Non-inquisitive/antisocial rescue bun + inexperienced owners = (I’m afraid) disaster

[Grayhm bunny]

Help! I know this post is redundant in many ways, but I do value your opinion and you give such great advice, I thought maybe you could help… We are having trouble bonding with our rescue bunny, Grayhm. She’s only come out of her hutch (plastic floor/indoors) a few times so I could clean it. And that was only by using a carrier-she never left the carrier but at least I got in the hutch! She has yet to get any real exercise and we’ve had her for a month?. She was seeming more comfortable and eating out of our hands, lounging very relaxed, not as skitttish…so we began petting her on her forehead. She seemed to tolerate that but now I’m thinking we’ve gone backwards! She’s super skittish again, I even got thumped at?, and she doesn’t want us near her. She desperately needs her nails trimmed but I am not even petting her forehead let alone attempting that!

Background on bunny – she was left on the side of the road with 2 other bunnies (they also found homes) and we simply took her home and became first time bunny owners!! She was terrified (which we mistook as super sweet and calm??‍♀️). No idea on age or anything, she seems healthy. Haven’t gone to the vet because we don’t want to traumatize her more… She’s never displayed aggression, just nervous/scared behavior. I can get my hand in her cage fine. She’ll come explore my hand but then move away. Lots of questions, I know, but it boils down to…how do I get her to explore and/or socialize?! Aren’t rabbits naturally curious…why isn’t she coming out of her cage??! Should I keep pursuing touching her forehead? 100% let her come to us when ready? So sorry for the 20 questions, thanks for any and all help!!!

[kurottabun]

It must’ve been very scary for her to be abandoned like that. Bunnies who come from such backgrounds tend to take a longer time warming up; some can even take up to a year or more. But it’ll be so rewarding once they do come out of their shells, so hang in there

I recommend reading up about all things bunny under the BUNNY INFO section of the site.

Is her hutch on the floor or must she be picked up to come out of it? You could also put a few cardboard boxes down so she has somewhere to hide outside of her hutch if she wants to. For now, you could just spend time with her by getting down to her level and sitting near her. Do your own thing and ignore her. Her coming to explore your hand is a good sign and if she comes and sniff you, let her do it but refrain from touching her. You could bring some treats (like a small piece of bunny safe fruit – banana, strawberry etc.) and hand feed it when she comes over, so she associates you with something nice. It could take a while until she gets used to being there.

Rabbits ARE naturally curious, but due to bad circumstances they may harbour some extent of distrust toward humans depending on how they were treated previously. You’ll have to earn her trust.

Also, do work on finding a rabbit savvy vet near you. She probably needs to go for a checkup soon since you don’t know how long she’s been abandoned. As prey animals, rabbits hide their illness pretty well and sometimes don’t show them until it gets serious.

[Sofia]

Yes, some bunnies can take a good while to warm up to you, but stick at it. As kurotta mentioned, get on his level or sit on the floor, and refrain from touching him if you don’t have to.

[sarahthegemini]

Rabbits are curious by nature but sometimes if they’re really scared, it takes A LOT for them to gather the courage to investigate.

In regards to her living area, outside of her cage, does she have a pen or is she able to free roam? Sometimes if they have such a large area, it can be a bit overwhelming at first so it can be helpful to start off small and gradually increase her space when she’s comfortable (so if she is free roam, you could try putting a pen up initially)

Another thing to consider, are there boxes and things around that she can hide in? If not, she might be reluctant to come out because she doesn’t feel there’s somewhere she can retreat too so if you haven’t already, put some hidey boxes out for her

It sounds like you’re being respectful of her boundaries so continue with that (and keep petting her forehead if she likes it!) and just give her time.

I would encourage you to take her to a vet. It would be good to give her a thorough check up after she was so horribly abandoned They can also tell you whether she is spayed or not too. And they’ll be able to trim her claws for you

[Sirius&Luna]

You also might be surprised and find she comes to you for comfort at the vet! My least cuddly bunny is an absolute baby at the vet and she will literally stand up on both feet to hug me and get maximum protection. It’s adorable.

[Bam]

When Bam was new with me, he was very shy. He mostly sat under the coffee table in the living room where he had a water bottle and his foodbowl and hay. That went on for a year. On very rare occasions he went on expeditions to explore the world around him, but he never ventured further than 5 feet from the table. He only accepted to be pet while he was eating.

It took him a whole year to warm up to his new humans and dog, and the dog was the first family member he started socializing.

I had to cut his nails and treat him for mites and get him vaccinated and so on even if he made it clear he wasn’t happy with it. If you can get another person to help you hold him while you do necessary stuff like nailclipping and cleaning of scent glands etc, it’s a million times easier.

[Author]

Messages