Frustrated with my bunnies

[JessicaK]

I've had my bunnies for nearly 8 months. And, you'd think I just brought them home from the shelter yesterday.

They spend all their time hiding from me. For a while Gunston would come out and stand up for treats. He's stopped doing that, though he will at least take a treat from me if I offer.

I wish they were more friendly, and I don't know what else to do.
I sit in their pen and talk to them, and it doesn't seem to make a difference.

Any suggestions?

 

[agnesthelion]

Hmm. Where are they housed? How long are they let out/handled everyday?

I think it takes time, commitment and patience to bond with a bun. They are at the bottom of the food chain so their very DNA teaches them to be afraid of everything.

I would commit to trying to spend at least a couple hours, or more if possible, sitting with your buns. Ignore them and let them explore you.

End on a positive note and don't skip a day or go extended periods of time without contact.

Also work on grooming them everyday. Even if it's for a couple minutes a day being handled, and then reward with a treat, can do wonders for bonding.

Commit, consistency and patience. I think you will get there

 

[audrinasmommy88]

Well, being that you have buns from the extreme hoarder, I think this is normal for them. I agree with Lisa. Spend all the time with them you can. Read to them. With Gracie, I would sit in the floor with treats (she loves cheerios) and I would hold the cheerio really close to me to where she would have to get in my lap and then I would keep trying to give her the cheerios and pet her at the same time. It took awhile but she got very used to me that way

 

[JessicaK]

Thanks for the replies, I appreciate it.

agnesthelion wrote:

Hmm. Where are they housed? How long are they let out/handled everyday?

I think it takes time, commitment and patience to bond with a bun. They are at the bottom of the food chain so their very DNA teaches them to be afraid of everything.

I would commit to trying to spend at least a couple hours, or more if possible, sitting with your buns. Ignore them and let them explore you.

End on a positive note and don't skip a day or go extended periods of time without contact.

Also work on grooming them everyday. Even if it's for a couple minutes a day being handled, and then reward with a treat, can do wonders for bonding.

Commit, consistency and patience. I think you will get there

Their pen is set up under the staircase in the living room. So, out of the way enough that they have some sense of security, but can still see and hear what's going on in the house.
They can't have free range of the house because I don't want my dog chasing them, and honestly I'd expect Whidbey to go under or behind the couch and stay there ]:?
Their pen is big enough that I can sit in there with them. And I try to do that an hour or so a day.

audrinasmommy88 wrote:

Well, being that you have buns from the extreme hoarder, I think this is normal for them. I agree with Lisa. Spend all the time with them you can. Read to them. With Gracie, I would sit in the floor with treats (she loves cheerios) and I would hold the cheerio really close to me to where she would have to get in my lap and then I would keep trying to give her the cheerios and pet her at the same time. It took awhile but she got very used to me that way

I definitely agree that their background contributes to their behavior. And I love them dearly, but I do think they might not have been the best choice for a first-time bunny owner

Treats work really well with Gunston, but I still haven't found Whidbey's favorite. I think I'll pick up a bag of crasins.

 

[Ilovemyrabbit]

agnesthelion wrote:

Hmm. Where are they housed? How long are they let out/handled everyday?

I think it takes time, commitment and patience to bond with a bun. They are at the bottom of the food chain so their very DNA teaches them to be afraid of everything.

I would commit to trying to spend at least a couple hours, or more if possible, sitting with your buns. Ignore them and let them explore you.

End on a positive note and don't skip a day or go extended periods of time without contact.

Also work on grooming them everyday. Even if it's for a couple minutes a day being handled, and then reward with a treat, can do wonders for bonding.

Commit, consistency and patience. I think you will get there

:yeahthat:
I don't know much about bonding as my bun was already treated well by humans and bonded with us the first couple of days or so.

But researching online will help a lot.

:goodluck

 

[agnesthelion]

Honestly, an hour a day is probably not long enough. I'm not trying to call you out but you said you want your bunnies to be more friendly, what can you do? Well, definetly spend more than an hour a day with them. Especially since they came from less than ideal conditions then even MORE effort will need to be put in. If you can't let them out or give them free run, I would encourage you to take them to a room where they can run and explore with the dog confined in another area of course. Bring treats, bring a book, lay down and just sit for a long time everyday. Like i said, do this consistently and I bet you will see results.
Good luck!