No matter what I do, bunny won’t trust me!

[Rue]

I have my Netherland Dwarf (7month female) for a little over a month now. She sleeps on the bed with me. I’m not worried about crushing her because I have a huge bed and I’m not one to move around in my sleep. I thought the close contact would get her more comfortable with me. Sometimes I lure her to put her paws on my thighs and then I give her a treat. She doesn’t go onto my lap ever or stay. She takes the treat in her mouth and runs away quickly, I can see her little scared face when she runs away. I try not to over-pet her, and no I do not attempt to pick her up. I only ever did like twice and not after that. She sometimes trusts me more and lets me pet her, and then the next day or hour she’s completely terrified. I get so discouraged because I’ve spent so many days and weeks giving her treats and looking after her in the hopes she’ll get closer to me 🙁  any advice on what I should do?

[pinkiemarie]

It sounds like she likes you, but it can take some bunnies quite a while to become trusting. Some never fully do. But how I bonded with my rabbits was by sitting on the floor with them and ignoring them. I would just go about my business, playing a phone game or reading a book or something near them and pretending they weren’t there. Eventually they would get a little curious and come sniff near me and they would initiate the interaction. If you ignore them, I think it makes them feel safe because a predator wouldn’t just ignore them. It also really depends on the rabbit and their personality. None of my rabbits would ever sit on my lap and I don’t even try, but one of them lets me pet him for a few minutes a day, and another one wants pets alllllllllllll the time. Since your relationship with her is still new it might be hard to say how it will turn out in time, but most bunnies grow more trusting of humans over time.

Just remember, it’s only been a month. That’s more than enough time for you to fall head over heels in love with her, but she’s a prey animal and is going to need more time to know she’s safe so she can fall in love with you too.

[DanaNM]

As frustrating as it can be, one month isn’t very long. “Ignoring” them is really the best approach . In other words, “play hard to get”.  Spend time with bun but don’t try to pet her. Hand feeding is great. Clicker training is also great to interact with a bun that isn’t ready for petting yet. It’s very normal for buns to run away with their treat, all of mine do this, even the ones that love to be petted!

Does your bun also have her own “safe space”? Spending time with you on the bed is great, but buns also feel more safe when they have a place to hide that is just theirs. So a pen with their “stuff” and a hide helps a lot, even if you keep the pen open most of the time.

Also keep in mind that not all buns like to cuddle and most do not like to be handled. You will know you have made progress when she chooses to relax near you.

. . . 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.  

[Author]

Messages