I feel like I’m doing this wrong

[Donteattheapples2]

This is a bit long so sorry in advance, but I’ve had two big concerns about my bun for a while and I don’t know how to handle them as a first time bunny mom….

I’ve had my bunny Henry for almost a year now and he’s very sweet but still very timid. I was hoping that after a while he would get more comfortable around me and he has to some extent. He’ll run up to me when I come in the room sometimes and will jump between my feet, but he still shies away when I try to pet him (unless I’m feeding him at he same time). When I first got him (around 4 months old) he had double ear infections so I had to spend the first two weeks pickng him up every day and putting ear drops in both ears. This happened twice as the infections came back. I’ve made a point not to pick him up again unless absolutely necessary and haven’t since those first couple of months. I’m wondering if there’s a way to get him to trust me more? I feel like I’ve tried everything, treats, laying on the floor with him, just hanging out in the same room, reading out loud quietly to him, etc. But even though he’ll start to get better sometimes and become more affectionate/interested, he’ll just randomly get scared again and hide from me/avoid me and I feel like I’m back to square one.

The second thing I worry about is the fact that he’s incredibly low energy. When he was a baby he would have zoomies a lot but now he sleeps most of the day and likes to lay around in the mornings and evenings too. He doesn’t really play on his own no matter how many toys or climbing structures I give him (he also has the whole apartment free roam but chooses to spend all day in my room napping under a chair). He’ll only really run if I make him chase me for treats, but I worry about overfeeding him. I don’t know if he’s just really lazy or if he’s bored/depressed. I’ve thought about getting a second rabbit to see if that helps, but we’ve had a a few bunny dates with shelters and they were unsuccessful. He doesn’t seem to be a big fan of other bunns.

I’m just hoping someone on here has some advice on how to help him feel more comfortable and more energetic or if I’m overreacting and this is just normal behaviour for some bunnies. I want him to feel happy and safe and I’m not sure what else to try at this point. If it matters at all, I got him from a breeder on a farm (I didn’t know adopting bunnies was a thing at the time) and I don’t know what his life was like there before I took him home.

[mia]

Please don’t be hard on yourself. I don’t think you need to be concerned. EveryBun has a different personality. My oldest bun, we’ve been together for over 10 years and he still won’t let me pet him unless forced, held in arms, and he obviously doesn’t like. He shows his love through tons of nose bumps. I’ve had 7 or so rescue buns throughout the years and through human eyes, only my new bun would be seen as affectionate, possibly because she’s young.

 

My oldest bun is also generally low energy too and actually has never done zooms on his own, even when young. Without friends, he won’t move much. I specifically find friends for him so that he moves more; he is a follower and also has no problems running when being chased. I sometimes play chase my buns too. I recently just adopted a younger bun for my older buns, to try to make them more active (and hopefully eat more too). If you are still open to the idea of another bun, I would keep trying to find a friend. Also, if you haven’t already, make sure your bun has had a checkup to make sure it isn’t a health problem that’s preventing him from being more active.

[DanaNM]

I agree that I don’t think you need to be concerned. Some buns just aren’t as social, and some take a really long time to warm up.

Since you have a good relationship around food with him, I wonder if you could incorporate some clicker training with him? You can use his pellet ration as “treats” to make him work for them a bit and provide some stimulation. It’s also a fun way to bond with buns that don’t like to be petted as much (and in the long term can help make handling and other necessary procedures easier to do).

I’ve also given my buns food puzzles (I like the ones that are rated as easy for dogs) and put their pellets in treat balls to make things a bit more interesting as well. You can also do lots of hand feeding of veggies, so you don’t have to use as many treats.

. . . 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.  

[LBJ10]

I agree with the others. It doesn’t sound like you’ve done anything wrong. Bunnies are individuals. They have their own personalities. Sometimes they just don’t like being pet or they don’t come to enjoy it until later in life.

As for his energy level, he is probably just living up to the “lazy lop” stereotype. My Holland didn’t do zoomies or binkies once he was an adult. Excited for him was more of a lope.

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