Befriending skittish holland lops

[Corax69]

My wife and I have two Holland lops named Eris and Untagbogan. They're brother and sister and have always lived in the same cage. And, yes, they are both altered. They're roughly seven months old.

Our problem is that we'd like to befriend them but they seem terribly skittish. We understand that most rabbits don't enjoy being picked up. Ours have hated it the few times we've had to pick them up for their own good. We'd just like to get to the point where the rabbits feel comfortable around us and allow us to pet them.

Both rabbits tend to run off and hide from the smallest movement. I've seen Untabogan walk up to Eris, which made Eris run off in a panic, which made Untabogan run off in return. This isn't to say they don't like each other. They seem to spend a good deal of time cuddling up with each other.

I've tried spending time on the floor with the bunnies. They usually come over, sniff me, then go off to do other things. I often feed them Cheerios when I'm on the floor and gotten to the point where they will eat off the back of my hand. They are very hesitant when I can get them to do that. Lately they have been coming over and nudging me with their heads. I'm not sure if this is a sign that they want me to pet them because when I move my hand closer they tend to run off.

I frequently offer my hand for the bunnies to sniff so they know it's me. Sometimes they sniff it and go away, and sometimes they run off. They seem to be very interesting in bare feet but mildly afraid of hands.

Is there any advice on getting closer to my lops? Eris, the female, seems to be the more dominant and adventurous one. I'm hoping to make contact with her first. We're pretty sure Untabogan was the runt of his litter. I've heard that lops are skittish as a breed. I think they're trying to reach out, but I'm not sure how to bridge the gaps. Does anyoneone have any tips or advice.

Much thanks for any feedback,

-Andy

 

[Flashy]

Hi Andy,

Welcome to the forum

Your bunnies have beautiful names Do we get to see some pictures?

It sounds like you're on the right line with what you're trying to do to bond with them, but this article called Bonding with your bunny might help give you some more ideas.

How long have you had these two?

The fact they make each other jumps makes me wonder about their eyesight and if they have good vision, or maybe if their vision is lacking and that causes them to be skittish, likewise with their hearing, which can make a bunny act scared too.

Also, if you could put your location (country at least) in your profile that would be great thanks. It means you can get more specific advice and help generally.

It does sound like you're on the right path though Hopefully we can help you further along it.

 

[murph72]

Hi Andy and welcome to the forum.

I don't find Holland lops to be particularly skittish. In fact, I find most lops to be rather friendly. Some Hollands will take longer to warm up to you. I find this true mostly with females that I acquire from another breeder. If they are a bit older they are used to that person and have to get used to me...which takes some time in some of them. However, after handling them for some time, they usually come around to be more accepting. It depends on the bunny....some take a bit longer to warm up to you and decide theycan trust you.

I breed Hollands as well as some other breeds and find the Holland bucks I have to be some of the friendliest bunnies that I have. Perhaps your little boy is just feeding off of his sister with his behavior of not trusting you.

I agree with Tracy that the part where they seem to scare each other is suspicious. I too was thinking a vision or hearing deficit in them. You may want to get this checked out. It may lead them to be more fearful if they are getting scared by things that seem to come up on them from out of nowhere. If you knew they were lacking in either of these senses there are also ways you can treat them differently so they know when you're coming.

I also agree that some of the things you are trying sound like you're on the rightpath. You're not forcing yourself on them and you're trying to do it gradually. I think this will pay off for you in theend. It just takes some patience and time.

Dyan

 

[tonyshuman]

I have a holland mix that came to me very skittish. She had been used in a backyard breeding situation and was mistreated before she ended up at the Humane Society, and then my house, so she had a lot to be afraid of. For the first 3 months at least, she was very afraid of hands and would run away from them whenever they came toward her. All I did was sit calmly with her, let her climb on me and explore me without making any threatening movements, and give her time. I eliminated loud noises, sudden movements, and unnecessary handling as much as possible. I tried to spend a lot of time "on her level" ie on the floor. If you can stand it, I find that taking a nap on the floor and letting them crawl all over you on a sunny weekend afternoon really helps too. Now she's a confident little girl.

It is also good to let them come and go out of the cage as they wish so that you don't ever have to chase them.

 

[Corax69]

Thanks to all of you who have offered me suggestion. I'll upload bunny pictures once I figure out how.

To answer some questions, we've had the bunnies since mid-April. I don't think the bunnies were ever abused, but I don't think they were handled much either. The breeder seemed to have lots of rabbits for rabbit hows. Maybe if they had been handled by people when they were young, the might feel more comfortable around people.

We have had concern about Untabogan's eyesight. When we give him a treat, it usually takes him some time to sniff around on the ground and find it. We mentioned this when we first took the bunnies to the vet, but the vet said his eyes appear normal.

I have been trying to spend more time on the floor. Today I tried using a yoga mat to make things a bit more comfortable. Eris would come over every so often and nudge the book I was reading and nudge my hand. With both of the bunnies, they do tend to come over and nudge my hand. They don't do much more than nudge, and if I made any motion with my hand they tend to quickly back away.

As an aside, Eris seems to have a taste for rubber. She has chewed off the edge of a carpet that I have under my desk chair. I think she was as interested in trying to get a bite out of the yoga mat as she was in me.

Eris in Untabogan have free reign of their room. Their room is also my computer room. Don't worry, we have SOLID barriers to keep them away from any cords or other electrical gagets. The only time they're locked in their cage is when we have guest over on Sunday nights. It's done to protect them from an overly friendly two-year-old who always wants to greet them. We do have to go in their cage from time to time to change their litter boxes. Sometimes this is distressing and sometimes it isn't.

There is one issue that might be making things difficult for the bunnies. Almost all of the floors in our house are hardwood floors. Eris and Untabogan seem to have a difficult time with traction. When something distracts one of them, the lack of serious traction seems to make the situation much, much worse. I'll give you an example:

Two nights ago I was shutting down my computer. Eris was resting on her side on the opposite side of the room. Windows made it's shut-down jingle and, as I got up, my chair made a slight creaking sound. This started Eris and she tried to get up but started sliding on the floor instead. She spent a few seconds scrambling around in a circle before dashing through her outside water dish, showering half of the room with it's contents, and then running into her cage to hide. It would almost be funny if it wasn't so traumatic for her.

Much of this sudden running and scrambling is common. I'm really not sure if it's fear generated for not having sound footing, or being easily frightened, or both. The rabbits do seem to like standing on a grate in the room, and on a doormat. Maybe they prefer having traction. I'd just like to find a way to make them feel less skittish and more friendly.

I know this is kind of a long post. Thanks for listening, and thanks for any advice you might have to offer. It's appreciated.

-Andy

 

[tonyshuman]

It sounds like they're improving! Letting them nudge you will help and the setup sounds good.Adding rugs really helps bunnies feel more comfortable--we have hardwood too. The feeling that they can't get away if they need to due to traction makes them more scared.

 

[Corax69]

There is quite a bit of hardwood. I'm not sure if we could really find rugs that fit the oddly-shaped room. I guess it is something to investigate. I suppose it would be a matter of finding several cheap carpets of the right dimensions.

 

[Flashy]

I agree with tonyshuman that them nudging you is really, really good. That is their interacting with you and gaining your attention. With time that will hopefully progress to them maybe hand feeding, maybe allowing you to stroke them.

If you have concerns about eyesight then that is the area to focus on. Keep up a constant stream of chatter, or singing, and keep talking to them, so that they always know where you are and can locate you that way. That will prevent surprises and will help them feel safer and more secure because they will learn that if you are there you are speaking to them. Also do this when they are around you and nudging you, but when they are in control and choosing to come to you, I would suggest whispering.

You sound like you're doing a great job, so its just a case of patience and perseverance, and you will get there

 

[tonyshuman]

I have a ton of throw rugs, plus an old one handed down to me. If you have access to a carpet cleaner, like a Steam Doctor or Bissel cleaner, you can get one off of Craigslist too.

 

[anneq]

Maybe some kind of cheapie grass/jute mats or rugs that would not be a problem if they wanted to nibble on them?