Working on the bond between the skittish rabbit and their human

[Ellie from The Netherlands]

Breintje keeps me fascinated each day: being the headstrong skittish Nethie that he is he surprises me how many levels of trust there are between rabbit and human. So many bridges to cross together, so many milestones to pass. The bond is there and continues to grow every day, but you really need to work for it. It makes me wonder: is it typical for the Netherland Dwarf breed to be so slow to bond and so easy to startle?

When Breintje joined me he was just a little over 2 years old and still unfixed, raging with energy and hormones. After he was neutered the hormones died down but much of the energy stayed. He’s always been an energetic little devil, always switching between wanting attention and wanting his privacy. He’s always had a thing for girls: trying to mooch ear rubs from every girl in sight, but no holding thank you very much… Over the years we’ve been working on our bond a lot: snuggling up on the couch every evening, training with voice commands, practising trust when he has to be picked up and held. No matter how comfy he is, he’s always quick to startle and he’ll bolt at unexpected sounds or movements. 

He’s a little over 6 years old now and he’s finally opening up and calming down a bit more. He used to hate feeling pressure on his body, but he came to appreciate the warmth of a blanket covering him. Lately I’ve been replacing that with the feeling of a hand lightly resting on his back. I’ve always wanted to try bunny massage to calm him down, but he never allowed a real massage until this week. It’s still a bit weird for him and he ran off several times just to jump back some seconds later. He doesn’t want to sit on my lap, and he’s still a bit sceptical about touching with both hands. I’ve been building up gently, and I’m massaging him with one hand as he sits next to me. We had a really special moment yesterday night as he stretched out during a back rub, becoming longer as I massaged down his spine. It’s a lot of effort to work with a skittish bun, but also very rewarding…

[Bam]

I moved this thread to the Behavior-section after conferring with Ellie. Hopefully more people will see it here and reply. I have too little Nethie-experience to take the poll. The only nethie I’ve met more than a few times is a very sassy and adventurous little girl. She lets me pet her, but I’m pretty sure dandelion leaves is an important factor in that =) I don’t know her well enough to say more.

[Asriel and Bombur]

As I’ve said to you before, Asriel is pretty skittish. He hates being touched and pet except for on the nose and mainly at bedtime when the lights are off and we’re tucked in for the night. The first year we had him I spent countless hours on the floor with him trying to get him to open up. Not even touching him, but just laying close by so he knew I was there. He’s definitely become more comfortable with us (especially me :p ) and he’ll lay on the bed now where he never used to. So I think that’s progress, and he does let you give him snoot rubs occasionally. I think he’s always going to be skittish and jumpy and never be fully relaxed. Not because of the environment we give him, but just in general as a result of his personality.

Bombur’s always been a ham and will be till the day he dies xD Funny how I have two Holland Lops and one fits the breed standard and the other doesn’t. Goes to show it’s all about personality.

[Wick & Fable]

I’ve had two rabbits, both Netherland dwarves. Daisy and Wick.

Daisy I had when I was very young and she had a bad life with me since I was young, uninformed, and not compassionate, so I do not remember much in terms of how she interacted, but I am grateful she didn’t bite and was tolerant of me being in her space the few times I was. I think this was more out of depression than amicability unfortunately. I honestly get very sad thinking about it, so I try not to think too much about her and in a way, psychologically make amends by treating Wick with the most love and care I can. It makes me heart-broken and so saddened because I think she did have a personality that would have love human interacting and bonding. So to an extent, this made me return to Nethies when considering another rabbit.

Wick, as you know, is with me now and I’ve had him for almost 2 years now. I think it was because I had to force-feed him antibiotics since the very beginning that he got acclimated to handling. Wick used to be skittish, but I imagine it’s a general rabbit-thing. He eventually gets habituated to sounds like the dryer, door slams, etc. after a few instances because he seems to realize those sounds are not a threat to him. One thing we do is, when possible, we’ll actually bring him to the source of the sound, or vice versa, and let him investigate it so he can make the connection more readily. I’ve had instances where I need to hold Wick upwards of 30 minutes (keep him off the floor while maintenance is working on plumbing and such), and he relaxes well.

I do not know if this is a Nethie thing or a rabbit thing, since I’ve only had Nethies, but I notice a characteristic of persistence. Wick is persistent in his tendencies. He has always been up for human touch (by me; not his other parent), and at the same time, he has always been persistent with sassy pees. He, and it sounds like Brientje is as well, good at vocalizing and showing what he’s thinking. Between foot flicks, huffs, and nips, he’s great at communicating, and honestly I think knowing your rabbit is comfortable communicating with you is a great thing.

I will add that the idea of a rabbit on the lap is odd to me. Personally I can’t imagine that being comfortable. Wick doesn’t do “lap” time. It’s generally just in proximity to me on the floor, or on my chest while I’m laying down. I don’t think legs are inherently comfortable, haha.

The progress you describe with Brientje is heart-warming, and I would feel a great sense of accomplishment and competency in rabbit-communication if I were you. You’ve made great observations, have picked up on what new comforts and moved-boundaries he’s developed. He reminds me of Wick in his insistence on being a certain way. While I’m fortuitous to have Wick, who seems to have a tendency towards cuddling (since he was a runt no one in his litter cared for), the sense of accomplishment and warmth that comes from passing each of the milestones you mention must be amazing and it’s great that you are dedicating so much time to consider Brientje’s comfort and ways to strengthen your bond.

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.

[kurottabun]

Hmm, I remember reading about bunny breeds and most articles point out that Nethies are skittish and highly energetic. I have also seen Nethie owners agreeing with this, but in my experience that’s not exactly true. Kurotta does dislike being picked up, but I think that’s more of a general rabbit thing. I got him at 7 months old and he allowed pets from the beginning when he’s lounging. He’s not that easily startled or skittish – I’ve brought him to the vet twice and he was happily munching on hay in his carrier even when there were dogs barking in the background.

I guess it really boils down to personality, but those who have skittish Nethies would concur with the stereotype that Nethies are skittish; those who don’t would not

[Nutmeg]

Hmmmm – this is so interesting for me as I have just gotten two new bunnies that are nethie-dwarf / dutch mixes in February.
They are technically brother and sister – but she is bigger and has more of the Dutch band accross her back and he is a lot smaller and only has a bit of white.

So she obviously has more of the dutch then the dwarf and he has more of the dwarf then the dutch!

It’s funny because he has more “balls” than she does – hoped right out of his cage at the vets and is better on car rides than she is (she freaks right out) BUT when it comes to interacting with us humans HE is WAY more skittish and shy than she is!!

He hates being picked up more than she does – he grunts and growls (doesn’t bite or anything) when you approach him in a way that makes him think you are going to pick him up.

They are both full energy thought hahah

[Ellie from The Netherlands]

@A&B: Aww, a bun in bed, that’s just too cute!

 

@Wick: Yes, that persistence and communication is definitely a thing I recognise. Breintje has become very vocal over the years and uses several different sounds to show that he isn’t happy with things:

– Some very soft muttering which sounds all too cute. He often does that when he’s impatient or slightly annoyed, our little fusspot ^_^ It sounds like someone breathing through a stuffed nose: Njeh brrr brr brr brr hrrrump! 

– A short sharp *tap* with his toes which he uses to get my attention. He often uses that right before he hops onto the couch, indicating that he wants pettings or dinner. Sounds like a teacher tapping the board with a stick. Attention!

– A normal thump (general excitement, but also: “I’m onto you and your nail clippers, and not coming out of this box!”)

– A series of wild thumps when something startles him

The lap thing is something which I often see in videos by people who massage rabbits. It’s a very neutral position to work in for the human, but I wasn’t sure what rabbits think of it. Breintje simply doesn’t like to sit on people, which is quite different from Bas’ previous rabbit Waffie. She was a Nethie too and over the years she made her little safe space on Bas’ shoulder. If there was a cat in the garden she’d come racing, jumping in at groin height, and you’d better catch or face the consequences! 

Thank you, I’m trying to work with him as much as I can. He also has to work with me and get out of his comfort zone at times, because reaching the floor is difficult for me. He often asks for head rubs while sitting on the floor, and I have to show him that I’m not ignoring him, inviting him to join me on the couch where I can reach him. 

@kurottabun: awesome, this makes the discussion all the more interesting ^_^ Do we see certain qualities in our pets because the breed standards say so, or are rabbits from this breed more likely to be skittish in general when compared to other breeds? You see the same with dogs and breed standards. How much is personality and how much is breed-related?

@Nutmeg: your pair sounds absolutely lovely  It’s funny that you mention that the boy is far more risk-taking than the girl, we’ve seen the same in Waffie and Breintje. Waffie was a total princess: she scared herself when she played with something and it made a noise. She also hated wet paws or dirty fur, always testing the grass to see if it had dew on it. If she tried to climb somewhere and fell in the process, she’d avoid the place for weeks. They both love to climb, Waffie even more than Breintje. She always needed the highest perch in the room. Eventually she came to like humans, and loved to sit on someone’s shoulder or chest. She had ladies’ nights with Bas’ mum, watching series together while she lay on her chest.

Breintje is more of a wrecking ball. He once tried to reach my herbs on the window sill, missed the leap and fell down in the small space behind the couch. Not giving a fluff he just gave a short thump, walked around the couch and tried again. He also loves to make noise with his toys, not trying the subtle approach but just slinging stuff around the room. We have a puzzle game, and he always takes the violent solution. He knows that the sliders will move if he bumps them with his nose, but why wait? Just flip the whole thing over and eat sooner ^_^

[joea64]

My own two, Panda and Fernando, are Polish rabbits – at least I think they are, I don’t think I’ll ever know for sure but all my research last year when I was adopting them led me to that conclusion. They’re the smallest non-dwarf breed. Neither of them is what you would call touchy-feely with humans, though they’re very closely bonded and attached to one another; I think they like verbal attention more than physical contact, so I make it a habit to talk to them frequently every day. As I’ve remarked on previous occasions, Panda, from what I was told by their foster mother, had bad experiences before her rescue that led her to being very scared of humans for a long time, and I’m not sure she’ll ever totally get over it even though she’s very well used to me after over a year under my roof and is ever so slowly coming to trust me to the extent that starting fairly recently, she’ll now regularly let me pet her in the mornings at breakfast time if she’s in the mood for it.

Fernando, who was born after his mother’s rescue, has been in congenial environments his entire life and is far more outgoing than Panda. He’s been doing the pets-at-breakfast thing for quite a while now, and often likes to boop me and even nip me occasionally in the evenings when I lie down in their X-pen for some social time with them. In fact, I think that after 14-plus months living with me, both of them now take me for granted! They often don’t come out into the pen until after I get out for the evening, but I’m pretty sure that it’s mostly because the big clumsy human takes up so much room when he’s on the floor that they don’t have much room to scamper around. That they generally come out and start bouncing around within a couple of minutes after I climb out lends weight to my supposition.

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