Do your bunnies run from you?

[luvmyhunybuny]

I feel like I have cottontails in my house  Any time I enter the room and T&T see me, they run. And lately Tillie will not allow pets from me. She lets the kids, but when she sees me, she runs  Breaks my heart. I assume she thinks I am going to pick her up to cut nails, groom, take outside. But I hate that she is afraid of me. Toby isn’t nearly as bad. And Smudge? He FOLLOWS me around. I keep joking that he is a dog in disguise! hehe! If I decide to keep him and bond him with T&T will that change? Will he follow suit with the other 2 and run from me?

Do your buns run from you? If they use to and they have stopped, what did you do to earn their trust?

I also want to say thanks to everyone who has guided me along this journey. Tillie was my first bun bun and this forum has been a lifesaver! (((((group hug)))))

[Poppyann]

Pickle might run from me if it’s around 6pm. It’s kinda weird, I guess this is the time when he’s drowsy as he’d been sleeping all afternoon. Also, he may do if he’s digging/chewing my wall/carpet/paper etc that he shouldnt be. Ill move him along and he’ll run away, however I think this is a happy run.

 

When he runs after he’s been asleep, that definitely isn’t a happy run XD 

[LoveChaCha]

sometimes. I can walk really close next to Chacha and she won’t even move away. It depends. If I am walking past her, and squat down to pet her (on MY terms, not hers!), she will run from me.

[Cheyann]

When I walk in their pen they run up to me. I think its because they think I have food and sometimes I think I just bother Maddie and she tells me to go away lol. When I try to pet them or pick them up they both run.

[HoneybunnySara]

If I am going into my buns area with the intention of picking him up he runs. I don’t know how he knows, I try not go be obvious and act exactly like I always do, but he knows. And if he is out of his area he runs and thumps because he doesn’t want me to put him back in his area. I know he isn’t afraid, he just doesn’t want me to ” mess ” with him. Pets are fine, messing is not lol.

[Stickerbunny]

Stickers will run sometimes, sometimes she won’t… depends on her mood. Powder will only run if I am trying to pick him up and since that is pretty much only when he’s being really bad, he knows and runs away.

[Jessica Rabbit]

The *only* time Harvey runs from me is when I have this silly idea that it’s time to go back in his cage, and he doesn’t agree with that. Otherwise, he’s my little shadow. Jackie still runs from me when I approach her, time will tell if that’s just how she feels

[Joyfull_music]

Yes. Trying to catch Momo for what ever reason I would need to pick her up is a real chore. It is especially bad trying to get her out of her pen. She also thumps at me when she knows I am trying to pick her up. Once my hand is on her, she starts to flail like a mad woman. Sorry lady, but those nails are getting cut whether you like it or not.

[piperknitsRN]

Sometimes Olive will run from me, especially if I accidentally startle her.  SOmetimes she’ll allow me to pet her for a few seconds before she’s off doing what Queen Bunnies do best-ruling the house.

[TriBun]

It does hurt your feelings when they run, huh? Tillie seems like she’s always been a little stand-offish. All I know is when Rosy was a baby and I was trying to get her to trust me, I would lay on my stomach, get as close as I dared to her, and pretend I was grooming myself. After doing this a couple times she started coming over to me and begin grooming herself next to me. Soon after that, she would let me groom (pet) her. Then finally she accepted me and just expected me to be around.

I used the same technique around Kevin and even though he’s a lot more skittish than Rosy it definitely helped him to accept me as bunnykind.

I think you need to spend more time around T & T, just being there. Spend your downtime with them and let them get used to YOU and not the nail clippers.

[gothicmist]

panda, when in the cage runs to me. when out of the cage runs from me, she knows its time to go back in her cage haha.

[Sarita]

Always!

[Hoppy Valentine]

Hoppy runs away from me a lot, when he wants pets he will jump up by me and let me pet him otherwise he runs. He also hates when I try to put him in his cage at night so now I try to close the cage at night when he goes in there by himself to eat. I try everything to get him to go in his cage when it is bed time but I guess it has to be his idea to go in there. If I try to sit on the floor to pet him he is off but otherwise if it is his idea he will let me pet him. He is so darn silly. Also if he sees his carrier he is off too, I use this to take him to the store I got him from to get his nails cut. I won’t do that myself cause I don’t want him to think of me as some bad mommy so I make the store do it. I am a pet card holder at that store so they cut them for $3 and I do that everyother month. He also runs if he sees his brush in my hand, I have yet to find a good brush that he likes me to use on him, when he was shedding badly it drove me crazy that he wouldn’t let me brush him. There was even a morning that I was still in bed and my daughter let him out that he jumped on the bed (thats a far jump too). I didn’t even think he could jump that high, even my cat has a hard time jumping on the bed since it is so high.

[RabbitPam]

Sammy runs from me. It feels weird, but it’s not really anything wrong. Just a bunny thing.

You may not know that some bunnies like to play Chase. You cannot start the game by chasing them – that causes genuine fear and they will run from you even more. But you can say to them “Chase Me” and look at them, run away a few steps, pause and look back and see if they have followed you. If they move toward you, do it again. If they do it, then turn, or run, gently start to chase them back. A bunny can chase back and forth once they catch on that it’s a game many times. Spockie and I used to run up and down my apartment living room – he’d run after me, then I’d turn. We’d circle the coffee table and the rug. He clearly had fun. Once learned, if you bunny runs and pauses, then you run next, you’ll know if they’re playing if they come after you, then run away.

[Stickerbunny]

Pam, Powder loves that game! He takes off running across the living room and does a little mini-binky and that is his way of saying “lets play!” … we usually end up doing like 10 laps around the living room / dining room because he goes and flops by the A/C vent.

[Joyfull_music]

My rabbit loves to play chase me with the dog. She will go up to him an nip him, or climb on him until she has his attention, then she zooms off and hops around. The dog eventually caught on after sulking for a while about the rabbit picking on him.

[Elrohwen]

Mine typically run to me if I get down on the floor – I hand feed them enough treats that they’re always looking for handouts. If I just walk in the room, they usually don’t move unless they have a reason to think I’m bringing food. I can walk into a room and step right over them if they’re laying down and they won’t budge, especially Otto. My mom was visiting and decided to vacuum right next to the chair Otto was sleeping under (assuming he’d move) but he didn’t even run away for that. Haha

If I reach out a hand, Otto will sniff me for food, and then hop off a few feet to avoid being petted. Hannah usually puts her head on the ground and asks for pets, but she will run away if she’s in a hyper mood and wants to play instead of snuggle.

[mia]

Just pretend you’re asleep! =) If I pretend I’m asleep, I’ll get inspected (sniffed, nudges, etc)

[Marshall91]

I wonder if T&T are reacting to the scent of the new bunny on you. Do the kids play with Smudge too?

[luvmyhunybuny]

Posted By Marshall91 on 09/13/2011 06:57 PM
I wonder if T&T are reacting to the scent of the new bunny on you. Do the kids play with Smudge too?

 

They have always ran from me

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

Rupert used to; he clobbers me and anyone else now.
What we did-treats

No seriously-I didn’t do things that would break trust like try to hold him longer than he wanted, but he didn’t want to be held at all when I first got him and of course they have to be for certain things. So we slowly built up to petting and holding, but I read when he’d had enough and backed off. We worked often. He always got treats after. And time-I’ve had him for several years now…gosh I think coming up on five years if my math is correct (it seldom is though)

But the basic is-if your presence=food and treats I think they’ll come around

[Author]

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