confidence.

The thing about newly adopted or baby buns is that they’re like ladybugs: you’ll never get one to land on you if you try, but if you stand still and ignore it, it’ll come to you of its own accord.

Let your buns gain max confidence in their new home first, then to accept/tolerate your passive presence, then to gradually (slooowly) associate you with nice things like pets and treats.

Hand feed them their regular food as much as you can and talk around them – even if you just read aloud.

Time is key.

[lunavenus]

Thanks for the replies. I do try to spend floor time with them but as soon as i show up and maybe 5 min later they both hop back into their cages and don’t come back out.. I rarely touch them only when they seem relaxed i give them lil head pets. I just lay on the floor in their playpen with my computer and homework for a good 30 min-1 hr, which can get a lil uncomfortable after a while since I’m a pretty tall person I barely fit into the farthest corner of their pen. I can’t let them out of the playpen yet cuz they aren’t fully litter trained so they poop all over the place and sometimes pee on soft surfaces. I dont mind them pooping since they are easy to clean up but I don’t want them peeing on my carpeted floor haha That would be a pain to clean especially considering that I threw out my back recently.  

Maybe i can try to time it when they are most active but it can be a lil difficult since as of today im a currently injured college student.

I did buy some treats on this website so I’m hoping that that’ll help with the bonding experience once the shipment flies in.
One of my bunnies is actually doing some crazy sprinting and binkying right now at 3 in the morning as I’m typing this and making a lot of noise.
I’ll try to be as patient as possible but I just felt a lil disheartened and needed some good advice. I’ve only have had them for a lil over a week so I’m probably rushing things a lil. I just didn’t see any improvements lately so I was concerned I was doing something wrong, but now I see that it takes a lot more time than I expected.

[Gina.Jenny]

Bonding with bunnies can be a long slow process, and you need to let the bunnies set the pace. I have two rescue bunnies who I’m still in the process of building trust with, it took 8 months before one of them even let me rub her head, she is still very skittish around anyone else. 

Treats can be a good way of ‘inviting’ them to come to you, all my bunnies come running to me when I have something nice  

[lunavenus]

UPDATE: I just got to pet them right now! I think they can sense that I’m injured and suffering… I went to go close their cage door so i can go to sleep since they aren’t free range rabbits yet and they came to me and put their head down and let me rub their heads!!

I’m so glad they let me pet them. It made my crappy day feel a bit better. I guess they missed me a bit since I was gone for most of the day and had to ask my roommate to watch over them while i get medical care. At least i see some progress!

[Theodorusrex]

It will take a little more time – just be patient I am glad they let you pet them today, the small victories make all the struggle worth it. One thing I will say is that Theodore is very territorial of his pen – he does not like it at all when me or my partner steps in it to clean etc and will on occasion nip the bottom of my partners trousers. Maybe they run from you when you sit in their pen because they feel like you are invading their personal ‘home’ and space. Could you let them out of their play pen and spend some time with them in neutral territory?? Just a thought but every bunny has their own little quirks

[Theodorusrex]

It will take a little more time – just be patient I am glad they let you pet them today, the small victories make all the struggle worth it. One thing I will say is that Theodore is very territorial of his pen – he does not like it at all when me or my partner steps in it to clean etc and will on occasion nip the bottom of my partners trousers. Maybe they run from you when you sit in their pen because they feel like you are invading their personal ‘home’ and space. Could you let them out of their play pen and spend some time with them in neutral territory?? Just a thought but every bunny has their own little quirks

[Theodorusrex]

It will take a little more time – just be patient I am glad they let you pet them today, the small victories make all the struggle worth it. One thing I will say is that Theodore is very territorial of his pen – he does not like it at all when me or my partner steps in it to clean etc and will on occasion nip the bottom of my partners trousers. Maybe they run from you when you sit in their pen because they feel like you are invading their personal ‘home’ and space. Could you let them out of their play pen and spend some time with them in neutral territory?? Just a thought but every bunny has their own little quirks

[lunavenus]

So I’ve been trying things to bond with them but lately they haven’t been coming out of their cage… I leave the door open for them every day when I’m in my room so they can play in their extended playpen but they seem like they enjoy staying inside their “safe haven.” They are fine health wise but they seem like they don’t wanna come out of their cage. I’d love to take them somewhere else to play with them but, luna hates being carried and makes a big fuss as in she kicks and squirms like crazy even when I hold her correctly. Whenever I crouch in front of their cage door they come hopping up to me and sniff me. I think they are playing the I’m ignoring you game at this point. They really like head pets, which is great if it weren’t for them not coming out of their cage so I have to crouch and pet them while they are inside the cage which is highly uncomfortable. Venus LOVES being pet whenever but Luna only likes it on her terms. Their lil treats should arrive in a couple days so I’m hoping I could get them to bond with me thru their stomachs LOL

[Author]

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