Will this work? Please READ

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Becca

Becca

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Because Dippy and Fluffball are still little scaredy buns - they shy away and run off whenever we move i have decided to take some advice, i am going to write below what i am going to do and can you tell me if it will work

•After they have been running round the playhouse at roughly the same time every night put them in, when they are both in give them a treat.
•Then they will learn that at that time of day its time to settle down.
•Hopefully they will learn and at that time of day they will go in automatically at that time and get their treat.

Will that work??

•But why do they run away from me when i try and give them a cuddle?
I know i have posted this before but i have tried that treat on a fork thing but i cant keep my hand still enough and they never eat when i am there anyway.


HELP I'm going crazy :panic:
 
I just wanted to add that my Lionhead, Marlin, is a scaredy cat as well. When strangers enter the rabbit room....he freaks out and runs in circles in his cage. Even when Ryan or I enter the rabbit room or walk past the room he freaks out and does the same thing.

He's just naturally "flighty", like some horses :p.
 
the best thing you can do is to sit in their run with them or have them inside and do the same they are so curious they will come and climb on you and stuff it helps to let them get used to you if you teat for that and for them letting you pick them up or giving them a cuddle then they will get used to you and know you aren't going to hurt them. they just need to get used to you being there then they won't be so shy :)
 
I think if you take your idea and Polly's idea (treat and sit in the run with them) they will beging to look for you eac day in very short time.. Some Buns seem to need alot of patience and persistence.. I'm sure it won't be long until you start posting how "needy" they've become!:biggrin2: Good luck and please post what works and what does not - as I am sure others are going through the same thing at the moment.
 
One thing that has worked for me is sit in with them in their run or play area and ignore them. Read a book etc., bunnies can't stand to be ignored. It may take some time but they will come up to check you out and find out why you are ignoring them. They may still dart off if you make the slightest move, but eventually they will start to relax around you.

I volunteer with the Indiana House Rabbit Society and Ihave used this method on rabbits who were found abandon in parks or dropped off at a shelter or rabbit rescue. These bunnies were very jumpy. It takes a while and a lot of patience, but it does work.


 
I do something similar as this with Buddy.... and I am trying to do it with Roxie but don't have time right now.

When I give Buddy a pellet at a certain time of evening, he runs inside, if I give it to him in the afternoon, it is a 50% chance of him going inside and it depends on how he is feeling.

If you want to do something like this, pick a treat that Dippy and Fluffball love (they can both have seperate treats but it is a tad harder this way) You need to make sure that you can always have this treat available so they will always go inside.

What I started off doing was giving Buddy a treat, took a couple steps back, showed him my hand with more pellets in it, gave another to him, and repeated until he gets to his cage. I kept doing this for about a week or 2. (Buddy is the smartest little bun ever though!) After a while, I would give him a pellet and I would do a technique with him.

I would start walking and then turn around and face him side ways as if waiting for him. I would then start walking again and turn and face him. This is how rabbits tell eachother to follow and it worked great with Buddy. When you are starting out, you may have to give your bunny another treat during the process because they are still getting the hang of it.

One VERY important key is consistency. You cannot expect for a rabbit who is fully trained, to do the same trick a month later when he has not done any training in between.

When I go out at a certain time with Buddy, he normally comes up to me and knows it is time to go inside.

Another thing I suggest is to just sit with your buns when they are eating. Maybe eat your own food. For rabbits, eating is a social activity. Soon your buns will get used to your presence and you can pet them and so on.

Hope this helped!
Megan
 
Here is a video I found of Buddy going inside:

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Buddy
 
Great Video! I forsee Dippy and Fluffball will be fine with a little patience and consistency.. I believe you can get them to Buddy's state and beyond with constant care (you seem very committed). Good luck!
 
Ok guys the mission will start today ;)

Using everybodies ideas here is what I am going to do:
•Let the buns out,
•Sit down and read my book with a treat on my knee,
•Keep reading and hopefully one of them should come over and explore,
•But what do I do now? Do I keep ignoring them when they come over? Or should I let them take the treat and stroke them?

Please answer :)
 
It's so hard to wait on your buns to warm up to you, isn't it?! My advice would be to take it very slowly. You might have to sit, let them hop around and investigate you fora few sessions; right here at the beginning,just give the treat, very slowly, so they don't startle, without petting. When that's fairly smooth, talk in a soft happy voice while you give the treat. Some buns will start to hop in your lap if you"ignore" them long enough.'Cause they like to be worshiped, of course!!Lap hoppers are inviting you to interact - just go slow. Pats on the shoulders, sorta behind the ears, are usually not too scary. I'd avoid the haunches. Bunnies are skittish there because of being prey animals. Some buns will also press right up beside you when they are feeling companionable. Keep talking, let the buns set the pace, and enjoy getting to know your bunnies! (And don't forget to lay on your stomach some. They love to hop around on ya after they get to know you a little.)

Good luck and let us know how it goes!!:apollo:
 
BabyBunnies wrote:
BabyBunnies wrote:
•But what do I do now? Do I keep ignoring them when they come over? Or should I let them take the treat and stroke them?

Please answer :)
Click to expand...

What should I do??

By the way that video of Buddy was amazing!!
Click to expand...

Thanks. Buddy came froma rescue and it took me a lot of time for him to trust people.

When they come up to you, I suggest to keep ignoring them. Keep ignoring them and then maybe start talking softly to them. When they start getting a bit more used to you, you can maybe give a pet or two to them on the head or the back. Wth skittish buns, remember SLOW movements.

Maybe when they come up to you, have some treats around you or try hand feeding and not moving your hand.

Megan
 
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