My bunnies don’t like me :(

[JessicaElizabeth]

Hi everyone! I have 2 bunnies who are about 8 months old, both mini lops (and adorable!). The are both females and both spayed! I have had them since they were about 6 weeks old. I have never been able to connect with them and am always worried that they see me as a threat…. I have read lots (on here especially- a fantastic site). I have read about bonding and learning trust and everything, and have tried and tried and tried with no avail! Please help me! I want to be able to connect with them and for them to trust me. I do not pick them up as I know they don’t like it and like I said, have tried every piece of advice I’ve been given, and I have taken time and effort to gain this. If anyone could help it would be greatly appreciated!
Thank you so much x

[tobyluv]

I don’t really have advice for you, but I know that I have read some posts here where people said it took over a year for their rabbits to warm up to them and to connect with them. It’s not the case that your rabbits don’t like you, it is just their particular personalities. I have had rabbits that are people oriented and ones that were mainly rabbit oriented, but I know even those that preferred the company of rabbits, loved me. They just were not demonstrative as some rabbits are.

Keep doing what you have read about, and hopefully in time your rabbits will get closer to you.

Maybe some other members will chime in here and give you some advice that you haven’t heard before, that might be helpful to you.

[JessicaElizabeth]

Thank you I will keep trying! But he’s, if anyone has any other ideas please let me know

[Theodorusrex]

What have you tried so far?

[flemishwhite]

Bunny was with us for 11 1/2 years and then we bought two Flemish baby rabbits. So we’re at the 12 year+ experience level of rabbits.

Consider my two now 8 month old Flemish rabbits.  They are sisters.  One is very gregarious, outgoing,and friendly.  The other sister is just the difference..very shy and retreating from human interaction.  Among the two sisters, the outgoing sister is dominant…and she is larger.  Actually, neither is all that social as my previous 11 1/2 old rabbit, Bunny.  But thinking back, it took Bunny many years to become as friendly and social as she ultimately was.  I expect my current two rabbits will take a slow period to become as really friendly as I’d like.

OK…you have a powerful advantage if you want to motivate your bunnies to be more immediately friendly!!!   It’s called food…treats!

Our current two Flemish rabbits are addicted to apple treats…Fuji apples from framer’s market.   Banana slices are also a treat…they like their bananas a little on the tart side…the banana skins should have some noticeable streaks of green.  They do get guava’s also.  Bunny liked bing cherries..the Flemish girls haven’t had cherries yet.  Also sliced roasted unsalted almonds.  Get them hooked on treats.  They’ll come to you. When they’ve approached you for treats, give them neck and shoulder massages.  They love their massages.  They make a purring like sound to tell you they like their massage.  Their purring sound is a teeth chattering sound and a deep breathing sound that you can only hear by holding your ear up next to their mouth,

Another  comment. Rabbit’s instinctive brain interprets other animals with two forward facing eyes as being predators.  That includes us humans.  I once did an experiment with Bunny and satisfied myself that this is true.  When I come face to face with my rabbits, I close one eye.  Up close face to face, they don’t see me looking at them with both eyes.   

[Bam]

I’ll have to try that trick with the eye, Flemmish! Brilliant idea!

It is true that predators have forward facing eyes and flight animals like rabbits and deer and sheep etc have one eye on either side of the face. That means rabbits can’t see things that are very close very well, but they have like a 310 degree field of view from a distance.

I also agree that treats are the highway to a bunny’s heart. Bunnies love food!

Having 2 bonded buns means that they’ll primarily look to each other for comfort and proximity. Tthat’s very good for them, it means a lot to a colony-living prey animal to have a friend of the same species, but it might mean it’ll take some extra time until they fully accept you as a member of their little flock.

[JessicaElizabeth]

Thank you so much for your advice! You said something about a massage? How do I do that for my bunnies? I don’t want to do something they don’t like ahah

[tobyluv]

Here is a You Tube video showing how to massage a rabbit:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JnuxGLa2reg

[vivi]

wow I just posted something similar …I have my Beny and no matter what I do…he does not come to me…he does not let me touch him..he always acts scared and runs…its not fun having a pet if you cant do nothing with it….I love rabbits and had them when little…this one …is not a fun one at all…im so so sad….im thinking of giving him away…I mean all he does is open holes and hide and run im soooooooooooooo sad
good luck with yours! ♥

[Nobilissima]

It can take some animals up to two years to bond with their owner, especially the skittish ones.
I suppose you could take the chinchilla approach, if you haven’t already.
Have them in a room or area where they have free reign and can’t get into much trouble. Have their cage/hutch out where they can freely run in and out of it. Sit or lie on the ground and wait for them to come to you. If they hide in their home, this is fine. Just sit and chill. The trick is to let them know you mean no harm and get down to their eye level. You can draw, read, anything really; just make sure the activity isn’t noisy or scary looking. Eventually, they will get curious and come check you out, don’t make any advancements towards them when they do this. They will find out you aren’t as scary as you look, and will come closer. Keep in mind this will take more than a day or two to accomplish. When they are in front of you, you can slowly give them a treat. This creates an association between you and food. Food is a good thing to them. If they run off when you move towards them, don’t give up! Just keep doing this every day until they eagerly go to you and accept the food you offer to them. Keep the treats small, and try not to give each rabbit more than four. If they have a favorite treat, just make the food pieces small via crushing or cutting. Remember, slow movements!

Good luck!

[Jessica]

with flopsy, i felt like giving up but when i started giving her treat she came around and started being more human interactive, she learned human meant food, and slowly over time she learned i meant mommy, that i care for her and love her. now she licks me , cuddles near me and asks for kisses every night. it wasn’t an over night miracle. i had to prove to her i wasn’t gonna hurt her or pick her up. she still has her shy times with strangers and hides but i hand her a treat with the new person near me. again its all based on the rabbit and time. you cant rush a bond with rabbits. all cause they dont come to you right it doesnt mean they hate you. it just mean im not ready to trust , give me time. 

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