Picking the Right Bunny

[rach.doris]

I’m going to be adopting a rabbit in March. I’m going to be meeting a variety of different rabbits with different personalities. How do you know what rabbit is right for you? Is it better to have a hyper rabbit? Will they tend to be more outgoing?

[Rio and Buns]

It’s not really “better” to have any particular kind of bunny. They’re all perfect.

But if you really wanted one with certain personality traits, I’d suggest visiting bunnies that are in foster homes so that the foster parent can tell you about how they are on a day-to-day basis. Visiting buns at a shelter is great too, but they usually don’t get as much one-on-one time so their carers won’t know them as well. And since shelters are often high-stress environments it would be a little harder to determine what their personality will be like once you took them home and they settled in.

No matter where you end up meeting them – whether it be a rabbit rescue, shelter, or foster home – when it comes down to it, the bunny will choose you. And once he or she chooses you, you will know they’re the right one.

[YandereCapybara]

Based on personal experience, a lot of shelter buns in my area had behavioural issues, so be sure to interact with them and get to know them beforehand.
Make sure the eyes are clear, and that it doesn’t have a running nose.
Also, I recommend asking them to let you see the bunny’s poops.
If the poop is wet, diarrhea looking/has a lot of fur/is linked together, I would not recommend taking the bun if you’re a first time bunny owner.

[Deleted User]

Along with what RB said, the bunny could take some time to warm up to you and feel secure in their new environment, so their personality might not come out for a while.

[rach.doris]

Thanks so much everyone for the great advice!

[Bladesmith]

Large. Cuddly. Wiggly noses, poofy fluffy tails. Big feetses. You really can’t go wrong.

[rach.doris]

Has anyone found that a bunny had a certain temperament when they were young that turned them into a bunny that liked to be pet and cuddled?

[rach.doris]

Or a certain temperament shy bunnies tend to have?

[Deleted User]

Yes actually! I brought my boys home together at 7.5 weeks. Bombur was very outgoing and wanted snuggles from the start. Asriel, was extremely shy and anxious. He would always run away when you approached, or would huddle in a corner when he was having play time. I sat on the floor every night with him for at least an hour. Letting him come to me and sniff me. Eventually he opened up to nose rubs. 5 months after having him he started asking for them. He would follow you around the cage until you gave him some. Now, he’s a pseudo-lap bunny. He loves laying nose to nose with me while I stroke him. He’ll follow me around the room. He’ll get in my face and frantically sniff for treats. On rare occasions, sometimes he’ll come up and lay on my chest for a good half hour.
But I must stress how much patience and effort it took to bond with him.

[Deleted User]

My advice is as follows:

1) Don’t set expectations. If you go into this thinking “I want this, this, and this in a rabbit” that can lead to disappointment. Lots of owners have posted here about being upset that their rabbit is not living up to their expectations. The best approach is to meet lots of bunnies, choose the one that seems most comfortable with you, and build your bond from there. Most rabbits don’t like to cuddle with us, though they will show affection over time as your bond strengthens.

2) Be patient. Since rabbits are prey animals, there will likely be a lot of “shyness” at first as they learn to trust you. Many people get discouraged because their rabbit doesn’t seem to be “warming up to them”. It can take months for a rabbit to trust you, but the bond that you’ll form if you take it slow will be so rewarding.

3) Research, research, research!!! I’m sure you’ve already done research, and I commend you for going with a rescue! But make sure that you have a rabbit savvy vet near you, in case of emergencies. Bunny proof an area for the bunny to exercise in, learn bunny body language, signs of illness, etc. All of this information is extremely valuable!

[OverthinkingBun]

Hi, it sounds like you are on the right track. Since you are going to be adopting a rabbit, you will have a lot better chance to get to know them before committing to one. I agree with BunNoob – patience is really helpful. My rescue bunny has gradually gotten more and more cuddly once she saw she could trust me, although she always was interested in people.

Good luck!

[Rain]

Like everyone said above, it takes a while for a rabbit’s true personality to come out. And even if a rabbit is shy, it will still give you unconditional love ( actually the only conditions are that you provide them with treats) and devotion. It takes a while for that to form between a human and rabbit though. Rain at first was extremely anxious, because he doesn’t do well with people. Then he decided that I wasn’t harmful, but he still wanted to stay away. And then he realized “Hey, she’s the one who gives me treats every day!” And now he constantly follows me around, lets me pet him, chews on my clothes, takes control of my whole life, all the good stuff. People tend to stay away from the shyer rabbits, but really, all of them are sweethearts and equally great pets. I’m a beginner too, and it was difficult for me, and still is as it’s only been five months with the furball, to earn his trust. It’s like that with all of them. But they soon catch on, and understand who is taking care of them and all that,and then they trust you.

[njbunny]

My bun came from a shelter (a rescue pulled him right before I adopted him). When I went to look at the rabbits he hopped right over to me. I moved to the other side of the pen and he hopped over to me again. I took him on the spot. He was the most amazing bun ever. Became a therapy rabbit and did visits at the hospital peds unit.

[Author]

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