How to Tame an Alpha or at least make friends

[Tessa]

Asking all you Bunny experts and/or Bunny whisperers, do you have any good tips on how to tell a boss bunny that you and you alone are the only boss?

So far I've tried pressing my hand firmly on his forehead- he just grunts and swats my hand away.

I've also tried the wrapping him in a blanket like a burrito like my vet suggested. Nope-hasn't worked.

He's not afraid of me. I hand feed him all the time so I know it's not a fear issue

Now I know that not all rabbits like to be held, fine. But it's been a year and it would be nice to be able to groom him and cut his nails.

 

[Nancy McClelland]

Just have to keep at it. Not all will be cuddle bunnies no matter how hard we try.

 

[Madalynster]

My bunny reacted the same way, it's like we are friends but he wont let me pet him unless he's eating food, I never try to pick him up because I know he doesn't like it but he just is a bully to me sometimes and I finally think I figured out why. I got my bunny a while ago and it was just him as the king of the house, we have two cats but they don't mind him and he will play with them once in a while. anyway about two days ago I heard from a bunch of people that I should take him to a shelter with a bunch of bunnies up for adoption and see how he reacts, see if he wants a friend. Well he did, so I adopted a two month old male that was going to grow to be about the same size as him. And now he seems much calmer, all he wants is to be with this other bunny! He was lonely while I was at work all day, and I thought the cats were enough but he just wanted one of his own kind.

 

[KohanaManso]

im in the same boat. all shell let me do is pet her on the head. and sometimes not even that. she can touch me, but i cant touch her lol. and if i do the towel wrap, she just freaks right out. heart beats fast, breathing picks up. she use to love coming out of her cage, now she hates it. if i try to pick her up, she runs around like shes crazy

 

[john.p]

I also have the same problem!

Mine is only 5 weeks old, but it struggles and kicks whenever I try to cut his nails, or pick him up for extended periods of time. I'm afraid I will hurt him by cutting his nail too far when he struggles.

I understand that a lot of bunnies don't enjoy being picked up, but I feel that this is a dominance issue.

The mother also seems dominant. Whenever I try to feed her, she tries to grab the whole lettuce leaf away from me.

 

[KohanaManso]

team work is key! i wait for my sister to come home to cut my bunnies nails. i hold her and my sister cuts!

 

[Tessa]

Haha- Yes! Strength in numbers!!!! Good luck

 

[hippie]

I would def just keep at it. A lot of ppl on this forum have had this problem, a friend of mine is in the exact same boat. Fortunately my little guy has been nothing but sweet since the day I got him and loves nothing more than being picked up and smothering you with kisses. Good luck with it all and let us know how u go.

 

[john.p]

KohanaManso wrote:

team work is key! i wait for my sister to come home to cut my bunnies nails. i hold her and my sister cuts!

I tried this with my wife, but he squirms quite a lot, so I'm afraid of cutting too much!

I'll try feeding him as we cut his nails to see if he is more complacent that way. Thanks for the advice though!

 

[Nancy McClelland]

If you get a firm enough hold, they won't squirm unless you get too close to the quick. Teamwork does work best and ours accept it now since they have no choice.

 

[john.p]

Should I scruff Hamilton when trying to cut his nails?

How do you hold your bunny when cutting their nails? (bunnicula II, haha great name!)

 

[Madalynster]

I really have started treating my bun like a tiny horse, since he has such an attitude. I use body language, just like how I would train my horse. I used to have a young philly who acted alot like my desmond so i decided to start using the body language I used with my horse. First I got in a room with just him and I and I act like i am doing something very important on the floor. Sometimes it takes him a little to notice me but sometimes he notices me right away. He gets curious and comes over, then I start to push like two fingers on his head and slowly pet him, if he runs away I shake my head and flop on my side or turn my back. Then he gets curious again, this time I maybe have a treat and usually after a few times he lets me pet him . I know it sounds weird but thats really all you need to do with most buns. They are very curious creatures. Sometimes it helps if you have a smaller area, I only suggest petting training when they are in the cage if you have one with an open top and he has an escape. Cuz my boy likes to sit on his shelf and eat hay while I pet him..

 

[Alek]

Believe it or not the Dog Whisperer method of calm assertive touch for discipline works well. Tiberius is pretty dominant and I let him with my other pets because he keeps my dogs in check. However Tiberius gets aggressive with me if I don't put him in place. Persistence is very important though and rabbits are so stubborn. I find holding him with his back to my chest and doing an assertive touch to the shoulder and "shht" snaps him out of his mood. I don't let him down till he calms. If he struggles I do the exercise again till he settles. I tried a spray bottle in the face and all that did was tick him off even more so the assertive touch works great. Once he's nice I give him a good scratch and he's fine.
Now that he knows I'm not going to let him down while he's being a jerk he's calm when I pick him up. For nail trims I hold him against my chest and my mother clips his nails or lay him on his back between my legs. For grooming I give him one of those big honey nut sticks, sit him in front of me on the floor, hold him firmly while I brush him. He stays distracted by the treat and now when he sees the brush he gets excited. If he starts struggling I do my calm assertive touch and hold on him.
I hope your bun starts cooperating soon.

 

[jeanluc_pippen_merry]

Madalynster wrote:

My bunny reacted the same way, it's like we are friends but he wont let me pet him unless he's eating food, I never try to pick him up because I know he doesn't like it but he just is a bully to me sometimes and I finally think I figured out why. I got my bunny a while ago and it was just him as the king of the house, we have two cats but they don't mind him and he will play with them once in a while. anyway about two days ago I heard from a bunch of people that I should take him to a shelter with a bunch of bunnies up for adoption and see how he reacts, see if he wants a friend. Well he did, so I adopted a two month old male that was going to grow to be about the same size as him. And now he seems much calmer, all he wants is to be with this other bunny! He was lonely while I was at work all day, and I thought the cats were enough but he just wanted one of his own kind.

Rabbits are such speciests.