How to bond

[Junie84108]

Online I can only find what not to do when bonding with your bunny but can I actually do to bond with her? She seems to ignore me and run round and smell things when I let her out into her play area, she nips me sometimes but seems like it’s not aggresive, and the only signs that I’ve gotten that she’s bonding is licking me but it’s only happened twice. We got her a week ago and when I’m with her I just lay down because I don’t know what to do, when I pet her she doesn’t really seem to care or show that she likes it, she just keeps running around.

[Yellow Pro. 74]

How long have you had her? She could still be in the process of finding out who you are and trusting you. Licking is a sign of affection so that’s good. Nibbling and licking could mean she is grooming you (a good thing). Some bunnies take longer to bond than others so I suggest you stay around her a lot and maybe start playing with her. Show her you aren’t a danger. Rabbit’s are prey animals so it takes longer for them to trust.

[Yellow Pro. 74]

Oh, haha I didn’t see that you wrote when you got her. A week isn’t a long time for a bunny to trust. But then again, it’s all about her personality. So far she seems binding well with you (for a week). Also, sniffing around is her exploring the place. She is still trying to get used to the place. Usually, when rabbits like it when you pet them, they would be calm and relaxed. Maybe their eyes start to close a little and they sometimes purr (by clicking their teeth SOFTLY not loud). If they click their teeth loudly, then that means they are in pain or uncomfortable.

[Rob1972]

I have recently added a dwarf to my home which consisted of my first rabbit Jiggy a flemish giant mix. they got along really good at first. they played and the second day even layed with each other. they are both males. the flemish is fixed the dwarf is still too young but now they are fighting like it’s fight club! does anyone know the best way to get these two to get along? when I have them outside they are fine inside they can’t stand each other.. any tips would be greatly appreciated!

[Deleted User]

Rob, you should really start your own topic on bonding or read some of the others in the section it will be really helpful to your situation. You really shouldn’t have just put the new bunny with the existing bunny and you really shouldn’t be letting them fight. They need to be split up immediately to prevent any injuries. They can cause nasty injuries to each other and even fight to the death. Considering your bunnies are a Flemish mix and a dwarf they won’t be evenly matched in size either so it’s even more important to intervene asap, if you haven’t already.

[Deleted User]

Rob- I agree that starting your own topic will be more beneficial to you. This OP is about bonding to your rabbit, but you are asking about bonding between two rabbits. Also, the reason they may be fighting inside is because your existing rabbit is being territorial. You have to bond rabbits in neutral space. Outside it probably much more neutral since there are so many other factors outside than there are inside. You should not put your younger rabbit with the older one until the younger one is also neutered.

Junie- A week isn’t very long for a rabbit to truly bond with you. They take a lot of patience. It took me about 2 months to have a solid bond with my first bun. Offer treats by hand, spend time on the floor. Try not to actively pet her if she doesn’t want you to.

[Rob1972]

Sorry how do i start my own topic? i’m still new to this site.

[DanaNM]

Posted By Junie84108 on 9/02/2017 8:00 PM

Online I can only find what not to do when bonding with your bunny but can I actually do to bond with her? She seems to ignore me and run round and smell things when I let her out into her play area, she nips me sometimes but seems like it’s not aggresive, and the only signs that I’ve gotten that she’s bonding is licking me but it’s only happened twice. We got her a week ago and when I’m with her I just lay down because I don’t know what to do, when I pet her she doesn’t really seem to care or show that she likes it, she just keeps running around.

Hi Junie, here are some tried and true tips for bonding with your bun and earning her trust:

– First, and very importantly, be sure that your bun can come out of her cage/hutch/pen/condo on her own. The pen/condo/hutch should be your bun’s “safe space”. If your bun’s home is elevated, you can use a ramp or steps to allow it to come and go as it pleases. 

-Only pick her up unless absolutely necessary (like for nail trims). Never do this just to spend time with her.

– Once your bun decides to come out to explore, play “hard to get”. ignore her. Sounds like you are already doing this, but lay on the ground while she is out, read a book, etc. If she comes up to you, don’t try to pet her (yet). Be patient and calm around your bunny. Respect if they want to be left alone. “floor time” is seriously one of the best things you can do. 

– Hand feeding! You should feed at least some of her veggies and pellets by hand. You could do this with just the first few leaves of veggies of the day, or a few pellets when you give them.  Fragrant herbs (cilantro, basil, mint, fennel) are all good at enticing shy buns.  Talk to her calmly when you feed her so she associates your voice with good things. 

– When she has become comfortable enough with you that she will lay down or relax near you on the ground, you can “ask” her if you can pet her, by placing your hand on the ground in front of her, so your pinky is on the ground and the back of your hand is facing her. If she puts her head down, she wants you to pet her head! If she doesn’t, then don’t force it. Stick to petting only the head and ears until she gets really relaxed with you. You can tell if they are enjoying it if you stop, and they nudge your hand a little to get you to continue.   The back and bum are very personal and sensitive areas for rabbits, so avoid those areas.

. . . 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.  

[joea64]

I’m just about 15 days in with having Panda and Fernando live with me full-time. I actually think I’m making pretty good progress with both of them. Fernando is by far the more outgoing of the two, and he’ll regularly allow me to rub him on the forehead briefly when he comes up to the condo wires or X-pen fence to greet me, and maybe once an evening or so during our floor sessions allow me to give him a good pet. Panda tends to dance away when I offer to pet her, but when I give her a treat, particularly just before bedtime, she’s started to allow me to pet her forehead and back. Both of them have groomed/licked/nibbled me several times, if briefly, over the past couple of weeks. Panda has come up to me and nipped me several times, by way of demanding attention (she appears to enjoy being talked to) or treats. I let them out for at least a couple of hours into the X-pen every evening after they have their salad and get their hay and water refresh, and make time for at least one “floor session” with them. One tactic that works well on trust-building is to lie down quietly and let them sniff around and climb over me; Fernando went all the way from feet to shoulders last evening with me lying on my stomach. I’ve been meaning to get some nice herbs to hand-feed them as extra treats, since I don’t want to overdo it on the Simple Rewards even if they’ve got lots of timothy hay in them. I should probably also try offering them some hay by hand; they’ll often forage for stray hay strands on the rug during their evening play dates.

Both buns have exhibited behavior (frequent bunloafing or bunny-rugging, occasional Bunny 500’s and binkies) that strongly indicates they’re getting very comfortable with their new lives overall; in fact, both of them are snuggled up with each other in what appears to be their favorite sunning place on the upper deck of the bunny condo. Panda is stretched out and Fernando (her son) is cuddled up against her. Excuse me while I take a picture. They’re establishing pretty solid routines – Fernando likes the white carton against the wall as his favorite hidey box, and Panda prefers the Coronita carton as her favorite shelter place.

[Wick & Fable]

Rob – You start a topic by going to the main forum page, clicking on a category (in your case “Bonding’), then, once the page is loaded, you will see an ” + Add Topic” button on the top left. Click this to make a topic, and people can give you input!

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.

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