It is a slow process, and it seems with rabbits that the relationship development takes a longer period of time, but during this time can become something really special. After the initial hurdle of adapting to a new location, I've come to like the immersion training that is often used with people. That is, I take the rabbit to a new situation that corresponds to what I want or need bunny to handle without causing her/him distress, and continue to move forward until the rabbit indicates they are beginning to become stressed/unhappy. At that point, I stop, return bunny to where she was before we started, and then pickup the next day, with the goal of getting a little further than the day before. This, coupled with positive reinforcement, I find works very well in getting a house rabbit used to something that would terrify a wild rabbit. One example is being held. In order to be groomed, have nails trimmed, have the poopybutt cleaned up, etc., a rabbit will need to be held to a certain extent. With this method, you are constantly sending the message of, "when you get picked up, no one is going to eat you...instead, when I pick you up I am going to feed you." Progressively, the rabbit shifts from being scared when picked up to being mildly annoyed...far more desirable given the mild annoyance isn't going to cause the health issues that constant stress can. I've done the same with things like grabbing/touching feet, cleaning glands, reaching into a cage, driving places, free-roaming in new locations, interacting with strangers, etc. While it hasn't worked with all rabbits, it has worked with quite a few. I think it works best when you have a rabbit that is very food driven, because you can condition these situations to be equated with a feast instead of fear. Two rabbits I have done this with that are extremely food driven and food thieves seem to enjoy many of these new situations from the start, and I think it is partly because their primary thought is figuring out where food is and how they can steal it without anyone noticing.
