I Can’t Touch My Woody Bunny !!!!! :(

[Yan Lee]

I have a Woody Toy bunny. He is may in 6 months now. I took him to go home with me about 3 weeks. But until now, I still can’t touch or hold him. I think he hate me . Can somebody help me how to be friend with him??

[12345ABCDE]

Most bunnies don’t like being held. If your bun doesn’t like you touching him it’s possibly because he doesn’t feel comfortable around you. Give him time. Sit with him but DON’T touch him at first. You have to build up to that. In the grand scheme of things, 3 weeks isn’t very long.

[Wick & Fable]

Agreeing with sarahthegemini, don’t take it personally! Rabbits are prey animals, so gigantic animals (like humans) can be intimidating. You may hear about really cuddly rabbits, but many times it takes months or years to get to that level. Your rabbit’s personality plays a huge role, as every rabbit is different. You can potentiate a positive rapport by doing a lot of great things for him.

Be present, but not invasive: Since he isn’t a fan of being held yet, just be around the area, but don’t really interact with him. He needs to get used to your presence and realize you being around is not a threat. Some people (like me) talked to their rabbit about random stuff while I’m sitting a little far from them, or while I’m cleaning around the house.

Also, when you do go to pet him/interact with him, end of his terms, not yours.

It’s an arduous process, but it’ll be worth it!

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.

[12345ABCDE]

I definitely agree with ending the interaction on his terms! I’m actually going through this with my little buck and in just a few weeks he has made big leaps with becoming more comfortable. I’ve had him for almost 6 months tho. I would suggest once you’ve sat with him with no physical touch for a while and you can sense the vibe that it’s okay to pet him, just pet him once. Stop touching him before he feels the need to run away.

[BanditCamp]

Took me 5 weeks to get bandit to come to me and lay next to me. Now he jumps on the couch and watches tv and even comes in the bed to read with me and nead/toss my pillow and sheets

[Jellie]

I agree with wverything that other posters have said. But I thought I’d tell you what I did with my boy too.

I brought him home and for the first several days I left him in his house and didn’t take him out. But a couple times a day I’d go sit near his house and watch him or play with my phone and let him get used to me. He started getting curious and would come up and sniff me through the cage. I’d slowly put my hand close so he could smell me.

After a few days I needed to clean his house. So I opened his house and he’d come to investigate me, thinking he’s getting food. I showed him my hand and moved slowly to pet him. The first couple times he hopped away but he’d come back. It probably took 20 minutes but eventually he let me pet him and was cool with it.

This is a slow process so bear with me. Once he was cool with me touching him I gently picked him up, held him to my chest and took him to my room. I already had it bunny proofed and ready for him to play. I had my boyfriend sit in there and keep and eye on him. But not bother him or try to touch him. Just sit and basically ignore him but make sure he’s not getting into bun trouble.

I got his house cleaned up and went into my room. I sat on the floor by the couxh and watched TV. After a while Bun came up to me on his own to sniff and check me out. I just let him do it without reacting. Eventually he got more comfortable with me and would come up to me often and even tried to groom my pants lol.

I usually let him free roam for about 4 hours a day when I get home from work. He knows when I get home and open his house it’s either dinner time or play time and he gets excited.

He’s still not always comfortable with me Petting him, and is not a fan of being picked up but he tolerates it.

You really just have to give your bun time to get to know you. Once he knows you respect his bunnily-autonomy he will respect you. Gaining their respect and trust is not easy but very worth it. me and my boy have come very far, but I know we still have farther yet to go.

It’s so satisfying to know your bun loves, trusts, and relies on you. It’s worth every moment of hard work, every pee on the back of my couch (WHY?!), forever finding bunny poops, and the never ending hay mess.

Best of luck and know that everyone here is happy to help and share and listen through the ups and downs of Bun ownership.

[Simon]

At first my rabbit Simon would run into his hut anytime I walked into the room or made a noise. I sat near the hut and read a book, sometimes out loud to him, and I really think that helped. He came over and sat down next to me after a day or two. I slowly tried to pet him, but if he didn’t want it, I backed away to show that I respect his space. I think that really helped a lot. Pretty soon he realized I’m not trying to hurt him. He still doesn’t like being held but Most rabbits don’t. I would just sit near him and respect his space. He’ll be curious and come up to you soon!

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