When she comes around

So I'm starting to wonder if Fable just isn't cuddly material. We're going on four weeks now and though she gives me a casual sniff sometimes and seems content to eat and play in my presence, she always hides if I make any move to touch her or pick her up for grooming. Did I pick the wrong bunny for the personality I'm looking for? I'm not saying she should be wrapping herself around me, begging to be petted, but it would be nice if I could handle her a little.

Since this is my first and only bunny, I thought I'd ask around: How long before your new bunnies got settled in and took notice of you as more than a hay provider/litter box cleaner? I would think younger ones that were handled early on would have a better time of it - I'm pretty sure Fable is 7 months or so and hasn't been handled very often. She is also very cautious about exploring; she hasn't gone more than a few hops from her home base even though I've extended her play space.

Am I just being impatient? Should I stop trying to pet her and handle her (for grooming) until she's ready to come to me? She always races to the safety of her cage when I do, because she knows I won't try to pick her up in there.

I think of how my guinea pigs always run when they see "the Hand" but once I pick them up they're quite snuggly. And, although it took 2 years, my oldest pig waits to be picked up and is quite calm about it. I know rabbits aren't guinea pigs, but they are prey animals, so is her reaction to me for a similar reason?

How old is Fable?

I'm not really sure, but I know cuddlyness depends on the rabbit, my bunns HATE being picked and will spend days giving me dirty looks from under the bed if we try to pick them up, so the only time we pick them up is for nail picking.

I think you should just give Fable a little time, she's settling into a new home and might not be to sure about it all yet. We've had Kali for almost a year now and she's just starting to get cuddly.

I think that the best way to start to get her to trust you is to give her her favorite treats everyday and while she's eatting them try to pet her a little, the treats will make her more willing to run up to you and the petting will make her more use to being touched. I think also if you want to be able to pick her up you'll want to try to pick her up a couple times a week mabey give her treats while you're holding her. That's how we do it.

Hope I was some help,

-TK

I've had Jess for just over a year now. When I first got her she hated being picked up would run away from me and under no circumstances did she want you to try and stroke her. About 3-4 months ago I reached out to stroke her and she lay down and I was rubbing her head for ages, I have no idea why the sudden change, but now she demands me to pet her and *shock,shock* she even licks me sometimes!!! She has off days though when she will run away kicking her back legs out at me and sometimes she even grunts if I try and stroke her.

I think giving treats and stroking like TK Bunnies suggested is a good idea

LOL...I had to laugh at this one because it reminds me so much of Billy. I've spent 8 months crouching down to Billy's level, letting him come up to me and climb on my back, and respecting his personal space. He's very comfortable with me but just absolutely HATES being touched. If I put my hand near his head, he pushes it out of the way with his face. If I try to sneak in a pet, he hops just out of range and then gives me a look. Very rarely, when he's absorbed in chewing something I can pet him a few times. But he inevitably realizes he's being pet and then moves out of the way.

Now, Billy is super friendly and very gentle with people...as long as you agree not to touch him. He's a fun little guy to have around and I wouldn't trade him for any other bunny

Here's a little video I made on the subject:

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JIXz1-oN_WY]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JIXz1-oN_WY[/ame]

The video is edited together so it looks like we harass him a lot but in actuality we try to respect his personal space. He gets picked up once every two months for nail clipping and I try to pet him maybe once a week.