Attitudes and Bonding

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chip1123

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i have 2 bunnies, one is a mini-lop (i think)named Chelsea and one is supposedly a dwarf (i doubt it though- he isnearly as big as my other rabbit, which is definitely not a dwarf)named Oreo. anyways...

i have had these rabbits for awhile now and i really like to play withthem, but they do not like to play with me much. They bothrun/hide from me (in their cage- they have a huge modified ferret cagethat is 3 levels tall- about 6 ft tall, lots of room to jump and runand play in) when i try to get them out of the cage, unless i havefood- then they will let me play with them and wont be bothered by me.

Oreo still runs from me when i am trying to get him, but once i do andi am petting him and playing with him, he warms up and likes it. hestarts nudging me to pet him more/ nips at me to get me to keep pettinghim. i wish both of them would let me play with them and love them. isthere any way to do this? am i scaring them? any advice is welcome...

P.S.-> also of note, we just got a rat-terrier, 6 weeks old. hetries to follow the bunnies around when they are out of the cage, donot know if he is scaring them or not (although the bunnies are biggerthan he is,lol). while this new addition (he has been at ourhouse a little over a week now) might not help the matter, they weredoing this before he got here. thanks in advance guys and gals...
 
Hi Chip,

Give it time, get on their level on the floor, be patient, and treats(in moderation) can't hurt. It took me a while to bond withTucker. He was doing the same things your littleones were. Even when I'd go remotely near him when I firstgot him, he'd shoot off in the otherdirection. Itreally bummed me out because hereI had this adorablelittlecreature, but I couldn'ttouchhim.

Igot to the pointwhere I'd walk by him or aroundhim when I was passing him, and then one day, I bentdown topet him and he presented himself (put hischin down on theground and closed his eyes) allowing me to pethim.Kisses came shortly thereafter, and full trusthappened weeks later.

Be watchful of therat-terrier. It could be thatthey're playing, butif the rabbits' eyes are bulging and theyseem scared, it could be causing them stress.Onlyyou can tell as it's hard totell on the forumif they're afraid or not.

Rabbits, as you'reaware of, can't handle continualstress. Their hearts can't take it and they become subject tohaving a heartattack andpassing on.Keep aclose eye on how they react and if they seem like they'replaying. If they don't, I'd limit the time the rat-terrierhas around them and slowly build it up, just as you have to build theirtrust in you.

Best of Luck.

-Carolyn
 
Take Carolyn's advice. Get down on thefloor and just lay there and let your bunny sniff and lickyou. They like you at their level. Make very slowmoves. If your rabbit runs away, just stay still and bepatient. Curiosity will bring him back to you. :)
 
I agree with everything Carolyn says plus I'd addtime, time and more time with some bunnies. This last week I'vesuddenly seen big progress with one of mine who I'd begun to believewould be the same forever, I've been trying to be friends in the waysdescribed for nine months now andfinally I'm getting results.

I'd be very careful about your new dog, not just because of thepossible stress to the rabbits but also because he might well decide atsome point that they're prey, it only takes a few seconds to be toolate :(.

Kate
 
Sorry things haven't been going asplanned! Unfortunately, I have read that having two bunniesmakes them bond more with each other than with the owner.Maybe try some individual out of the cage time...just for you and onlyone bun! If you get frustrated, put them back, and walkaway! All rabbits have different personalities andlikes/dislikes. Some give their owners kisses all day, andsome (like my bun), will only let you pet them (if you'relucky). I agree that it does take a lot of patience andtime. How long have you had them? Do they stretchout in their cages? If they do, you know they arecomfortable, and that's compliment enough! And even the factthat you can get away with some pet sessions is definiteprogress! I think things could be a lot worse! Butkeep trying!

-Vanessa

PS. Ihave to say, though, why would God make such a cuddlylooking creature, who 98% of the time does not want to becuddled!! hahah I can understand your frustration!
 

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