She runs away

[meghan]

Hey guys, I’m new to this forum thing so bear with me. 

My rabbit Pumpkin has been in my family for about 3 years now. I’ve adopted the responsibility of caring for her after my older sister moved out. She spends a lot of time outside of her cage, free to roam about the house, but every time anyone tries to approach her (pet her, pick her up, etc.) she runs away. I’ve been working on training her to go back to her cage when she’s called, but it’s not really working. I make a point to spend time with her (at least 5 minutes of petting, holding) every day, but she still runs away when anyone gets close to her. She’s not aggressive, she doesn’t bite unless she’s really anxious, but she’s still remarkably evasive.

She’s the sweetest little thing, and I really do love her, but I don’t know how to get her to be more comfortable around people. Is this normal bunny behavior? Or am I going about this completely wrong?

[Mikey]

Lat on the floor and hold greens or treats in your hand. Im sure she will come running! Youll want to do this many, many times without grabbing her or petting her though. It is to build trust so you can eventually put her back in her cage when needed

[luckypenny]

Buns have a hard time trusting people and it can take awhile for her to feel comfortable around different people. Since you spend the time each day to play with her, she seems to be more comfortable around you If other people want her to feel comfortable, they’re going to have to take some time out every day and let her become familiar with who they are. They can do this by just laying on the floor with her, playing, training and giving her treats!

[LBJ10]

Coordinate “bedtime” with meals. When my buns were still going in the cage at night, I would feed them their dinner when it was time to get in the cage. Believe me, those hungry bunnies could not wait to get in the cage. Worked like a charm.

[LittlePuffyTail]

Spend as much time on the floor, at her level as you can. Try to let her come to you for attention. You can have some pellets or other small treats to offer when she comes over. And avoid picking her up unless necessary. Most bunnies really hate being picked up.

[VivaLaBunz]

After owning cats and rabbits I’ve found that they have somewhat similar social behaviors (i.e. gaining trust with them can be hard-earned). Like with all animals that are smaller than humans, it is very intimidating to them to see a human stood up and looking much bigger and “tougher” than they are. Also most bunnies don’t really like to be picked up or held, especially if the person holding them doesn’t really know how to hold them properly. Always make sure to make them feel secure when holding them, the less kicking the better. Right now Pumpkin probably associates humans with being picked up, which she wants to avoid. Start by just lying down or sitting on the floor and let her come to you. Don’t react by reaching out to her at first, just let her sniff you and jump on you if she wishes. Once this step of trust is complete, you can then start reaching out and petting her when she comes to you and/or give her a healthy treat (normal rabbit food pellets work great as treats!). Once she feels safe and trusts that you aren’t going to pick her up every time you reach out to her you can start to try to hold her close to the ground and gradually lift her up to your chest higher and higher from the ground.

Last, but not least, be patient!

[flemishwhite]

Rabbits have different personalities. Our two Flemish buns are sisters. One, Snowy, is very outgoing and friendly, and the other…we call her Cheyenne (shy-ann)..is very stand-offish. They are very closely bonded and this probably satisfies their socialization needs. Snowy will approach us, hop up to our feet. She usually wants a treat. When we give her a treat, we also give Cheyenne a treat. Favorites are banana slices and Fuji apple slices. They like their banana slices to be a little tart, so the banana skin should still have some green. Also, Snowy will some times approach because she wants a neck, shoulder, back massage. They are just a year old.

[Deleted User]

I have a very wary bun too. Never see her sleep with eyes closed, always has both eyes open and so she can see whoever is in the room. I’ve never even seen her sleep with eyes closed on the bunny cam. Poor thing, it must be very tough being on guard all the time.

She will jump when a noise Is made, if you get up from your seat she will run away & hide no matter how far away from her you are.

She will eat treats off my hand but this is a very new development and I’ve been slave to her for almost 4 years now.

I really wish she would just relax and sleep with her eyes shut, it would make me so happy to see, poor little thing

[Vienna Blue in France]

AxGizmo – where you been? I reckon she is just compensating for her husbun’s one eye….

[Deleted User]

ha ha, I’ve been on 3 holidays in the last 6 weeks (lucky me!) so not been around very much.

I like it, Keeping an “eye” out for him

[Author]

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