making the most of shelter time

[jordiwes]

Hi All,

I'm going to be volunteering at my shelter a couple of days a week as a"small animal cuddler" (fun job, huh? ). I will basically be spendingtime socializing with the bunnies. Some of the bunnies have been inthere a long time andare so afraid of humans. Do you have anyideas of what I could do in my limited time to get them less afraid ofhumans?Are bribes the best way to go (ie. a treat)? Should Iapproach the bunny, even if it's cowering away from me?

Thanks!

Steph

 

If it is Cowering awayfrom you , it means its scared , scaredbunny means scarred fingers hands and arms ,approach carefully , slowly and often, get them used to your voice and you moving aroundthem first . Treats are not a good idea ,If you treat for human contact , whatyour going to have is an aggressive bunny whowill attack if no treat is offered .

Personally what I would do andhave done is put the cage on thefloor and get down there withthem for a few days , that way Your notabove them you are on their level and chances ofacceptance is greater ,

The Fear insinct in Rabbitsisvery High , its not a quick overnight fix , Its going to take a lot oftime, patience and a lot of effort to getthem to come round , The more abused they arethe harder it is going to be for them .

 

[cirrustwi]

Hmmm...I agree with everything Gypsy said. I'd like to make one suggestion though: Wear Long Sleeves and Pants!!!

Jen

 

[m.e.]

What I used to dois exactly what gypsy said: get down to their level. And talk to them.Sometimes, it would take nearly a week of just sitting and talking to aparticular bunny before they would warm up enough to accept a treat ora noserub (and don't underestimate the power of the noserub Sometimes, that was the only thing that would turn a snarky bun into aloving fluffball in seconds flat)

I did bring in snacks (carrots, parsley, craisins, etc) and also wouldrotate toys around. Wicker baskets, empty toilet paper rolls, andphonebooks for the particularly bored and high-energy rabbits.

To socialize a rabbit, I worked my way up. Start with just your voice,and then a gentle touch (knowing a rabbit's body language is essential,I got a pretty nasty bite from ignoring the cues of asnappish Holland). Along with the touch comes treats, in moderation ofcourse. I'd advance my way from the nose, to the base of the ears, tothe shoulders, and all the way down to the haunches. Unless Iabsolutely had to, I wouldn't pick a rabbit up until I knew it wascomfortable with being touched and handled.

While I think a rabbit should get used to being handled, I don't findit necessary to get them used to being held. It's an addedstress that they really don't need. Just my opinion, though.

Once I knew I could handle and hold a rabbit, I would really work onacclimating them to being petted and brushed. If I was feelingespecially brave, we'd even work on handling feet (for nail clipping).All of this, of course, was accompanied by lots of treats and TLC.

Having a rabbit that responds well to human voices, doesn't mind beingtouched or handled, and relishes love and attention, makes them thatmuch more adoptable. It warmed my heart to see a bun go from a fearfuland antisocial, to friendly and outgoing.

~Emily and the Fuzzbutts~

 

[jordiwes]

Thanks for all of the great info, I will printit out! The good thing about my SPCA is that the bunnies are in dogruns so I can just walk right in and sit with them without corneringthem or lifting them.

 

[m.e.]

That's great! Wedidn't have enough extra kennels for all of the rabbits, so those wereusually reserved for the larger and more high-energy buns I lovedjust going in there and sitting down with the rabbits, they seemed alot more relaxed when things were on ground level. Not to mention thata rabbit choosing to jump onto your lap is just about the bestfeeling in the world!

~Emily and the Fuzzbutts~

 

[bunnydude]

I think everyone else gave the right advice. Above all, have fun (it would be hard not to)!

 

Read thru this thread it will help determine what the Rabbits are saying to you .

http://www.muridae.com/rabbits/rabbittalk.html