Skittish rabbit help.

About two months ago I bought a female Satin Angora rabbit off of Craigslist. The woman I bought her from had 10 of them (outside) and used them to spin their fur. I had been wanting a rabbit for a few years now and so I bought her a cage and all the necessities and then her!
She was a much larger rabbit than I was expecting (the description said "smallish" and she's even bigger than my cat!) so the cage is a bit small, but I was planning on letting her run around the house during the day and caging her at night, so it was fine.
She was pretty scared and wouldn't leave my side but eventually she got used to it and started exploring (pooping everywhere along the way lol). She's been an awesome rabbit so far, I've got her litter trained and everything with free range of the house but as of late, she's been extremely skittish.
Every time I go to pick her up or even move near her she takes off running. She's an angora so I try to brush her every day if not 4 times a week, but she is getting harder and harder to catch! I can only lure her into the cage at night time with food!
Does anyone have any ideas why she's being this way? And how do I get her to stop?
I'd really appreciate any help! Thanks!

It will probably take her a while to get used to you. She came from a place where she wasn't really socialized at all. It took me a month to bond my two buns who both had been around rabbits previous to this (Peanut I got and she was still with her sibling and Stark was an abandoned bunny who came from a home with many other rabbits). It's going to be tough because she needs regular maintenance for her coat. Just spend some time on the floor ignoring her and letting her come to you. Also, TREATS and hand feeding work great for making friends.

erinmoveit said:

It will probably take her a while to get used to you. She came from a place where she wasn't really socialized at all. It took me a month to bond my two buns who both had been around rabbits previous to this (Peanut I got and she was still with her sibling and Stark was an abandoned bunny who came from a home with many other rabbits). It's going to be tough because she needs regular maintenance for her coat. Just spend some time on the floor ignoring her and letting her come to you. Also, TREATS and hand feeding work great for making friends.

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I've tried the whole sitting on the ground thing and she never comes near me (most of the time she's on top of a heater vent or following my cat around, she LOVES my cat, though I can't say he feels the same for her lol) If I get too close to her she grunts and stomps her foot loudly. If I make a movement too close to her she just takes off! She's so good once I've caught her, though! She just sits in my lap while I brush her. Always after a brushing I hold and pet her and talk to her for about 30-45 minutes (she's always relaxed with her eyes closed by this time) before I let her go and she takes off into her cage.
I would LOVE to feed her treats, but she wont accept them unless she's in her cage (because the whole running away thing). So I'm kind of at a loss. It's been a good two months, nearly three..will she ever adjust or are will I just have to accept the fact she's a bit wild?

A couple thoughts... if she thinks you will attempt to pick her up or hold her everytime you get near, then she will surely learn to stay away from you. She needs to have lots of time to come near without being pet or touched. That way she won't associate you with the one who always catches her.

As far as the treats go, bunnies can be awfully smart. If she knows you will give her treats when she's in her cage, then why should she try to get them anywhere else?

Stop giving her treats in the cage (except maybe at night to get her back in her cage, but I think you said you give her pellets then?) Try ONLY offering treats when she is out of the cage. She'll have to come to you to get them. If she doesn't come, she doesn't get them.

The goal would be to have most of her interaction with you to be pleasant -- treats, no petting (at least not for awhile).

Patience in abundance is what you'll need. :big wink:

I think that you just need to wait it out! 3 months is not long at all. I actually bought a baby bun from a petstore before (I know, it was impulse, that's what got me into bunnies) and at 8 weeks old he was INCREDIBLY skittish! After having him for a year and working hard to earn his trust as you've been doing, without even picking him up unless 100% necessary, I was finally able to just pet him only while giving treats. She's doesn't sound too bad, just stick it out bunnies live for a long time!

Blue eyes said:

A couple thoughts... if she thinks you will attempt to pick her up or hold her everytime you get near, then she will surely learn to stay away from you. She needs to have lots of time to come near without being pet or touched. That way she won't associate you with the one who always catches her.

As far as the treats go, bunnies can be awfully smart. If she knows you will give her treats when she's in her cage, then why should she try to get them anywhere else?

Stop giving her treats in the cage (except maybe at night to get her back in her cage, but I think you said you give her pellets then?) Try ONLY offering treats when she is out of the cage. She'll have to come to you to get them. If she doesn't come, she doesn't get them.

The goal would be to have most of her interaction with you to be pleasant -- treats, no petting (at least not for awhile).

Patience in abundance is what you'll need. :big wink:

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Associating me with getting caught makes sense, now that I think about it. But given her breed, I'm not sure what I can do, since she does need brushed often. Or So I've been told...Should I try cutting her brushings back to once a week while trying to get her to trust me?
I will stop feeding her treats in the cage...I felt like her taking treats from my hand had kind of a bonding affect, but I suppose it's doing the opposite. I lure her in at night with her timothy hay! She hears me put it in the ball and as soon as I step away she goes in! She loves that stuff haha

holtzchick said:

I think that you just need to wait it out! 3 months is not long at all. I actually bought a baby bun from a petstore before (I know, it was impulse, that's what got me into bunnies) and at 8 weeks old he was INCREDIBLY skittish! After having him for a year and working hard to earn his trust as you've been doing, without even picking him up unless 100% necessary, I was finally able to just pet him only while giving treats. She's doesn't sound too bad, just stick it out bunnies live for a long time!

Click to expand...

Thanks! I'll try my hardest to be patient!