Advice please ?

Rabbits Online Forum

Help Support Rabbits Online Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

staceyanne0

Member
Joined
Aug 26, 2018
Messages
6
Reaction score
1
Location
Pompano Beach
Hello all, we are fairly new to the rabbit life. We have a male and female. Not neutered yet (making appointments tomorrow).. we just got the female yesterday from the pet store and our male we got from a girl about 6 months ago. any advice on how to get them to bond with us more? Or want more interaction with us? They hardly come up to me and would rather run away when we get close. However they are very used to humans....The female we got from a pet store and she was handled and pet constantly they all told us how much she loved being pet, maybe she has to settle in with us? ... or Maybe she had no choice? Lol Help please [emoji4] I just want to pet and love them! Also is it a good/bad idea to feed them treats by hand? I haven’t done it yet because we have 2 toddlers and don’t want them to associate our hands with food and possibly bite? Any advice on that? Thanks in advance!!
These are our babies :) cookie and peppermint (white) IMG_6230.JPGIMG_0863.JPG
 
Hello and welcome to the forum! Any rabbit will take time to get adjusted to a new home. In fact, because it is so stressful for them, it is advised to completely ignore them for the first 48 hours. That means don't even try to pet Peppermint yet.

The best way to get them used to you is to spend time -- lots of time -- sitting in their area. Don't try to approach or pet them or they will just learn to fear you. Just sit and let them approach you. When they do approach you, ignore them. Yes, ignore them! This is how they learn that you are "safe." After a number of days of doing this, you will get a feel for when one or the other may be ok to be petted. (A bowed head is an invitation for you to pet them.)

Treats should not be offered to Peppermint at all for a few weeks. It isn't good to offer treats (or anything new to a diet) during the first few weeks a rabbit is in a new home. Hay is the exception. Hay should always be available.

I noticed a treat bar of seeds, corn, etc. hanging in Peppermint's cage. I suggest removing it. Rabbits aren't supposed to eat seeds and the hulls of corn kernels can cause gut impaction. I'm afraid petstores sell too many "treats" that are either not healthy or even harmful to rabbits.

The better treats are fresh fruit, but they must be severely limited. They shouldn't be fed at all until your rabbits have been transitioned slowly to a healthy diet that includes unlimited hay, plain pellets, and daily greens. The greens have to be introduced very slowly, one type at a time. You can see more about greens and treats, etc. here.

When you are getting a bunny used to you, hand-feeding is a good way to get them to warm up. But since actual treats (like fruit) need to be so limited, it is often better to use something like strands of hay, individual pellet feed, or (if they are accustomed to greens) a sprig of a green. The fact that the food is coming from your hand "transforms" it into a "treat."

As for toddlers and bunnies, I would not suggest you allow your little ones to feed the rabbits at all. It isn't a good habit for them to get into because who knows what or how much they offer when your eyes aren't on them. And, yes, a persistent little finger that smells like whatever treat was last held, could get nipped by accident.

It's also advised to train your little ones to never, ever pick up a bunny. They need to understand that they should only pet bunny while bunny is on the ground/floor, and only when you are there with them. (I have no idea if you are already aware of this, so figure it is better to be safe and mention it.) It can be a challenge to teach them to respect a bunny's body language. There are times of each day that a rabbit will not want to be bothered or pet. If a child doesn't understand this and insists on petting anyway, it is possible - after several bunny warnings (or none) -- that bunny will lash out or run off. This behavior, repeated too often, can cause a rabbit to become withdrawn or aggressive.

There is more about bonding with a bunny at this page.
 
Hello and welcome to the forum! Any rabbit will take time to get adjusted to a new home. In fact, because it is so stressful for them, it is advised to completely ignore them for the first 48 hours. That means don't even try to pet Peppermint yet.

The best way to get them used to you is to spend time -- lots of time -- sitting in their area. Don't try to approach or pet them or they will just learn to fear you. Just sit and let them approach you. When they do approach you, ignore them. Yes, ignore them! This is how they learn that you are "safe." After a number of days of doing this, you will get a feel for when one or the other may be ok to be petted. (A bowed head is an invitation for you to pet them.)

Treats should not be offered to Peppermint at all for a few weeks. It isn't good to offer treats (or anything new to a diet) during the first few weeks a rabbit is in a new home. Hay is the exception. Hay should always be available.

I noticed a treat bar of seeds, corn, etc. hanging in Peppermint's cage. I suggest removing it. Rabbits aren't supposed to eat seeds and the hulls of corn kernels can cause gut impaction. I'm afraid petstores sell too many "treats" that are either not healthy or even harmful to rabbits.

The better treats are fresh fruit, but they must be severely limited. They shouldn't be fed at all until your rabbits have been transitioned slowly to a healthy diet that includes unlimited hay, plain pellets, and daily greens. The greens have to be introduced very slowly, one type at a time. You can see more about greens and treats, etc. here.

When you are getting a bunny used to you, hand-feeding is a good way to get them to warm up. But since actual treats (like fruit) need to be so limited, it is often better to use something like strands of hay, individual pellet feed, or (if they are accustomed to greens) a sprig of a green. The fact that the food is coming from your hand "transforms" it into a "treat."

As for toddlers and bunnies, I would not suggest you allow your little ones to feed the rabbits at all. It isn't a good habit for them to get into because who knows what or how much they offer when your eyes aren't on them. And, yes, a persistent little finger that smells like whatever treat was last held, could get nipped by accident.

It's also advised to train your little ones to never, ever pick up a bunny. They need to understand that they should only pet bunny while bunny is on the ground/floor, and only when you are there with them. (I have no idea if you are already aware of this, so figure it is better to be safe and mention it.) It can be a challenge to teach them to respect a bunny's body language. There are times of each day that a rabbit will not want to be bothered or pet. If a child doesn't understand this and insists on petting anyway, it is possible - after several bunny warnings (or none) -- that bunny will lash out or run off. This behavior, repeated too often, can cause a rabbit to become withdrawn or aggressive.

There is more about bonding with a bunny at this page.

Wow! This was EXTREMELY informative and useful!! We have been doing it wrong most of the time. However I do go and sit in their room by their cages allll the time. And outside on the floor when either is out (separate right now since they aren’t yet neutered) . I do happen to ignore them and let them sniff if they want and pet when they allow. BUT we didn’t know to leave (cookie is actually the new one) her alone for the first 48 hours! We have been trying to interact with her and everything. The pet stores get so much wrong - hence why I wanted to join some forums for proper experienced advice. So I’m so so glad I did. I have so much new information to put into use . Thank you so so much. I really appreciate it! As for the seeds and treats I will remove them and won’t give them again.
 

Latest posts

Back
Top