How do you avoid damaging a human and bunny bond

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I would say the same ways as you can damage a human relationship- ignoring it or breaking trust. The quickest way to break trust is to use "mean hands". If you ever spank a bunny they will not know they did something wrong, they will just associate you will being hit. Always interact with your rabbit with "kind hands" so they can trust you. This may still mean doing something they don't like that is good for them, like trimming their nails, as long as you are calm. Giving a treat after also helps to reinforce it was not a mean act on your part. Yes rabbits need boundries, just like children, to know right from wrong. I think it helps to make them feel secure. But you teach through redirection and a stern word; not shouting to scare them, just the firm mommy voice and I use their full names only when they are in trouble (ie, Ghirardelli Square Bunns, you march right down these steps this instant and leave Houdini alone!). Believe it or not, all my pets know the full name means they are being scolded and I never have to raise my voice. Rabbits are very good at telling emotions and reacting to moods. If I get very angry with a pet I will walk away to get calm before we address the issue. Luckily that doesn't happen often.

Spend quality time daily with your bun, you are their world and depend on your for everything. If you ignore your rabbit they will feel you are not a reliable source of love and companionship. This is particularly true if they are an only bun. In pair bonds they have eachother for comfort while you are away. If they are a single you are thir bond mate and it's stressful when you are not available to them.

While these things can be overcome, it's much easier not to do it in the first place. It will take much more time and patience to get forgiveness (rabbits have very long memories and hold a grudge) than to never transgress. Just to be clear, I'm not talking about abuse, that can not be forgiven. Just the every day things that happen. People start out letting their rabbits out and playing with them every day, then once the novelty wears off it's not so frequent. It's a slippery slope that can lead to neglect very quickly because as prey animals they hide things very well.

I guess I see interactions with my rabbits very similar to a human infant. It must be consistant and filled with love. But I am so glad that my babies never grow up and go off to college ;)
 
Yes it is easy to lose a rabbit's trust. I agree with MiniLopHop.

I try to spend time with Sweetie and Pudden and I also talk to them nicely. Yes there are times I want to yell at them but I try to refrain from it. I never ever hit my rabbits. I always let them know that what they are doing is wrong when I discipline them, by putting them in their cage for timeout.
 
I agree with everything. I actually use the full name thing to. She knows she does wrong when i use her full name. Soup Rugerford Phillips(its wierd i know i actually orginally thought she was a boy when i named her). but she knows i mean business and runs to her cage for her timeout. Me and soup have been together forever now so she knows exactly what to do to make me mad. rabbits do hold grudges, soup tends to hold it for a short period of time but she does. I would never hit your rabbit i think thats the best way to break a bond. I tend to think soup knows that im here to keep her safe and if i hurt her she might never feel safe around me.
 
Sweetie and I have a tight bond that nothing can break. Not even me getting mad and hitting her. I felt very bad about it and I promised Sweetie that I would never yell at her or hit her again. She forgave me but it took a long time as she was holding a grudge. But to get that forgiveness I had to show her that I meant what I said about never hitting her or yelling at her again.

I love Sweetie and I would not be okay without her. When Sweetie is in trouble I say in a stern voice "GET IN YOUR CAGE", and she does, actually she makes a bee line to her cage.

Pudden and I have yet to bond, but we will, I know it will just take time for him and I to bond.
 
It takes time to bond. Me and soup went through alot of tears and bites and blood sheding but now were stronger than ever. The only time ive ever hit soup was when i brought another rabbit home to see if she wanted a friend. She is NOT good with other rabbits. She attacked the other rabbit and attacked me for bringing this intruder into her space. ALL my fault. I felt horrible. She got over it once the other rabbit was gone she was mad for a little while after that. But It happens. I think your bond can come back together just takes time. Though i do occasionally flicked her nose. This is when she knows she done something REALLY bad and to never do it again.
 
Sweetie licks me more than before. So I know that Sweetie and I have our bond back. She sits with me when I have her on the couch with me. I give Sweetie lots of hugs and kisses. Sweetie and I bonded the first day I got her at 6 weeks. She is now 3 years old. Her and my bond is very strong, especially since her bondmate Prince passed away on August 31, 2011.

I am working with Pudden to bond with me. Before I got him, he was neglected and abused. This is way before I got him. He still has trust issues with being held and put back in the cage. He kicks when he is being put back in his cage.
 
Yea Soup was abused but he definitely was neglected it was pretty sad. I Couldnt get him right away. i was trying to prepare all the stuff. So soup was really mean when i got her. She came around after alot of love was brought to her. Weve been together ever since. She 10 right now going to turn 11 real soon. Me and soup connected immediately. Isnt a great feeling? :) I wish she would have gotten along with another rabbit to have a companion but she does not like other rabbits. She a spoiled princesss so i think she thinks she is going to lose attention and treats if there was another one. She started to act like a 2 year old again. SPOILED!
 
It is the greatest feeling in the world for a rabbit to instantly bond with the human. Sweetie and Prince instantly bonded to each other.

Most rabbits won't bond to another rabbit. Rabbits are picky about who their lifetime mate is, just like we are.

After Prince passed away, two weeks later, I got Pudden from a forum member who saved him from being neglected and abused. Sweetie and Pudden did pretty well but fought. They kept fighting until I started doing things with Sweetie first then Pudden. That has worked so far. They get along better now, but still are not bonded. I don't think that they will bond but I hope that they will be friends.

I think that having Pudden here has help Sweetie grieve the loss of Prince. Also having me here to hold her and let her know that it is okay and I am here for her.
 
Ive always wanted soup to be happy. i wanted him to bond with another rabbit and have babies. I was going to name him Campbell. So the babies will be like Chicken noodle. like Campbell Chicken noodle Soup. But its ok soup and me are both independant females. She to old to worry now.
Im sorry to hear about Prince. I hope Sweetie feels better and at least can be friends with Pudden.
 
Thanks. She is doing a lot better now. She has done amazingly with the grieving process, I thought that I would have problems but there were no problems with her at all. She kept eating and drinking and staying healthy. She had ear mites after Prince passed but I got her through that, and she has molted/shedding. I am glad that she has me to be with and that she has Pudden in a different cage to keep her company when I am not here. Every night after Prince passed, I would spend time with Sweetie and I think that helped her through the grieving Prince's loss.
 
I am not sure about that as my rabbits are in petstore cages, but my rabbits are small enough for them and they get outside time.
 
Tippy doesn't mind if you bother her while she's eating, but she will expect you to hand feed her if you do! Her philosophy: you wanna play with me while I'm eating? That's fine. You feed me and it's all good.
 
I have found the best way to discipline is a spray bottle. I have some anger issues and if I don't have a way to discipline I worry I will hit Lola. I know they have very fragile bone structure and can easily be turned off to humans if abused so I do everything not to hit her. She came to me with a large lack of discipline and I was having trouble dealing with it until I figure out the water. It doesn't physically hurt her, and since it's just water it's not harmful in any way. I tried all the other things, saying her name, being stern, shoeing her, clapping, etc, i tried EVERYTHING! And this seems to be the only thing that works for both of us. She understands she did something wrong but I don't think she totally understand it's coming from me because afterwards she usually snuggles with me....and I dry her so she doesn't catch a cold....it kind of helps us bond.
 
candykittten wrote:
Would something like standing in their pen with them, hurt a bond? Bothering them while eating?
Click to expand...

Standing is ok, but sitting is better. Then you are more on their level. If you lay down they will probably climb on you, which I find fun. :)

I pet my kids every morning while they eat. It's such a social, bonding time for rabbits to share a meal. Obviously I'm not going to eat pellets with them, so I just pet to be part of the happy moment. When Gary was new that is the only time he would let me pet him. Now he has caught on that my hands aren't going to hurt him so he will let me pet him other times too.
 
You will get mixed answers on the picking up. Some people think it is in a rabbit's nature to be afraid of getting picked up so they don't do it. I can't help myself, I love my fuzzies and have to hug them every day. I feel that once they get used to it then it doesn't distress them at all.

Becky is an extreme that she will ask to be picked up by putting her front paws on my shin or if she is on the vet table, on my chest. She was at the vet's last night and the doctor thought it was the cutest thing. Becky would let the doctor look in her ears etc. but as soon as the vet turned around to put stuff in the computer Becky turned to face me and put her paws on my chest. As soon as my hands were close to her bottom she jumped, knowing I would catch and hold her. The only time she ever thumps at me is when I put her down unless she asked for potty time; she scratches my shoulder when she has to go because she's afraid to jump off chairs or the bed. She will go to the litter box and most of the time come back and nose bonk my feet to get back up.

My Houdini and Cinderella will run around my feet when I'm in their house. When I go to pick them up they hold still and let me get them. At first I would have to chase them around a little and corner them. Now they know if I'm picking them up they will get some tv time and pets, then a treat when they come back. They have learned that picking up is just a way to move them to a nice snuggle spot and they are ok with that.

Gary is my youngest and has only been in the house a couple months. He still tries to squirm out of hands when I go to pick him up. He is making progress on getting used to it and will eat treats while I'm holding him. He's also getting used to getting pet while sitting on the floor. Now he will "bow" when I walk over to him and bend to pet.

It just takes time for them to get used to the feeling and know they will have a good time when you pick them up. I think a basic comfort with handling/picking up is important because of vet care. If you can't hold your rabbit what do you do for their check-ups or heaven forbid, if they get sick? Also toe nail trims would be close to impossible if they aren't used to handling.
 
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