Need some bunny owner opinions! (Bunny Psychology)

Hi everyone,
I recently adopted male, blue point Holland Lop! Actually I’m his 3rd owner and he is only 2 years old. He came with a ridiculously tiny cage, some pellets and a broken water bottle (no hay). The scene where he lived was chaotic, tiny apartment, lots of people and kids.

The first thing I did is buy him the large Oxbow Play Yard with playpen (which is incredibly neat, practical and he loves it), a corner litter box which he took to immediately and a few bunny-friendly toys. Then I introduced a healthier diet and letting him out for long periods to roam and binky around my condo. He LOVES this. He uses my dogs as hurdles, jumping over them or scooting under them. It’s been about 3 weeks and he has begun following the dogs and I around and making himself at home. One afternoon, I walked into a room and found him sitting, alone primly on an armchair surveying his new domain and I burst out laughing. Lucky for me, he isn’t a chewer (although I watch him) and he is litter trained, which means he gets lots of out of cage time. He greets me at the side of the cage and enjoys taking special treats from me (hand feeding) Basically a great bun!

I only have a few issues with him that maybe you guys can help me with:

1. He is very tense when being picked up but tolerates it, but his little heart beats like little motor.
2. He won’t let me get near him to put him back in his cage. I’ve been leaving the front panel of the cage open and when he goes in on his own time, I shut it. What happens if I need to get him in quickly one day?
3. He seems like sitting with me on the sofa, I stroke his ears and he closes his eyes. BUT HE HATES sitting on me. I didn’t realize just how much he hates it until last night I put him on me and he started to claw relentlessly at my shirt and nipped my neck. (did not break skin) Freaked me out! So, fair enough I won’t do that again. But he also gets ornery if he wants off the couch but can’t seem to get down. Basically, he’s a nipper when he feels frustrated.

So is this a bad bun? Or will this behavior subside once we get to understand each other’s dislikes and avoid them? I don’t NEED to cuddle him, frankly I like observing him roam around my place and interact with the dogs. But I read that most bunnies like to be patted and need human bonding. If he ends up being a floor bunny without much human contact, is this a bad thing for his psychological well-being? Do you think he is merely tolerating being petted on the couch? If he’s an independent soul, should I bother trying to make him into more of a cuddler?

He is a spunky little character and I don’t mean to imply that I don’t enjoy him or am contemplating dumping him. I can size a dog’s personality up in about 15 minutes and understand how to deal with them, but bunnies are a mystery to me! So I just need some bunny-pro opinions here.

Jeeeez.. long post!
Here's a picture of the Oxbow Playyard:

You have a completely normal bunny.

It's untrue that bunnies need human interaction. They haven't been domesticated for nearly as long as dogs or cats, and can survive perfectly well on their own if they have access to food and water. Unlike dogs, they don't consider us part of the pack (or rather warren - it's a rabbits-only club), so have no inner urge to bond with us naturally. However most bunnies, being curious and adventurous, do end up getting accustomed to and enjoying human company.

What many bunnies will never get accustomed to is being picked up, unfortunately! Think about the history of rabbits. They are prey animals, and their species survival depends on NOT getting picked up by large predator animals such as eagles, big cats, and us humans. Being off the ground feels incredibly unnatural and scary to a bun, so I avoid doing it as much as I can, only to trim nails and check butts. There are people who think very regular handling will get a bun used to it, but I personally disagree. Bunnies are very opinionated creatures and I don't think forcing anything on them will do anything but make them learn to run from us.

Q2 is also perfectly normal. It's what I do to get my bunnies back home. Again, very opinionated creatures who resolutely think playtime's not over yet mummy, thank you very much. I make a point of never ever reaching into their cage to pick them up so they learn that their cage is the "safe zone", which is both good for a bunny's sense of security and making the process of getting them in there much easier - I chase them around acting like I'm about to pick them up, and they hurry back to the safe zone where they think I can't touch them. Them bam! The door's closed, gotcha suckers.

As for Q3, I think it just comes down to him not being well-socialised at his previous home. While bunnies are bold, you are still a predator animal much much bigger and stronger than him, and not being used to nice friendly humans he is naturally a bit nervous about sitting right on top of one. Nipping (not biting, which will tear a chunk out of you if a bunny really wanted to) is a means of communication for bunnies as they have no voice, but sometimes they forget that we have no fur and so it hurts much more than the bunny intended. You can discourage this by squealing loudly and hurrying away from your bunny when he nips. It won't take long for him to get the message, and while he may always be a nip communicator, his nipping will get much gentler in future.

Does he "only tolerate" petting? If he is free to go, and instead of going he is there letting you pet him, he CHOSE to be there for pets. Bunnies do enjoy being touched and groomed, commonly on the head, face and back. In bunny language it means the one being groomed is the VIP, so of course many bunnies are happy to accept it from their human slaves. They are also very social animals and do benefit from interaction, at their speed. While it wouldn't be psychologically harmful for them to be without human interaction, it can get boring in a household environment so any interaction to keep them entertained is good.

In conclusion, interact with him as much as you can/want, as long as he's always free to leave if he wants to - just go at his speed. If he's more comfortable with all four paws on the ground for now, get down on the ground with him. Sit and read or watch TV on the ground with him. Soon you may just find he's grown comfortable enough with you that he'll climb in your lap voluntarily.

Most likely your poor bun is having some issues from his past environment. Rabbits tend to get very used to their habitat and don't like moving around a bunch. Also is he neutered? this can play a key factor in behaviorally issues. He came from a place which probably had a lot of noise and they most definitely didn't know anything about rabbits since you mentioned the pets store cage. I would say give it time, the owners previous probably didn't give him much attention or care so he is a little stubborn. (Which is understandable, even humans do this) Love him and just spend as much time with him as possible, No bun is a bad bun! They just need a little TLC to soften them up:hug1 I would suggest you get him neutered if he isn't that should help a bunch too!

You actually have a pretty typical rabbit. Most rabbits dislike being picked up, many don't like being held, and very few are the 'cuddly' type, though many still love getting pets and head rubs on the ground. Most of my rabbits prefer that they get their head rubs on the floor, on their own terms. Being picked up makes a rabbit feel very insecure, and in nature it would only happen due to a predator getting it. A rabbit can learn to tolerate it, and even learn to not mind it when they learn they can trust you. And it's important that you can pick up your bun when it is necessary. Usually a rabbit that doesn't mind being picked up is one that really enjoys being cuddled and petted, which is really not typical for rabbits in general. Out of my 10 rabbits, only one really loves cuddles and will usually sit in my arms for as long as I want to hold her. But this is pretty rare as rabbits go.

The nipping is also a normal way of a rabbit trying to communicate. However, it isn't a behavior you want to encourage or reenforce. When it happens, just realize your rabbit is trying to get your attention(maybe wants to be put down). But you don't necessarily want to immediately comply with the 'request', as that will just reinforce the behavior. You can let out a loud 'eep' type noise to simulate a distress sound. Sometimes this is enough to stop the behavior. If that doesn't work, you can do a firm but gentle head press, to simulate a dominant rabbit 'disciplining' another rabbit. Then you want to pay attention to your rabbit trying to communicate with you in less painful ways. Usually this would be a nose bump. If you can figure out what your bun wants with a nose bump, then it hopefully won't move on to a nip. But even then there will be times you need to pick up your bun, and you may still get a nip. You just don't want to be putting your bun down right after getting nipped, as that reinforces the behavior. I have a bun that gets a bit testy after being held for more than a few minutes, and I will sometimes get a nip from her. I will just give an 'eep', gently press her head against me, then wait about 15 seconds before putting her down. But I also try and only pick her up when necessary because I know she doesn't like it.

For getting your bun back to his cage, the best way is to train him with his usual food or treats that he likes. You can use a few of his daily pellet amount if he loves them, or his favorite veggie, or if you give fruit, just make sure to use in moderation, and always introduce new foods gradually into the diet if it's not something he is used to. You can do the same thing to teach him to come to you when he is out playing. Basically similar training you would do with a dog. The key is using a treat that he can't resist.

But it sounds like he has settled in nicely if he is following you and the dogs around, and lays down next to you to get pets. Your bun wouldn't do this if he hasn't bonded with you and didn't trust you at all. He wouldn't sit by you and wouldn't let you pet him if he didn't want it. It's even possible he may learn to be a lap bunny. Sometimes it just takes time for a rabbit to get to that point and learn that it is something they like. One way you can help encourage this is to place a towel or blanket on your lap to make it more comfortable for him to hop on your lap. Though if your bun is too warm, this could be a reason for not wanting to sit on your lap or be held, as your body heat can make him too warm, and it's difficult for rabbits to cool down.

If you want to take a look, these are some good links on rabbit communication and bonding with your bun.
http://language.rabbitspeak.com/
http://www.flashsplace.webs.com/bondingwithyourbunny.htm

ETA: Laura, you beat me to it

Hey thank you everyone for responding. I have absolutely no clue if he is neutered but will find out soon at the vet.

It's great to hear he isn't "abnormal". Very relieved. I suspected he may not be because he only gets grumpy under specific circumstances and is perfectly pleasant the rest of the time. From the sounds of it, like many rabbits, he is O-pinionated.

Fair enough, I will avoid his triggers and get him out as much as possible to socialize with myself and the dogs (who he seems to think are far cooler than me). It will be interesting to see what he's like after a year. But even if things remain the same, I like observing him and find him an interesting pet. Cooking dinner and catching a floppy eared rabbit running full-tilt boogie and binking up and down your hallway out of the corner of your eye is hilarious.

And thanks for the links, I will read those tonight.

Just an update, after reading the responses here I've taken a really hands-off approach with my new 3rd hand bunny. The result has been pretty amazing. The little guy follows me around like a dog, to the point where I'm almost afraid I will step on him because he is so underfoot. He seems very relaxed receiving pats on the floor and after running around like a nut and binking, he flops over on his side in the middle of the living room during tv prime time with us.

Took everyone's advice and placed a tasty vegie in the cage when I wanted him to go in there and then shut the door when its bed time.

Picking him up, and trying to get him "used to be handled" by forcing the issue was back firing on me so I've stopped it altogether. He seems much happier, and appears to be bonding strongly without the handling. If I have to get on the floor to rub behind his ears for the rest of his life, then so be it. He feels comfortable on solid ground and that's what matters.

This is my first rabbit and I'm pretty tickled with how intelligent, interesting and sociable they are.

Thanks again for the tips

I'm glad it's worked out well. Some rabbits just don't respond well to a lot of handling. Sounds like you're figuring your bun out

Most people are used to seeing a rabbit just sitting in a cage, not doing much. They often don't get to see the personality that emerges from having a house bunny that has lots of free run time.

Sounds like things are going really well for you. I've also trained Bandit to go back into his cage for "Bedtime" where he gets a treat after he goes in. Makes things really simple

Bandit is also much the same in regards to petting vs sitting on my lap. He can sit next to me on the couch and be content for a long time while I pet him, but he won't sit still or remain on my lap, so that's pretty normal. I don't often pick Bandit up (unless we're doing an outside grooming session or something) but I still like to maybe once or twice a week to keep him used to the sensation.

Sounds like he's got a case of the "getting use to you". This will take time, patience and love. I'm glad he's feeling at home, I would suggest to just slowly train him to pick him up, don't rush it. Start my slowly placing your hands under him and lift, slowly, but make sure he can still touch the ground. Repeat over and over until he becomes comfortable. Talk to him while you do it, get him use to your voice. While in the couch, honestly some bunnies just don't like being pet there. However, put a pet bed between you an the bunny and that should help. Again, slow and steady.
Good luck!

Last night I was on all fours on the ground picking some stuff off the ground and the bun got right in my face, sniffed me and gave me a lick. ARE BUNNIES AS PETS THE WORLDS BEST KEPT SECRET?