How long did it take for your rabbit to trust you?

[Lunarabbit32]

I’m starting to wonder if I’m just impatient or if my bunny is a touch-me-not.(But it’s probably the former.) I’ve had my 4 month old rabbit for 8 days. He’s not afraid of me, per-se, but gets startled pretty easily. When I put my hand in, he’ll smell it for two seconds and then run away. Sometime’s he’ll let me touch his head with one finger for a few short pets, sometimes he wants nothing to do with it. Today I put some food in my hand, and he dug at me with his nails as if I was the food dish, took a pellet, and then nipped me. Not sure what he was trying to get at.

But anyway, was your rabbit okay with being touched the day you brought it home, or did it take a while? Weeks? Months? Being a new rabbit owner, I have no idea what to expect.

He doesn’t come out of his cage, and even though it’s fairly big, I still worry about him getting exercise. I tried putting a ramp up to the door, but… I don’t think he was interested in coming out. Plus, how would I get him back in? Clip his nails? Brush him? Clean his cage without him freaking out? I’m not sure exactly how I’m going to take good care of him if he’s afraid of being handled. But I’m probably worrying too much. 

[Bam]

In my opionion, 8 days are virtually nothing when it comes to bunnies getting to know and trust you. I don’t blame you for being impatient though, who wouldn’t be?!

I think you should just relax and let this take its course. sit near his cage without engaging in him. Read a book, listen to music in ear-phones (beware of rabbit razor teeth though, they are lethal to cables!). Let him come to you and explore you, maybe use you as a “jungle gym”. Let him come and take a treat from you. Hold of the touching him to begin with.
Don’t worry about him getting exercise as long as he eats well and poops and pees like he should. Bunnies are prey animals, being too bold too soon means a much greater risk of being seen and caught by a predator. This is the “reason” why bunnies are shy. When he feels more at home in his new place and with you, his confidence and courage will grow.

Not all bunnies become terribly cuddly. Mine did, but it took months. They all have their own personalities.

[Deleted User]

2 YEARS! Sorry……

I patted, patted and patted resisting the urge to pick him up and 2 years later….. I can! He still HATES it, but I can…..
And I only do it when I have to. We are ‘both’ happier with pats.

[emm_renn]

Mine still doesn’t trust me all the way. She will run up to me for pets but she will have her moments of running away from me. I’ve had her for about a year now.

[Tessie]

8 days is hardly any time!

Having said that, some rabbits just don’t like to be touched

[scubahood]

i’ve had mine for about 9 months.. she will let you pet her occasionally but she’s choosey about when and how..
if you have something she wants is a good time or if she’s sitting close to you she might let you

she came from the pound and i had to take her to the vet a few times to get her spayed and checked up at first so that might explain why it’s taken so long

[Sr. Melangell]

Just over a month, sitting on the floor and talking to bunny and playing small animal (On your hands and knees.) but Olly has his off days, I was told to just keep him busy, stroke him and talk to him, let him come to me, climb on me and sniff me because I rescued him, 8 days is not long, he will be getting used to sounds, smells etc.
It’s June, I’ve had Olly since April and has only just started climbing on me, but if I try to pick him up he won’t have it.
As for him coming out of the cage, open the door let him come out, sit away from the cage and wait, for hand feeding you could try is a piece of carrot or any veg he likes and cut it in a thin strip, hold the food between your thumb and first finger and let him take it.

[Lunarabbit32]

Wow, it takes that long to earn their trust? Talk about being patient!
I’m gonna try to move a bit slower from now on and give him his space until when/if he his ready. The door to his cage is seven inches high off the ground, though, so that may be a hindrance. And he won’t eat treats, which is weird. I’ve tired tiny pieces of strawberry and peach, and he’s just plain uninterested. Do young rabbits not like fruit? 

Also he bit the crap out of the dustpan when I cleaned out his cage today and now I’m afraid to stick my finger in there, lol. Can’t blame him for being scared of a foreign object, though. 

[emm_renn]

Try bananas. My rabbit loves those! But my rabbit really isn’t picky.

[Troubledbunnymom]

Errmm, it took me three days. First day I leave her alone, second day the same thing, but bribed her with banana or raisins (Not too much), then at the third day she jump on my lap while I’m not holding any treats for her. Tried to pet her, she didn’t mind, she just continued to sniff me then snuggled at my lap.

I carefully picked her up that same day, again she didn’t mind. Now she is okay with me petting her and picking her up (She like to run when I try to pick her up, her run is by doing some binkies then if I sit she goes to me so I can pick her up with no problem), but if she is picked up by another person she grunts. Hates other people, but she will allow them to pet her if I’m near.

I think my bunny is too attached to me? Lols.

[Deleted User]

Show off Troubledbunnymom!

LOL!

[Troubledbunnymom]

Eh? Not really, just shared my experience. I don’t know I think I just got really lucky with my bunny. I know some took forever; my friends’ bunnies are notoriously evil (cute and fluffy) Took them weeks, months, years to make the bunnies like them. Lols. Like I said, I must have got lucky with my bunny.

[Deleted User]

OH! I was joking!!! Please, do not feel bad – now I feel bad. It was a joke Troubledbunnymom cause most of us (ME! LOL!) are jealous.
You did get lucky and I couldn’t be happier for you, really! Honestly, I was just joking – sorry! Please say you forgive me – I’d hate for you think badly of BB because of my silly comment I made that was genuinely meant as a light hearted joke.
When I read your post I was SUPER excited and (jealous, lol!) happy for you and your bunny!

Good for you Troubledbunnymom! Cheers, Andi.

[The Law Bun]

If Lilith had taken to me so quickly, I would have made threads all over to brag about it .

[Deleted User]

If Henry had of taken to me so quickly I would have taken out a page add in the world newspaper – with photo’s! Lol LB!

PS – I am SO into bragging rights, hehehe…..
But Henry wouldn’t have it – DAM bunny!

[The Law Bun]

Bah, thats only because Henry doesn’t want to get to attached before he comes to meet Lilith. Lol, I really am not sure why I am so in love with Henry (maybe the awesome profile picture?).

[The Law Bun]

Lunar Rabbit,

Quick thing for you regarding treats. Young rabbits really should not be having that many treats, don’t pressure her with it. I did a ton of research and Lilith just hit 5 months (my rabbit). Use lettuce as treats, they don’t know the difference. At 4 months they have pretty weak stomachs, so limit it. When I do give treats I give Craisins and even then its like a third of a Craisin. Just my 2 cents, no need to see runny poop if you don’t need to. Most say at 6 months you can introduce treats but I think thats a bit overstated. No problem giving a very SMALL amount of treat, just be careful. 

[Troubledbunnymom]

AndHenry I did think it was supposed to be a joke, but unsure so I had to explain myself. Lols. No worries I still like the BB forum since this is really a bunny heaven lols.

I wish I could have documented the first week with my bunny, but it never crossed my mind since I was more focused on trying to bond with my bunny. Treats are the best bribe ever! But limit it and do go over. If you run out of treats try the pellets since the bunny will still eat it or try feeding them hay its cute when they take the hay and ask for more.

[Bam]

Andi jokes a lot, Troubledbunnymom! You will soon notice if you stick around!

On a more serious note: I think, in AndHenry’s case, and I hope it’s ok that I write this, that Henry got attached to the family dogs pretty soon, sort of identifying with them. I remember when Andi wrote about taking her dogs to get trimmed and Henry was very unhappy – when the dogs came back home, he greeted them like long lost loved ones. This can happen if you have other pets, my Bam got attached to my dog (and she’s a big dog!) before he became attached to me. My dog was (and is) genuinely indifferent to Bam, though, so for love and affection, Bam eventually had to turn to me =) It did take a long time though, more than a year, but his situation was very different from your bun’s. Bam was a fully grown adult bunny when he came to me, and I don’t know what kind of life he’d had before. He was found abandonned like trash in the woods, so I’m guessing his previous owners we’re not very loving and responsible people.

[LoveChaCha]

One advice I give new bunny parents is to chill out on the floor with them and ignore them. Read a book, listen to music ( watch the earbuds ), etc. They’ll become curious and come up to you on their own. Buns are prey animals and you have to earn their trust

It took my bun less than a year. All buns are different

[Lunarabbit32]

Posted By The Law Bun on 6/09/2015 3:15 PM

Lunar Rabbit,

Quick thing for you regarding treats. Young rabbits really should not be having that many treats, don’t pressure her with it. I did a ton of research and Lilith just hit 5 months (my rabbit). Use lettuce as treats, they don’t know the difference. At 4 months they have pretty weak stomachs, so limit it. When I do give treats I give Craisins and even then its like a third of a Craisin. Just my 2 cents, no need to see runny poop if you don’t need to. Most say at 6 months you can introduce treats but I think thats a bit overstated. No problem giving a very SMALL amount of treat, just be careful. 

Thanks for the tip. I knew about not giving them too much fruit, but wasn’t completely aware of the sensitivity of younger rabbits. I give him greens a few times a week and I think I’ll give him one small piece of fruit a week until he’s older (I got him to try a  bit of banana today.)

[Deleted User]

Cheers Troubledbunnymom! And I should know better to keep my dry/BAD sense of humour to myself with new member’s, hehehe! I just find owning a bunny can be very daunting, even distressing at times and sometimes it can help if you can have a little laugh when the solution isn’t always easy or simple OR you don’t get the answer you want to hear. I hate to say this (but I have before)….. If I knew what I was getting into when I got Henry, I wouldn’t! BUT as quick as I said that back then, I couldn’t be without him now. He still drives me NUTS, but he’s the absolute joy of my life! I love him and his obnoxiousness more than I could have ever known.

Oh gosh yes bam! You are always welcome to talk about Henry and ‘his’ gang of dog’s, hehehe! And I still think it took longer for Henry to bond with me cause he bonded to the dog’s first. I will always wonder if I didn’t have the dog’s would Henry have taken to me a lot sooner? I’ll never know now.
And I often refer to you bam when talking about a larger dog with bunnies – a few people gasp when they hear about such a large dog as Ephi is and I try to say it really has nothing to do with breed (though I’m sure it can?) and size – it’s the temperament of the dog and how you raise them. And also the bunny too – not all bunnies appreciate doggy company and vice versa. I was very lucky with my lot and 2 years later I still delight when I see them all laying and hanging out together.

And you can’t go wrong with banana Lunarabbit32. This is how my hubby gets Henry to like him – my hubby is the banana KING since getting Henry, and we go to the shops when he runs out. My hubby will not be without banana! LOL!

[Sr. Melangell]

Posted By The Law Bun on 6/09/2015 11:43 AM

If Lilith had taken to me so quickly, I would have made threads all over to brag about it .

I wonder who brags the most about their bunny?

[rimestitou]

i think bambi is the most trusting bunny I’ve seen yet, i got her a month ago and she’s flopping on my lap laying on her back with her eyes closed while i pet her head…she doesn’t mind if i rub her tummy softly…she climbs on my shoulders to get a better view and keeps conping to my face and touching me with her nose…and she binkies alll over my bed and when she’s tired she just stretches out next to me and sleeps while i pet her. i read articles on how bunnies are supposed to be cautious so i kinda thought this wasn’t a good thing. she’s a month and a half old still a baby

[Nani the bunny]

I just got my 4 month old bunny less than a month ago. Her previous owners kept her in a small wire bottom cage along with her other 6 brothers and sisters. She still runs away when I go to pick her up but sometimes she doesn’t. She doesn’t make any noises or anything at first I thought I was such a bad mommy and asking myself why she didn’t like me… she still hops away when I go to pick her up off the floor, she eats from my hand and lets me pet her once in a while. A couple of days ago she came up to me and started licking my legs and today I got my first cheek kiss!!!! I didn’t think it would take this long for her to open up since we literally do everything together, she even sleeps right next to my bed. I know In a few more months she’ll be 100% comfortable with me, this is my first pet bunny and I’m so in loveeeee

[Angel'sMum]

My bunny Angel trusted me almost immediately (within the first few days). I’m not sure why most take awhile to trust their owners.

[sarahthegemini]

Posted By Nani the bunny on 3/30/2017 6:48 PM

I just got my 4 month old bunny less than a month ago. Her previous owners kept her in a small wire bottom cage along with her other 6 brothers and sisters. She still runs away when I go to pick her up but sometimes she doesn’t. She doesn’t make any noises or anything at first I thought I was such a bad mommy and asking myself why she didn’t like me… she still hops away when I go to pick her up off the floor, she eats from my hand and lets me pet her once in a while. A couple of days ago she came up to me and started licking my legs and today I got my first cheek kiss!!!! I didn’t think it would take this long for her to open up since we literally do everything together, she even sleeps right next to my bed. I know In a few more months she’ll be 100% comfortable with me, this is my first pet bunny and I’m so in loveeeee

Generally speaking, bunnies do not like being picked up. It has nothing to do with how much they trust their owner.

[SIYBUNNY]

It took me nearly 1 whole year for my
Rabbit To let welcome me fully
So yeah look forward and try out new
Things see what works best then stick
With that

[Heaven]

Yep, 8 days is not a long time. I’ve had my bunny about 4-5 months now & he’s gradually trusted me more and more since. I thought he’d never be a bunny who licked me & was secretly envious of other owners on here, but finally he’s started licking (first the carpet next to me haha, and now my skin!). He’s still not a fan of being picked up, but will jump into my lap of his own accord which he never did before. so in my opinion it can take a good while, at least 6 months even until he warms up to you completely. Maybe even longer for rescue buns.

Edit: Ah, sorry mods, didn’t realise this was such an old thread! My bad

[missyprincess]

mine …took probably less than 1wk to hop onto my lap and beg for pellets..haha
im not sure if its becos i had mine on my lap for 4-5hrs in the car after i purchased him ..(this is due to my hb’s packed schedule..this is the best arrangement we can make)..during this time..i pet and feed him..

his with me for abt 1.5months ..and he is totally fearless towards me and i have no issue carrying him now..

side note..i would hand feed half of more of his daily dose of pellets everyday , my hand feed refers to take one by one with my fingers n give it to my bunny. while feeding..i would also pet him or groom him..

[Bunnymom]

I’ve had my rescue bunny for a month. I’ve held him and he seems to like it. He makes the clicking sound, but he won’t come out of the cage and runs from me. I’m confused and don’t know what to do.

[Author]

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