Do my bunnies trust me?

[PeteNCer]

Hi,
I’m a first bunny owner of Peter (m) and Cersei (f), they are 5 months old. I have had them for 3. At the beginning we would let them out of their pen for a while and put them back, but Cersei would start getting nervous and would bite on the cage and push everything. That’s when we decided to let the free roam. We bunny proofed the house following a guide and since then they have been happy. I follow a diet plan that a vet gave us with Kaytee pellets and Timothy hay and take once a month for a check-up. They have not yet been sterilized. Peter is very docile, he lets me pet him for a short time, he doesn’t like to be picked up at all. Cersei is harder to manage, she doesn’t like being petted at all so I can never really pick her up. I need some tips on bonding, I sit down close to them daily, I speak to them, I try to feed them from my hand, some times Cerseri will climb over me but I still can’t grab her, she bites. I’m worried that if they don’t allow me to pick them up I wont be able to groom them correctly. What can I do?

[jerseygirl]

Welcome to the Binky Bunny Forums : )

I just wanted to clarify, it is your bond with each rabbit you are wanting to improve?

I do urge you not to let the rabbits be together at any time at this age. Unless you want to be over run with baby rabbits! They are at an age now were they can breed and also fight due to the surge of hormones.

[Edit] I removed your duplicate post from the Bonding section 

[joea64]

I agree – Peter and Cersei need to be spayed/neutered as appropriate, then go through the proper bonding process.

On the more general topic of building trust/bonds with your bun(s), it’s really an individual thing and varies with every rabbit’s personality. Speaking from my own experience, some bunnies are just more outgoing and trusting than others, and it can be affected by both their own personalities and their past histories. Panda, my doe, had an unpleasant history from what I know before she was rescued (not long after giving birth to her litter), so she’s still rather standoffish and skittish and doesn’t usually like being petted more than briefly. She much prefers being talked to and quietly sat with. Fernando, her son and bondmate, has spent pretty much his whole life in nurturing, caring environments and (until his littermates were adopted out) in an intact family group, and still of course lives with his mother/bondmate, so he’s a lot more gregarious and affable.

All that being said, both my buns are developing a trust relationship with me over the past two months. Both of them are now very comfortable with being close to me (as in literally inches away from me), especially if I control my petting impulses and do it the bun way and just lie down or sit quietly with them, and let them roam around sniffing and exploring (Fernando likes to climb over me while I lie on my stomach). They enjoy coming up to the X-pen fence next to my computer chair of an evening, sitting and lounging and just gazing at me for a lengthy while as bunnies do while I chat with them and give them treats from time to time. They’re developing a strong comfort level, as every day I see one or the other, often both, lounging at full stretch with their hind legs out behind them or on their sides, and occasionally a full classic flop, and frequent Bunny 500’s and every-so-often binkies. All this is the product of time and patience.

[Fluffykins]

I’d just like to highlight there is absolutely no reason a healthy bun needs a monthly check up at the vet…

As bunny mum / dad you should be aware of the everyday things you need to keep an eye on during grooming (healthy eyes, butt, appetite, etc) and unless you want advice on something or need something checked over, you probably don’t need to take them to the get every 4 weeks just because. Major waste of money.

[Bladesmith]

Gaining the trust of a bunny takes a lot of time, depending on the bunny. Clover bonded with and trusted me from the minute she laid eyes on me. But she’s an abnormal rabbit.

Dawn in the other hand, is tiny (Netherland Dwarf), spent far too much time in a cage, and is distrustful of hands because she got manhandled too often. A year into letting her free roam, she’s gotten better, but she’s still not the cuddle bun that Clover is, and probably will never be. I have to accept her at her level of comfort and not push her. She’s gone from being highly territorial and aggressive to being willing to binky around me, climb on me, and be fairly generous (For her) with her chins, nudges, and even licks. It means all the more from her because I know how much trust that takes for her.
During Hurricane Irma, she even decided that it was safe to sleep on my chest, which, even though I couldn’t see her doing it, thrilled me to no end.

It’s frustrating, especially when every cell in your body is screaming “ALLTHE CUDDLEZ!!!!” to NOT reach out and grab the little fluffballs, but patience is eventually rewarded. Best of luck.

[joea64]

Posted By Fluffykins on 10/23/2017 8:11 AM

I’d just like to highlight there is absolutely no reason a healthy bun needs a monthly check up at the vet…

As bunny mum / dad you should be aware of the everyday things you need to keep an eye on during grooming (healthy eyes, butt, appetite, etc) and unless you want advice on something or need something checked over, you probably don’t need to take them to the get every 4 weeks just because. Major waste of money.

I’m planning to take Panda and Fernando for their first checkup in the next month or so (since moving in with me), but I agree it shouldn’t be a monthly thing if they stay healthy. The schedule would be semiannual.

[PeteNCer]

Hi!

Thanks for removing the other post, I’m new so I’m still getting the hang of it.

Yes, I want to improve the bond with each rabbit. I want to be able to pick them up at least to do the grooming. I understand that they have different personalities and don’t enjoy being picked up, but they don’t really give me the chance to even look at their nails.

They already have an appointment to be neutered.

[PeteNCer]

Hi, thanks for responding! I do sit down close to them and read a book, they will climb over me, I also control my urge to pet them. I see so many videos of people on the internet that have a great bond with them, and I wish it could be that way

[PeteNCer]

Hi! 

I’ve been taking them because originally there where 3. They where a neighboors and she left so I took them in. The smallest one seemed to have less than a month of age and died from a parasitic infection. I tried my best to save him but it was too late and he was so dehydrated, so I’ve taken the bunnies to make sure that their treatment was effective. But thanks for the advice, it is very expensive to take them.

[PeteNCer]

Thanks! I feel the same way, they are so cute, I guess I’ll just have to give it time.

[rick&morty]

Hi guys!

I know it’s been awhile, but I wanted some insight about gaining a bunny’s trust. I have two dutch/lionhead bunnies (who are brothers) and we I had a hard time bonding with them. I adopted them from the humane society when they were three months old. They came from a home where they had not really been socialized, but their indicated personalities at the time still seem to be the same. One is more friendly and curious with people while the other is more shy. I have had them for about four months now but I till don’t think they feel truly safe around me. They sleep in a 4×2 foot “loft” as I call it, complete with plenty of hay, a litter box, a hideaway, and they get their pellets every day. I let them free-roam in my room for a few hours each day where I give them their fresh snacks. I usually sit on my bed, but my frame is on the ground so they can jump up and down as they please. They come to me and each their snacks out of my hand but I still don’t feel like they trust me.

Sorry for the novel…but my main question is, should I give it more time or is this as comfortable with me as they are going to get?

I would love to hear about others’ experiences because I keep feeling like I’m failing at making them feel safe and happy (and I also want them to love me). Please help!!!

[LittlePuffyTail]

Hi, Rick&Morty. Welcome to BB! We ask that members please not reply to old threads (this one is from 2017) as it can cause confusion and these members may no longer be active. Please feel free to start a new thread on this topic which will also get your question more attention.

But I will answer from my experience, I’ve had 2 bunnies, including my current, Elara, who took a long time to warm up to me. Elara we got from the SPCA in March and is only recently trusting us enough to flop. She’s been loving pets and giving kisses for quite a while but was never comfortable enough to flop. In fact, for many months, I thought she never slept at all. She never laid down or closed her eyes. It’s nice to see the change. My other bunny it took her more than a year to be comfortable and trusting. She came from a suspected abuse/neglect situation, however.

Try to spend as much of their free-range time as you can at their level. That’s the best way to earn trust. Sit on a pillow and read/watch TV, etc. Let them come to you.

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