yuuko
Member
So, long story..
My neighbors got a couple pet rabbits about 3 months ago that eventually found a way into my backyard. They would often make visits and I would feed them with whatever I could, bananas, carrots, etc. Was thinking about keeping them since the neighbors didn't take good care of them. About a month n half ago, my neighbors gave up taking care of them and they eventually found their way on the streets and ran away. Then about a few days ago, they've decided to come back to my backyard and stay here exclusively. Now, I'm seriously considering keeping them as my pets.
Problem:
When I first met them, they weren't too shy. I could approach them and feed them and they'd let me pet them while they laid under some shade. No worries. Picking them up was an issue though, of course.
Now that they've come back, one of them has become a bit more aggressive and I think sort of desperate for food. They recognized me from when I used to feed them so they knew to come up to me when I went out to the yard. However, I always used to feed them by hand and the more aggressive rabbit insists on yanking the food away. It seems they've become extremely frightened. They only let me pet them when they're busy eating food from my hand. The aggressive one just tries to avoid my hand altogether and would just attempt to get as many bites of it as fast as possible and yank it away. The other one is calm and will let me feed it but it only stays for a few bites and I have to follow him around in order to get him to try some more and will run away after a few seconds of petting.
So this had led me to believe that they only approach me for food and not for companionship. But I'd like to keep them as pets and of course, have them comfortable enough around me to let me pick them up and pet them and whatnot (like any other owner would).
Any advice? Can I still try to keep them when they've been outside on their own for so long? Am I better off looking for a trained house bunny?
Here's a pic from when I first met them.
The white one is the aggressor and has significantly grown larger since then. Seems to love treats and will yank food off my hands if it can.
My neighbors got a couple pet rabbits about 3 months ago that eventually found a way into my backyard. They would often make visits and I would feed them with whatever I could, bananas, carrots, etc. Was thinking about keeping them since the neighbors didn't take good care of them. About a month n half ago, my neighbors gave up taking care of them and they eventually found their way on the streets and ran away. Then about a few days ago, they've decided to come back to my backyard and stay here exclusively. Now, I'm seriously considering keeping them as my pets.
Problem:
When I first met them, they weren't too shy. I could approach them and feed them and they'd let me pet them while they laid under some shade. No worries. Picking them up was an issue though, of course.
Now that they've come back, one of them has become a bit more aggressive and I think sort of desperate for food. They recognized me from when I used to feed them so they knew to come up to me when I went out to the yard. However, I always used to feed them by hand and the more aggressive rabbit insists on yanking the food away. It seems they've become extremely frightened. They only let me pet them when they're busy eating food from my hand. The aggressive one just tries to avoid my hand altogether and would just attempt to get as many bites of it as fast as possible and yank it away. The other one is calm and will let me feed it but it only stays for a few bites and I have to follow him around in order to get him to try some more and will run away after a few seconds of petting.
So this had led me to believe that they only approach me for food and not for companionship. But I'd like to keep them as pets and of course, have them comfortable enough around me to let me pick them up and pet them and whatnot (like any other owner would).
Any advice? Can I still try to keep them when they've been outside on their own for so long? Am I better off looking for a trained house bunny?
Here's a pic from when I first met them.
The white one is the aggressor and has significantly grown larger since then. Seems to love treats and will yank food off my hands if it can.