Rescue bunny help needed

[Nikkibuns_82]

Hello, my husband and I recently rescued a bunny from an unfit home. We have 2 of our own. We keep her separated from ours for the time being. My question is how do I help to calm and tame her? She hasn’t bitten us but she grunts and smacks us. Once we get ahold of her she doesn’t mind being held and loved but catching her is the problem. I give her treats, she smacks me, I reach to pet her, she smacks me. I want to love her and let her feel loved as my buns do. How do I help her? I’m told she was about a year and a half, originally from a pet store and had had at least 2 homes before I got her.

[Bam]

Thank you for rescuing this bun!

If she came from an unfit home, she might not have had the best experiences with humans. This could be why she’s acting hostile towards you. It’s a good thing really,  it means she has bunnitude and strenght just like a young adult girl bun should have, but it is impractical, of course. I assume she’s intact, which also contributes to (a completely normal) natural feistiness. Her hostility  could also have to do with her knowing that there are other buns around. Even if she’s kept separate (which is very wise btw), rabbits’ noses pick up on mere molecules of scents -so its not really possible to keep it secret that there are other buns in the vicinity.

When you hold her, she could actually be compliant because she’s afraid to act out. Most animals including dogs and cats,  are like this, which is why its often a lot easier for a stranger to for example cut a pet’s nails than for the owner.

I’d suggest that you try to not pick her up for now, unless you need to give her medicine or tend to wounds etc. It’s probably easier if she can familiarise herself with you on her own terms, in her own time. As you know, rabbits are curious animals and they’re often unable to resist checking out new things. When I have a new bun I sit in the room with the bun and read out loud from a book. Rabbits can find it threatening even when a human just looks at them, because predators fixate their gaze on their prey right before they pounce. So I try not to look straight at the rabbit -even though it’s hard, because rabbits are so cute.

How are your other rabbits reacting?

 

 

[Wick & Fable]

First, I wonder if she is spayed. If not, a lot of her “aggression” may be coming from hormonal-mediated territorialness which not only would react to you and your husband, but also to the scent of other rabbits (which you and your husband likely smell of, considering how good rabbits are at smelling).

While it appears she “doesn’t mind being held and loved”, I would pull back on doing it. There’s a chance that her not minding it is actually just her understanding that struggling while being held is dangerous for her, since she’s above ground and could fall as a result. Anxious rabbits can react as “flail-ers” or “freezers” when held.

It sounds like there’s a strong negative association with reaching hands (which is unfortunately common, considering some conditions rabbits go through as a child’s pet and/or being kept in a cage). Thankfully, learning principles tell us that it’s possible to weaken this association as long as you don’t provide reinforcing feedback for it– picking her up, which is unpleasant for her (considering she’s running from you) is going to reinforce the idea that hands are bad, so I’d stick to some passive presence first. This includes having your hand near her, but not wanting to do anything with her.

Also, keep in mind that human bodies are very confusing for rabbits, so especially with a rabbit who has such a negative reaction to human touch, keep in mind that she can’t read your intentions and none of our body parts (e.g., feet, hands) look like rabbits so she can’t pick up any signals on what they want from her. The ideal would be more exposure to you and your body without interaction will extinguish the negative reaction she has to them, and then you can transition into more directed interactions paired with treats.

For additional information on “aggressive” rabbits, see here: https://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Aggressive_rabbits

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.

[LBJ10]

I agree with the others. I would hold off on trying to pick her up and hold her for now. She needs time to disassociate human hands with “bad” things. I would suggest just spending time in her presence, but not trying to touch her. You can sit on the floor and allow her to grow accustomed to you. If she is curious and approaches, you can try putting your fist on the floor (like the head of a rabbit) as an invitation.

If she isn’t spayed, then I think spaying would really help with some of this behavior.

[DanaNM]

100% agree with others, at this point the best course of action is to “play hard to get” and let her feel safe in the space. One of my buns, Bonnie, had become super “cage aggressive” in the shelter environment from being handled daily. We brought her home and let her settle into her pen and didn’t mess with her or her “stuff” at all. We would put food in and clean the litter box, but other than that we left her alone. After a week she was already like a different bunny. She still doesn’t like to be picked up and probably never will, but is no longer afraid of hands and doesn’t get upset if we tidy up her pen.

Your bun (thank you for rescuing her, btw!) has probably associated hands with always being picked up, which is scary for most rabbits.

I’m sure she’ll blossom in time!

. . . 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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