Depressed about my sweetie's recent lack of trust

[nekobunny]

This is troubling me a lot :cry1:My beautiful 9 month old Thumper has been with me for 5 months now. I am a novice rabbit owner, never had one before her. I adopted her from a girl who had to give her away. She is honestly one of the sweetest bunnies I have ever met, but very anxious. It took her a little while but after a week she let me pick her up all the time and she does binkies sometimes and licks me, and she flops over on her side all the time. She hated her little cage so I got her one of those big pens which she stays in, and i let her out a few times a day to run around. She is very demanding in terms of space.

I got her a bunny harness a little while ago so we can play outside, and she loves being outside. Our neighbor also has a rabbit that she likes to visit so i brought her over one day, but I didnt see their dog hiding nearby. The dog lunged at Thumper and nearly had her teeth around the poor little girl :nerves1, my neighbor got the dog off just in time. So understandably she has been very shaken since then. I tried reassuring her as much as i could, holding her and speaking to her softly and petting her so she knows I am not trying to hurt her.

It seems like ever since then she refuses to let anyone pick her up. She was ok about petting at first but of course sometimes out of necessity I have to pick her up to trim her nails and get her out of the pen to clean, and she struggles with all her might against me (never biting though thank god). Today I let her out to run around but she started hiding behind the sofa and the cabinet and chewing on cords, so i tried to get her out. I eventually had to trap her in a blanket and she was breathing so hard and panicking, it broke my heart to see her like that :cry2. I dont know what to do anymore, I try sitting with her and just petting her but now as soon as my hand goes near her she runs away from me and shakes her tail really hard.

If you guys have any advice for me I'd be glad to hear from you. ray:

-_- Noob rabbit lover

 

[Flashy]

It sounds like she is incredibly traumered by what happened, and understandably so. I would maybe suggest going back to basics and allowing her to be in control. http://www.rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=33995&forum_id=17

Also, do you ever smell of dog or other animals? It may be she is reacting to your smell as opposed to you?

Try to not take this personally, and try to just be patient and calm, never frustrated.

It might help her to have a very friendly and laid back friend. Would you consider getting her a bunny friend?

Welcome to the forum If you could put your country in your profile that would be great thanks

 

[nekobunny]

Thank you so much Flashy, I'll read as much as I can about it and do what I can.

I doubt i smell like a dog, we dont have a dog anymore (he died a year ago) and she was ok with our house til the encounter with maggie (our neighbors dog). She reacts the same way with everyone.

thanks again!

 

[nekobunny]

anyone else is welcomed to add anything, share experiences, what has worked for them. ray:

 

[fuzz16]

rabbits dont like being picked up anyways cause it feels like a hawk (or dog) snatching them up. if she feels a shadow go above her is may scare her and she may be thinking your a predator going to eat her. when you go up to her be on your knees or stomach would be better, and offer her a favorite treat to come to you just to start regaining her trust again.

 

[golfdiva]

Hershey is much more excited about me if I'm on the floor. Sometimes he even want me to be laying down! But when I am on the floor, he is happy to sit/lay next to me and let me pet him for hours!

 

[tonyshuman]

I think golfdiva's approach is right. It sounds like she was extremely traumatized by the dog, and being picked up is very scary, like fuzz16 said. It may take time to regain her trust, but sitting on the floor with her, gentle petting, and soft voices should help. Eventually she will learn it wasn't your fault the dog attacked her. It may take months. It took months for Muffin, who was mistreated before she came to the shelter I got her from, to let me come up to her and pet her without her running away. Make an extra effort not to pick her up or chase her (ie chasing back into the cage when playtime is done).

Also, it's possible she's being bratty about being picked up because she has entered his teenage years and is being hormonal. Is she spayed?

 

[crystal]

it does sound like you need to start from the beginning... it must be frustrating, but with time I don't see why she won't come round and trust you again like before.

the other people have already posted some good stuff... I am still pretty new to rabbits but what I have been doing while my bunnies have been getting to know me is trying to let them come to me in their own time and on their own terms. it took over a month to see a lot of progress in the trust of my two bunnies, but they are really good now (after 3 months). I think people think rabbits are more like puppies, that they will want to approach anyone. but it seems like they take a decent amount of time to gain trust- not just of people, but of the environment as well. so I guess she needs to feel secure... maybe that is obvious though.

I'm not sure where I was going with this... I guess just try to be patient and like someone else said, don't take it personally.

keep us updated

 

[kirbyultra]

So sad to hear that your bunny is feeling this way. I agree with what everyone else has said. I'll write my experience with Kirby down as well.

Kirby was a little over 2 years old when I adopted him. He was an outdoor bunny and I'm unsure of the conditions he lived in but I don't think he was very well cared for. He has a scar (there's a imprinted line in his fur) on his face so I think he's probably seen some animal danger in the past. When I adopted him they told me he was very skittish. He was scared very easily and ran away at the first sign of danger, unfamiliar sounds, smells, or if he thought anyone was getting too close. I felt similarly depressed and sometimes in tears from sadness when he rejected me no matter how hard I tried to get him to feel safe and trust me even after 2-3 months together. The more he ran away, the harder I seemed to push and it was so counterproductive.

After one time when I was really upset with him and more upset with myself, I decided to just go at his pace. I would sit for as long as he wanted me to. If he ran away, I would back off. Sometimes I would lie down on my stomach in his play pen and read a magazine. I installed a tv in the rabbit room so I could sit in there and basically be with him but ignore him. It took me several more months. Finally after 7 months together, Kirby trusts me wholeheartedly. He hops around me and runs *to me* for comfort when he is scared. He lets me pet him and lets me kiss his cheeks. For us, it wasn't really a gradual thing. It was almost a sudden change. It's as if one day he just decided he liked me and he didn't mind me being around. Then very shortly after that he enjoyed me being there and now he really likes me. He has even learned to trust other people without much of a curve, like my husband and my brother who bunnysat for me while I was on vacation twice. Don't get me wrong though, he still hates being picked up. That won't change. It's just a rabbit-y thing. I think your bunny didn't mind being picked up before because she was small and didn't know how to resist. My other bun, Toby at 2-3 months old didn't mind either but now will avoid being picked up like the plague.

Don't give up... Thumper will come around. Just give it more time. Patience is key. The shelter I adopted from gave me a line that I will never forget: The rabbit is just being a rabbit. You, being the human, have to learn how to be with a rabbit.