Female Lop literally shakes with fear

[Sonnybun]

Hi folks

 

great forum, I am seeking your advice on how to help my rabbit relax and be less terrified, she is a little different in terms of her fear response, she literally shakes in terror if i am close or touch her.

Background is she is 4.5 months old unspayed as of yet female mini lop, I got her at 8 weeks along with a male mini lop Sonny, they live seperate now but beside each other in their own pen in my room, male has been neutered two weeks ago.

She basically does not like my presence, if I get close she runs, she is very very smart and any opportunity to escape my room she pounces on it. If I hold her which is very seldom she stays still for about 30 seconds then starts to uncontrollably shake and then whimper, her breathing becomes extremely fast, she never kicks or struggles though.

I leave her pen door open and give her free roam of my room at least three hours a day. I try to hand feed her but she pulls the food from my hand and runs back to her pen or corner, I just get the strong vibe she does not like me, she has lunged at my hand a couple of times but never bitten!

is there any advice on how to stop her being so afraid, I don’t have the option of moving rabbits to a different room, I should say my male bun is very affectionate and has no issue being pet or held

Thanks

 

[DanaNM]

Awww poor baby! You haven’t had her too long so I wouldn’t despair. She’s also very young and still hormonal which can make buns more skittish.

The best thing I’ve found to do with scared buns is to play “hard to get”. So spend a lot of time with them, but basically ignore them. Reading, watching a movie, messing around on your phone, etc. while laying on the floor will help the bun realize you aren’t a threat. This may take some time but it works!

It’s also important to minimize handling, and I don’t force petting at this point. You basically want to get to the point where the bun stops running from you in general and will relax on the ground near you. Then you know you’re making progress. Once they will relax near you on the ground, you can “ask” if they want you to pet them by making your hand into a fist (resembling a rabbit head ) and placing it on the ground near the bun’s nose (I usually go just off center because they have a blind spot in front of their nose). If the bun puts her head down, she would like some nose rubs. If not, then she’s not ready.

Hand feeding is also really good, don’t let her grab the food and run off, hang on tight! You can even hand feed pellets.

. . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.  

[BrownietheBunny]

i agree with danaNM! let the rabbit come to you instead of you coming to them!

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