This…so far…?

[allaboutbunnys]

I want to bond with my bunny Zeus, and this is what I observed. He was sweet, sniffing me and letting me pet him, but being a shy rabbit, I could tell he wasn’t quite comfortable. This is my list of questions:

1. He shuddered every time I touched him. Why?

2. He did this weird hoppy thing…twisty thing in the air. Whhhy????

3. Every once in awhile he went to dig in his digging corner. Whhhhy?

4. He DIDNT stomp his feet. YAYAY!!! But why????

Thanks for reading!!

[tobyluv]

Some rabbits don’t care to be petted much, especially if they are new rabbits and don’t really know you yet. Zeus must not be used to being touched, or maybe he had some bad experiences in the past with people grabbing at him or being too rough. Continue to sit beside him and stroke him occasionally, noting if he reacts differently when you pet him in certain areas. Some rabbits only like to be petted near their heads. You didn’t list his age, and if he is old enough to have veggies or small quantities of fruit. If he is at least 12 weeks, which is the recommended age at which to start veggies and greens, you could give him a treat of greens or a tiny piece of fruit after you pet him, to get him to associate petting with good things.

The twisty thing in the air sounds like a binky. That means that he is happy.

Rabbits love to dig, they have a strong instinct for that. A lot of times they will dig up your carpet, so you have to watch for that and try to get them interested in something else. Some people make up digging boxes for their rabbits, filled with paper strips.

Rabbits usually only stomp their feet (thump) if they are very mad or if something is scaring or upsetting them, so it’s good that he didn’t do that.

It takes time for some rabbits to be comfortable around people and to want to be petted. Don’t force anything, just have patience and hopefully he will soon come to you for petting and affection.

[Bunbun]

When did you get him? He might be shuddering because he’s nervous. The second one seems like a binky. Bunnies do that when they are really, really happy. I don’t know why he was digging, though. Lastly, bunnies only thump when they are scared or annoyed, so he isn’t that scared of you!

If you got him recently, you might want to give him a couple of days. After that, approach him. If he doesn’t run, then sit by him and talk to him gently, pet him, give him treats from your hand. Do this for a while, and when you see he’s more relaxed, start spending more time with him! When you have time, sit in a room with him, maybe read a book do work, anything! Occasionally pet him and give him treats. When you give him treats, make him come on your lap. Sooner or later, he’ll get used to you and come sit on your lap without treats! And then you can progress to picking him up after a while.

That’s pretty much how I bonded with my rabbit. Except on the first day, I wasn’t very experienced and didn’t leave him be. I pet him and didn’t give him the space he needed. So my bunny was very scared on the first day – but I didn’t know that then!   Well, now I know…

[allaboutbunnys]

Thank you guys for all your advice!! Actually, ZZ is quite old. We got him a LONG tie ago when I was a little kid. It was only recently that I realized he wasn’t getting enough love. So I decided to give it to him! And today, he was a little more skittish, but when I brought out the parsley, that changed him some! He ALMOST came onto my lap. So, thanks guys!! I’ll keep trying!

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