Petting

[Lemski]

I adopted my bun at the end of May and having a hard time figuring her out. I have been sitting and doing lots of hand feeding. I have been slowly trying to pet her when I’m giving her treats. Most of the time she flinches or moves her head so I respect that. More and more she’s been jumping up on the couch (I know she probably wants a treat) with me and sometimes nudges me. I thought that meant she wanted pets but she will flinch and move her face away when I try to pet her. I’m not sure if maybe we are still building trust or she really just wants a treat lol. I’ve been sitting on the floor and playing with her too which she seems to really love. She will let me or my husband pet her when shes laying outside of the cage (at least doesn’t seem to mind it) She’s also been digging ALOT lol so I think her hormones have really kicked in. She’s getting spay in two weeks. I’m not sure if it’s trust, maybe hormones, or something else.

[Trixieandcookies]

I am sure it’s nothing to worry about. Trixie did the same thing it actually took like 3 months for her to not be afraid of like anyone. It took forever to bond like really bond bond to where she’ll give my kisses and sleep next to me ect. You are actually doing pretty good 🙂 . Soon she’ll beg for pets like my bun. ( she used to not like it) You can try to pet her back or her face(trixie LOVES face pets) You just have to figure out who she is and what she likes. She’ll also probably do better after spay too , my bun didn’t even care for a treat and just ate stuff like it was just plain ol hay but after her spay she got a huge appetite! What really got me and her to bond was her spay. Trixie had so many complications, she got gi stasis then riped off the glue twice then her incision got infected. we were at the vet every day the week she was spayed it took a whole month for her to recover. The hardest part and the part that really got us to bond was when she got her e-collar due to ripping off the glue. I had to watch her like all the time because i took it off when i was awake so if she started licking or biting i had to stop her.(Everything that happened to trixie is actually really rare so this is very unlikely to happen to any other bun). So what will really help is to spend a lot of time with her. It’ll get better.

I am no expert but I hope this helps with everything 🙂

 

[Lemski]

Thank you! She’s more open to the back but my old buns loved their faces. It does help. It’s gets discouraging when you trying so hard lol Ohhht that sounds like it was so worrisome. Hopefully we don’t have any complications. She’s lucky to have you. What a good bunny parent!

we are thinking about getting her a male to bond after the spay (6-8 weeks) . I keep going back and forth because I don’t want it to ruin the bond I’m trying to build with her.

[Louiethebunny]

if less affection is a reason you’re on the fence abt getting her a friend, just remember if you’re able to get her a friend, less affection shouldn’t be a big concern. Most rabbits are still very affectionate and love human’s AND other bunny affection once you get close.

[Lemski]

Ok. I just want sure if we should wait until we have bonded with her or if any of that mattered. I think we are making some progress. I guess she has the 8 weeks post spay Before she can’t met any potentials. my husband was in agreement to a mate and told me to start looking lol so I wanted to hop on it but want to make sure it is the right timing for her. We will adopt though since there’s so many bunnies who need homes 🙁 It took forever to get him to agree to another bunny and now he wants two 😂. We do really enjoy and love our bun. She is so spunky and playful lol he’s like what is one more if she will be happier

[Trixieandcookies]

I hope everything works out! 🙂

[DanaNM]

She sounds a lot like my Myra. She is very big on booping me and nudging, which usually means I’m in her way, or she is inquiring about the availability of treats. 🙂

We’ve only had her a few months and she also only likes pets when she’s already laying down, but she’s getting more happy with them every day. So just keep at it. 🙂

. . . 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.  

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