My bunny is afraid of me

[Bun1990]

Hey, sooo honestly i can’t say it in a better way,
But i sat down on my rabbit by mistake without seeing that he was under my blanket((….i have robert for almost a year now and it was really fine till this point (i mean he is really a coward in comparison to my other bunny and still doesn’t trust us so much) and now he always runs away when we come by, refuses to eat from our hands and on top of that he’s shaking every time i come around and even thumps from time to time…this “accident” happened 2 weeks ago and he’s just getting worst…what should i do? I really don’t want to give him away…how can open a new page with him? Is the there any kind of medicines or something that i can give him in order to make a bit less paranoid again?….
His attitude is starting to influence my other bunny as well who starts to think that something is wrong and think twice before she eats from my hand…
Need your help…(

[OreoTheRabbit101]

When I first got Oreo, she was very afraid of everyone. She recently just got very comfortable with having more and more people around. I’ve had her for about 1.5 years and within the past 6 months or so, she finally got more and more bonded with me. Oreo doesn’t have another companion so what I say might not help but since Oreo is the only rabbit, I always try my best to spend time with her. If you have two buns, separate Robert so that you spend time with him. It helped me a lot to be directly in her exercise pen (It’s about 5×5 so she has a lot of space around me). This helped me bond with her more and more each day. She used to always hide in her cage and not ever come near me but recently (past two weeks), she finally has trusted me to hand feed her. Some buns are different than others. If you really think something is wrong, consult a vet.

[kurottabun]

Is he displaying other behaviours apart from this? He could be injured from the weight and is in pain.

If he is just shaken, you can try to gain back some trust by just sitting in his area without doing anything and allow him to come and sniff or explore you. Refrain from touching him/picking him up etc. You can also offer him some of his favourite treats so he associates you with good things again but don’t touch him.

[Bun1990]

Thanks guys, really appreciate your help…!!!
Btw..yes i took him to the vet and everything is fine

[Mikey]

Awesome that you already took him to the vet! That is always the first most important thing

You mention your other rabbit starting to act like this now too. Are they both neutered/spayed? If not, hormones could also be playing a part in this.

Whether they are or are not, the best way to gain a bun’s trust is to present yourself to them in the least threatening ways possible. Lay on the floor and play on your phone/a handheld game/read a book. Talk quietly. Dont reach out towards them. Instead of hand feeding, put the food near you while youre laying down. Very slowly progress over the course of a few days/weeks to sitting and active hand feeding, and scarce pets.

[Deleted User]

Quite unfair to “get rid of him” because he is scared of you due to your sitting on him. Give him some time to learn to trust you again, that was probably very scary for him. Good that you got him checked by a vet and I’m glad he is ok.

[Author]

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