Saved Rabbit..how to I gain her love and trust..

[CluelessMommy]

:happyrabbit:
Not long ago I went to an animal shelter to save an adorable dog or cat. Little did I know my heart would melt to a black Holland lop with beautiful brown eyes, who goes by the name Luna. I inquired about her..right off the bat.
“you don’t want her.” Said the nasty freaking lady at the shelter.
“why not?”
“she was badly abused and won’t make a good pet.”
She explained that when she was left at their down she was under fed, mistreated and injured (but she wouldn’t tell me where she was injured). She went on and told me about her nasty and cold attitude and that she’s always scared. However went I walked up to the cage she poked her little nose threw the bars and let me pet her. My heart broke when the woman said they were going to release her in the wild once she’s better.
I took her home right after hearing that. I took her to a local animal hospital where she stayed for 24-48 hours for ACTUAL medical treatment. I got her everything I thought a lil bun would need. Cage, water bottle, food bowel bedding so on. Once she was released I took her home, excited about the new addition to the family..Needless to say it’s been an adventure.
First and for most I quickly discovered she HATES her cage she does not want in there. So, I went out and purchased a HUGE playpen for her to stay in at night or when I’m unable to devote time to watch her. Here’s the link for the fantastic playpen if anyone’s interested. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000MD3OJO/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20
She’s happier in there..I think. Although she’s torn up her sheet and the plastic sheet that came with the pen (hence the bed sheet to prevent her from eating the plastic). She’s OK with being picked up and taking treats when I hold her. However, I noticed she breaths rapidly when I hold her so I don’t hold her for very long and when I put her down I pet her for a few minutes attempting to calm her down. When she’s in the pen she follows me, sticking her nose threw the bars to be petted or stretches all the way up for a petting. She won’t take pellets from my hand and is VERY protective of her food bowel. I have to distract her with pets when I have to take it out and put it back in her pen.
I don’t know how true this is..but the vet told me when she’s bad or bites (cause she bit the vet and drew blood) is to pull up the skin at the nap of her neck (like a mother would) and lay her on her back for a moment or two. She bit my chest once (no blood) and I did what he said..but I felt horrible after. I tried the high pitched squeal but that did nothing.
I don’t keep her in her pen when I can devote time to her, she runs around freely. She comes near and loves to jump on my butt but that’s about it. Sometimes she’s lay near me after bouncing and hoping everywhere. When I have to run out for just a bit I attach another pen to her pen and make it a HUGE pen. So she can still run around.
The BIGGEST issue is..at night. I keep Luna in her pen at night, sometimes she sleeps but others..oh boy. She’s hoping and bouncing and running into the pen walls and chewing on the sheets and whatever else Luna can find. I try my best to comfort her. I hold her or feed her it’ll work but it’s hard waking up in the middle of the night to that since she sleeps in my room with me.
So..Does anyone have advice on how I can help Luna trust me and for her to know I love her? Am I doing all the right things? Help, advice needed.

 

[kmaben]

Sounds like your off to a fairly good start. I wouldnt scruff her has their skin is very sensitive and mama rabbits dont do that anyways. Try gently pushing her head down and holding her there a moment.

Rabbits in general do not like to be picked up. They are a ground dweller and being picked up usually means something has you and is about to eat you. Picking her up in short bursts, petting, and giving treats is a good way to get her use to it. But she may never like it.

Does she have any toys in her pen? A box with shredded paper to dig in, a regular cardborad box to chew up, or an old phone book with the glossy cover ripped up are an excellent way to keep a bun occupied at night.
How long have you had her? Rabbits go through an adjustment period where they test limits and have to learn their territory. For instance when I brought my giant baby home he was horrible in his pen at night. He wanted attention and he wanted food and he wanted it right now please! It took a couple of weeks for him to realize he wasnt getting squat at night and it was time to be asleep.
If she is unspayed then she is going to be very territorial. Unspayed females (does) tend to be pretty protective of their space and what they perceive as theirs. I have a neutered male who will nip me when I go for his food bowls. Sweetest rabbit in the world but it's just his one quirk.
Rabbits are quirky, particular, animals. Some things you just have to figure out what are attitude issues and what are the personality of your bun.

 

[CluelessMommy]

Thank you for the reply.
I've had Luna for a few months. I had her spayed a few weeks ago (I can't image how she would be if I didn't). I try to ignore her begging at night but it's difficult when I'm trying to sleep and all I want is sleep. She DOES sleep at night sometimes. One morning I found her lying on her side an ear over her eye. I never saw her do that and I thought she was hurt..or worse. I called her name no movement. I pet her and "JUMP".
She's chewed up ALL her toys I just ordered some new ones. Problem is at night she is SO LOUD i have to take out the bigger toys like the books and stuff.
I just want to know that she's happy and that she knows she is REALLY loved and cared for. It breaks my heart thinking ANYONE could hurt an animal.

 

[Bville]

What a wonderful story! It is so heartwarming to hear that you are giving Luna a second chance for a good life. It sounds like you are taking good care of her. I don't have any advice on how to keep her quiet at night, but I just wanted to say that I think you are doing a great job so far.

 

[Nancy McClelland]

Ours are all rescues, so time and patience are the key things. Our newest, Cosmo, is pretty much the same and we can't wait til he starts acting more like an adult bunny and slows down a little. We don't tolerate biting at all and don't want them to learn that it gets them what they want--if they bite, they get pinned just like an alpha would do to a sub. He doesn't bite anymore--draw bollod--but will still nip if he's not getting his way. Typical brat, er, bunny.

 

[CluelessMommy]

Aw..thank you so much. She is a sweetie when she's not scared.

 

[CluelessMommy]

So holding her head down is better?

 

[kmaben]

Holding her head down will probably get you better results. It's a more natural bunny behavior and understood language.

 

[CluelessMommy]

Thank you everyone for your help and kind words.
Can anyone suggest quiet bunny toys?

 

[ladysown]

protective over the food bowl is more likely less to do with being aggressive and more over.. this is mine... it's supposed to FOOD IN IT. .. DON"T TAKE MY FOOD!

A friend of mine had a bun who came from a similar situation. She had two identical bowls and just switched them out. The rabbit did wonderfully with that. It might be something you want to consider.

Sounds like the bun is doing just fine by you. Wanting pets, following you around.

you just need to get a bit stricter by the night time routine and your bunny will be content.

 

[CluelessMommy]

OMG! I love that idea. Two identical bowels that will help a lot I think rather then having to distract her. Yes, she is crazy about her pellets.
I hope she knows she's loved and cared about but sometimes its hard to read her.
How do I train her with the bedtime routine? Any suggestions?

 

[ladysown]

ignore her at night and remove most of her noisy toys.

I don't know if rabbits "can know that you love them". they can know if they are cared for or not. If you care for her...feeding, watering, cleaning out and interacting with them... that they will know and understand.