Shy Rabbit Experiences

[gigi777]

I guess I have been very lucky with past buns because I have never had a shy rabbit who preferred his rabbit home instead. I guess I'm looking for tips and others experiences with a shy rabbit. My other rabbits loved to hangout with me on the couch or roam about and binky away. This rabbit came from a horrible place and was very young when I got him but never seemed to come out of his shell. He would rather sit and watch from his cage, even when the doors are open to the x pen or even free to the room. If he does hop out he goes back in quickly or hides under the couch. He will take food from my hand and will sometimes sniff my face if I'm just laying there but then goes away on his own. I guess I'm just not used to this sort of bunny personality! I can't get him to play with any toys either, and what's even stranger is he hasn't touched greens or veggies at all for as long as I have had him( 2 years). I have tried so many combos or toys and greens but he chooses nothing!

Help

 

[PaGal]

Maybe try spending even more time with him quietly. Maybe give him a treat of a pellet or two when he does come to see you.

Have you placed the greens in his food dish or have you held him? My one bun will not eat anything new if I hold it. I have to place it in his dish and later he will eat it. After that I can then hand feed him that particular veggie. If your bun is eating limited pellets and unlimited hay he should be fine though. Not everyone feeds their buns greens and some can't have them due to tummy problems.

 

[Kipcha]

Shy, timid bunnies can take a long time to come out of their shell. As bad as it sounds, depending on how scared they are, do you have a ton of hiding places for him? We take ours in to an open room and just lay on the floor and wait, but don't give them somewhere to hide. We don't push them or anything, just talk or read something and just a few days of this has worked wonders on some.

We have one that I have been working with for a little over a year who was abandoned with her brother in a box. She has come a long way with consistent handling and teaching her that people aren't scary, but she is still very timid. She has come a VERY long way though. Once when we first got her my Mom just went to put pellets in her bowl and she freaked so bad that she managed to ram her head between the bars of the x-pen. I can now pick her up without incident and she does come over to us on her own. You can pet her and rub her face, although she is hesitant still. I can only imagine what she had been through to make her so frightened of people, but she is slowly getting over it.

We have another that was born feral and about a year old when he was caught, we've been fostering him since March and he too has come a long way, but is taking more work then Nemo to come around. I can at least pick him up without having him freak but he is extremely easily startled and has a lot more work ahead. But he lived wild for a year and fear is all he knew so I'm not surprised. He still is doing astonishingly well considering where he started. Once again, just a calm atmosphere and talking/reading to them. Even when your watching tv just pick them up and cuddle.

Shy bunnies are well worth it though, it's great to see their personalities come through.

 

[lovelops]

Yes, about shy bunnies... Chica my agouti was outgoing when she was a little pip squeak of a bunny. From the age of a month to 6 months she was really outgoing. She would sit on my shoulder when I would clean her cage and at times she would hop on top of my head. I even had pictures of her doing that somewhere on the computer. NOW she is a year and 6 months going on a year 7 months and her personality has changed. She is so shy now and freaks out if people stick her hand in her cage.. I can rub her forehead and stroke her nose and when she was a baby I would rub her tummy and even now she will raise up her front two legs so I can rub her tummy like I would do when she was a baby. But she get's freaked out over nothing, like a bag being opened to put the trash from her cage into, etc...

Her brother changed also. He did not like me hardly at all when he was a baby. NOW he is all over me when I clean his cage and take them out to play. He will run across my legs, stand on my knee (when I'm sitting) and stand up on his hind legs to look me in the face, he is just nosey rabbit now which is totally unlike what he was at 6 months.

So I've had an outgoing rabbit change to shy and a very shy change to outgoing and in your face!

Vanessa

 

[gigi777]

Thanks everyone!
- I have tried by hand and in the dish both he does not respond to. He does get limited pellets and a large amount of unlimited hay each day so I feel a little better now.


- I guess I need to take some hiding places away. I like the idea of a completely open room. And who knows maybe it's just going to take another year! positive thinking

 

[lovelops]

Thanks everyone!
- I have tried by hand and in the dish both he does not respond to. He does get limited pellets and a large amount of unlimited hay each day so I feel a little better now.


- I guess I need to take some hiding places away. I like the idea of a completely open room. And who knows maybe it's just going to take another year! positive thinking

Hi there, really it can take time. Mine changed totally but I'm hoping with my new rescues within a year I can pick up lady and have her stop being a wiggle worm to get out of my hands and sit in my lap without me having to move her there for the limited amount of time she will sit there!

Hang in there! Hope springs eternal!!!

 

[lover4daisy]

Try taking the other rabbits out of the room, ( if there are any), turn off the TV and anything that might scare him if it moves or makes sound and open the cage. Sit on floor and put some food in your lap. Hand feed him and when he takes it pet him.
Try to find he fav. food.. Try Bananna when try this excersize.

 

[lovelops]

Try taking the other rabbits out of the room, ( if there are any), turn off the TV and anything that might scare him if it moves or makes sound and open the cage. Sit on floor and put some food in your lap. Hand feed him and when he takes it pet him.
Try to find he fav. food.. Try Bananna when try this excersize.

I agree with the Banana with this excercise.. it works with Lady.. but I still can't hold her... but we are getting close and closer..

 

[gigi777]

So good news I came home from a week vacation and I told me fiancé he needed to keep working with him while I was away.... Well that really helped and he must have really missed me because I have a lot of good things for one day!

In the quit room I laid down for about 5 min. and he actually came up to me sniffed my face and kicked his feet out and feel asleep right next to my head. Lots of ear rubbing after he only laid for about three minutes though but it's for sure a start!


Then he let me pick him up to put him back in his pen later with out any fuss and was totally fine. I gave him his favorite papaya treat for sure! He doesn't care for banana as crazy as that seems because my other bun went absolutely nuts for it!


I had a bunch of really green lettuce and I thought let's try this again.... He took about three or four bites from my hand! So much progress for one day!

Thanks for the positive thoughts and help everyone it's working really well all of a sudden!

 

[Aubrisita]

That is awesome, congrats! Just keep doing what you are doing.

 

[Kipcha]

I am so glad there has been improvement! Looks like you're both doing really well.

 

[Imbrium]

So good news I came home from a week vacation and I told me fiancé he needed to keep working with him while I was away.... Well that really helped and he must have really missed me because I have a lot of good things for one day!

In the quit room I laid down for about 5 min. and he actually came up to me sniffed my face and kicked his feet out and feel asleep right next to my head. Lots of ear rubbing after he only laid for about three minutes though but it's for sure a start!

Nothing warms your heart quite like having a bonding breakthrough with a stubborn, shy animal! I always love those moments where you feel like they're really learning to trust you .