I really need some words of encouragement!

[Mindy]

So, I rescued a nine month old bunny two months ago from a bad situation.  When I got Sophie, she had been living in a basement is a very small cage that she couldn’t even stretch out in and she was being fed unlimited pellets and very little hay.  She is now in a 10.5 square foot cage with free run of a room and she is eating an excellent diet.  The problem is, Sophie is so shy that she wants absolutely nothing to do with me!  I sit in her room with her everyday day for hours on end, and she still wants nothing to do with me.  She won’t come near me and runs if I get near her.  I am so frustrated, I just don’t know what to do!!  It’s so difficult trying so hard to give this bunny the best life possible while I am getting nothing in return from her.  Will she ever come out of her shell?  Will she ever like me?  Will she ever let me touch her without completely freaking out?  Has anyone ever dealt with a bunny like this before?  Somebody please give me some hope here!!!

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[charlie82]

Hi,

I think you should not be worried about how little you are ‘getting back from her’ and be happy enough knowing that you are giving this rabbit a chance at having a good life. Of course it’s very frustrating when you have a rabbit that won’t let you anywhere near them. i have one exactly like that although it has nothing to do with her past and more to do with her personality. Maisy will not let me so much as touch her but i accept how she is and find that it is balanced by the fact she is paired up with a very affectionate buck. This may be an option for you. It can take a long time for a rabbit who has experienced a traumatic past to completely come out of the shell…..even up to a year! I also have Milly who had a very horrible life before she came to me and was so stressed if I tried to touch her. She turned to aggression as a way to try and keep me at bay, but I persisted with her and it took between 6-9 months before she was comfortable with me. I can’t stroke her unless I pick her up to groom her (which she resists) but she will come over to me and check out what I’m doing as well as take food from me.

You NEED to handle your bunny, no matter how much she hates it as it is the only way she will ever get used to it. Spend 20 mins a day with her on your lap whilst you watch tv and eventually she should accept that being touched is nothing to be scared of. It may be that she will never be a snuggle bun…not all are! I think you should consider a mate to help her come out of herself and make her a whole lot happier since she doesn’t seem to enjoy people’s company. I guess it’s like working with troubled kids, it can take a lot longer than a couple of months to get anywhere with them, but you should feel proud that you are giving sophie this chance.

[ScooterandAnnette]

We adopted Reno when she was 3. We have no idea what her life was life beforehand, but I have the feeling that she sat in her cage and was pretty much ignored most of the time. She’s very skittish around people still, and we’ve had her over 2 years. When we first got her she would basically just hop away from us, but now she’ll come up to us – mostly if we have raisins. And she’ll eat them from our hands, which would have been unheard of 2 years ago. But when we look at her stretched out on the carpet watching tv we know she’s got a good life now, and it makes us smile. She’ll even binky now and then!
– Annette

[Sarita]

I TOTALLY agree with Charlie – I think just accept and love her for what she is. You can love from afar and I know even though she might not be affectionate she will learn to trust you and that is so important.

I have many rabbits like this and I just realize that is how they are and I don’t force myself on them. I care for them and I think they trust me and appreciate that. I’m glad to have helped them but realize they just are how they are.

I say keep trying – it may never happen but it may happen and it could take awhile. Just don’t expect a lap bunny.

Bless you for rescuing and caring for her.

[MimzMum]

Sophie looks just like my bun, Mimzy. I, too, had a hard time thinking that he would ever bond with me. He was very scared at first and hardly interacted with me at all. (He’d been abandoned by our shop with two other bucks.) And of course, at first there was the gender confusion. But the more time I spent with him, the more he warmed to me. And I was just glad I could give him a safe place to live. But yes, for a bit I was thinking, ‘He doesn’t seem much happier than when he was wild…I wonder if someone else could help him better than I?”
I am SO glad I stuck it out! I could not possibly imagine my life without him now. (And I guessing he couldn’t imagine his without me!)

Hang in there! It all works out in the end.

[MarkBun]

Mindy,

Have you tried the book trick? I’d open up his cage and then just sit on the floor and read a book, paying no attention to the bun. I will guarantee you that within 20 minutes the rabbit will come over to see what you’re doing. The hard thing is to NOT try and pet them. Just ignore him. Maybe have a treat on your leg or something so he’ll be rewarded with checking you out.

[ScooterandAnnette]

Scooter here. I have to add in our case with Reno, we already had Bailey, with whom she bonded quickly. And when we adopted Aeryn and then Tegan, they all bonded. So even though Reno’s not horribly friendly with us, she’s very friendly with the other bunnies in the house.

[Gravehearted]

I think it really can take some time for them to adjust and be interested in people it’s often the case with neglected buns. It may be that she will always prefer to keep her own company, but it may be that over time she’ll want more interaction with you, My bunny Pandora is painfully shy and nervous around people, she was a shelter bunny and just wasn’t handled enough as a baby. She would run when we even thought about petting her. We ended up having her pick a friend and she’s really come out of her shell with a gregarious and highly social bunny partner. Fast forward 1 1/2 years and still in nervous around people, but will now often let us pet her and always comes up for treats. I think sometimes a more interactive partner can really be good for shy or nervous bunnies.

you may also try hand feeding her veggies. I know with Pandora seeing our hands coming at her totally freaks her out. this sounds funny, but you might try petting her with your toes somehow it’s less intimidating, i think.

[RabbitPam]

The book trick markusdark suggested sounds promising. Maybe reading a phone book, that she can play with once she comes over, along with the treat, would be a possibility. You also might try lying down, ignoring her, and wiping your face. You mimic grooming, which might intrigue her too.

[babybunsmum]

she’s lovely! 

you’ve gotten some great advice here already.  my bun was verry stand-off-ish with me and i chalked it up to her personality long ago.  recently we went thru a health crisis where i had to handle her several times per day to give meds.  i also spent a lot of time laying on the floor observing her while she recovered.  she’s all better now & at 7yrs old she’s actually become a cuddly bun!  mind you she still doesn’t like being picked up, but she looooves head pets & she comes running towards me when i go into her room now.  sweetie.  so i’d also say… just keep doing what you’re doing, spend lots of time with her especially down on the floor, and give her time to want to check you out some more.

[MimzMum]

These last two posts reminded me of something I was thinking about last night. I really believe that, ‘getting into your pet’s head’ and seeing things from their perspective really helps in a situation like this. When I was a kid, I had quite a few cats over a number of years and they really seemed to bond well with me when I did things the way they did. I spoke to them in ‘their language’, would crawl around on the floor with them, mimic their movements, etc. Now I know it’s kind of hard to do that when you’re older…either the arthritis gets you or the loss of one’s dignity…lolz…but you’d be surprised how much it makes your furbaby take a second glance at you and you can see the wheels turning. “What IS mom doing? Has she been turned into a bunny?”
It really brings them closer to you, and I know it brings you closer to them. ^^

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

yup you’ve gotten some good advice! Here’s some encouragement…

I got Kokanee about a year and half ago, as a baby. She didn’t have a hard life, it was just her personality-we could not handle her!! She would literally freak out if you picked her up or held her or anything (She would just start kicking and grunting, fur flew and usually you got nice scratches). Well, we worked at it and worked at it and worked at it. Just spending time petting her, holding her, laying on the floor with her etc. etc. She’s the biggest suck in the world now, she comes when you call her, she’ll sit on your lap and groom you while you groom her, even lay with you under a blanky now. She just gets better at being held and more trusting as time goes on. So don’t give up!! Shes in my lap right now!

[kimberleyanddarren]

just remember good things come to those who wait!

[skunklionshow]

Time is what is needed!  I believe that we had a post in the past on having to give a bunny thier space and let them warm up to you.  Its just so hard b/c they are sooooo cute.  Oddly enough, we have a leopard gecko that was severely injured by other geckos…she had lost her tail and several toes.  When we acquired her, after several homes didn’t work out, she wouldn’t even let us touch her.  It was so difficult just cleaning her tank.  After about 8 mos, my husband can now hold her in his hand.  We even had a test visit w/ our other leopard gecko.  They were able to spend about 10 mins alone in a box together.  Our little one didn’t even hiss, whine, or yell…no really they can make all these sounds when scared or upset. 

Animals can become stand-offish when they haven’t been properly socialized.  They need to relearn socialization and accept that people aren’t going to hurt or bother them.  I fostered a feral mom w/ 2 kittens.  She went crazy anytime we had to feed her, change the litterbox, water, or do baby care.  It was awful the noises she made.  Unfortunately she would not warm up to me, but she did eventually allow me to care for her kittens.  She eventually was re-homed to a friend in California.  She was such a feral beast that she escaped from her home.  I like to think that she is now a happy feral beach cat down in So California.  I think your baby needs some more time.  It will happen…eventually.

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