Very Timid/Shy Bunny

[daisygrl]

Hi guys,

I am still pretty new to having a bunny so I thought I would ask for a help from you again (you were wonderful helping me last time). I have had my bunny (Lionhead) for about 3 months now. I adopted him from shelter. He is neutered, one year old. I work at home so I try to interact with him daily, multiple times. Almost every time I try to pet him, he hops off. I tried everything in the book to make him comfortable. I use pellets as a “treat”, meaning, he only eats them from my hand. He has no problem doing it. But as soon as he is done, he hops off into the corner and sits there. He never follows me around, never let me touch him, and is extremely timid and scared when I come to to pet him. I do not pick him up unless I need to brush him (twice a week – he is Lionhead after all). Many times, I just lay on the carpet and he comes and sniffs around and hops off – won’t let me touch him. It has been like this for 3 months and I think it is getting worse. There is no loud music or kids in my house. Very quiet, actually. He has toys that he does not play with, he does not do anything all day except eating and sleeping. I took him to the vet and vet said bunny is physically ok. He was also surprised by bunny’s extremely timid behaviour after 3 months (!). I am not sure how to interact with him. I do not want to give up on him, but the truth is, I would like a little more out of the bunny than just having him being curled up in the corner all day long. I know for some it takes a long time to get used to being comfortable but I worry this just might be his personality. (He is not scared when he sits in the room and I walk by. He won’t hop off) – if that helps.

I will appreciate any suggestions! Thank you, again!

[Bam]

My first bunny Bam was much like your bunny for the first whole year I had him. I found him in the woods when I was walking my dog, so I don’t know what kind of life he’d had. I’m guessing he’d been left to sit in a small cage all the time, because that’s how he behaved – like he was in a cage, even if he had free roam of the whole apartment, he just sat under the coffea-table.

He was very slow to adapt, but when he once did, he evolved fast. He became fond of cuddling. He now seeks pets every day and he really seems to enjoy getting face-rubs and forehead rubs etc. Still not a fan of being picked up, but that’s more the rule than an exception with bunnies. He also started to move about a lot more and he became what I would describe as a perfect house bunny – litter trained, not a chewer, enjoys and seeks out human company.

A thing that I found helpful was to put several cardboard boxes in the room, with two entrances/openings (rabbits always want an emergency exit) in them, so he knew he had hidey-houses if he needed them. It seemed to make him feel safer. Bunnies often like to remodel cardboard houses, so it may give your rabbit a project to work on too.

Bunnies do sit around (or lie around) most of the day and then they are active mornings and nights. But most of what they do is just hang out. If you watch tv and your bunny lies a few yards away but in plain sight, the bunny probably considers it a social activity. Adult rabbits are less energetic than young rabbits, that is also a factor.

[daisygrl]

Posted By bam on 6/16/2015 4:03 PM

My first bunny Bam was much like your bunny for the first whole year I had him. I found him in the woods when I was walking my dog, so I don’t know what kind of life he’d had. I’m guessing he’d been left to sit in a small cage all the time, because that’s how he behaved – like he was in a cage, even if he had free roam of the whole apartment, he just sat under the coffea-table.

He was very slow to adapt, but when he once did, he evolved fast. He became fond of cuddling. He now seeks pets every day and he really seems to enjoy getting face-rubs and forehead rubs etc. Still not a fan of being picked up, but that’s more the rule than an exception with bunnies. He also started to move about a lot more and he became what I would describe as a perfect house bunny – litter trained, not a chewer, enjoys and seeks out human company.

A thing that I found helpful was to put several cardboard boxes in the room, with two entrances/openings (rabbits always want an emergency exit) in them, so he knew he had hidey-houses if he needed them. It seemed to make him feel safer. Bunnies often like to remodel cardboard houses, so it may give your rabbit a project to work on too.

Bunnies do sit around (or lie around) most of the day and then they are active mornings and nights. But most of what they do is just hang out. If you watch tv and your bunny lies a few yards away but in plain sight, the bunny probably considers it a social activity. Adult rabbits are less energetic than young rabbits, that is also a factor.

Thank you, Bam, for your extensive response and your time! I gave him all kinds of toys and cardboard boxes (including the one from BB shop called Mini Haven). He only hides in them when I want to pet him (oh well…) He follows me only when I have food (which is sweet). Vet suggested he might have not been socialized much as a baby. I will try different things but it appears to me he is getting more timid and is not happy – which makes me sad as well.  He is the one in my avatar, btw.

[Bam]

He’s so cute!

It’s good that you’ve given him toys and boxes. I think perhaps he’s happier than you think, but of course it’s hard to tell. We can only go by their health and appetite, pee- and pooping-habits, general appearance and our gut feeling.

Treats are a good way to earn a bunny’s trust, it is a very powerful reward. I really think you should just keep on doing what you’re doing and try to have him associate you with treats even more (hand-feeding the pellets is very good!). They absolutely can be slow to learn to trust a person. To me, 3 months actually doesn’t seem extremely long, but then I did learn patience from my experience with my first bunny.

[daisygrl]

Posted By bam on 6/16/2015 4:37 PM

He’s so cute!

It’s good that you’ve given him toys and boxes. I think perhaps he’s happier than you think, but of course it’s hard to tell. We can only go by their health and appetite, pee- and pooping-habits, general appearance and our gut feeling.

Treats are a good way to earn a bunny’s trust, it is a very powerful reward. I really think you should just keep on doing what you’re doing and try to have him associate you with treats even more (hand-feeding the pellets is very good!). They absolutely can be slow to learn to trust a person. To me, 3 months actually doesn’t seem extremely long, but then I did learn patience from my experience with my first bunny.

Thank you! I might be a bit impatient. But even my vet was surprised by his timidness. Perhaps, that is his personality (he does not even chew on things, no need to bunny-proof the house). I guess there is not much else I can do. 

I guess what I was trying to find out was: Is it possible he will stay this way (hating to be touched…etc)? or is it too early to tell? Btw, Thank you for sharing your experience, though. Waiting one year for a bunny to come out of his shell is a true patience!

[Bam]

It is too early to tell imo. The first person who got to pet my Bam was my mother, when she was visiting. Then he evolved fast into letting everybody pet him. My mother can’t stop petting him or he becomes angry!

You can’t be sure what previous experiences he’s had with humans since he is adopted. His first ownermay not have given him any attention or they may have been mean, even.

For very shy animals, like llamas, there is a method of training that means you actually reward the bunny by withdrawing yourself. I’ve only read about this in the imo great book on how to train animals Don’t Shoot The Dog by Karen Pryor, a former dolphin-trainer who uses positive reinforcement. I found this as I googled, the part about the llamas is on page 7:

http://clawbiespups.yolasite.com/resources/Don’t%20shoot%20the%20dog.pdf

Edit: You can’t really trust a bunny to never chew, so please bunny proof electrical cords for safety reasons. Even Bam has chewed the occasional cord. I use cable organizers like these but there are many different brands: http://www.amazon.com/Rabalder-Cable-Management-Organizer-Computer/dp/9178901499

[daisygrl]

Posted By bam on 6/17/2015 2:46 AM

It is too early to tell imo. The first person who got to pet my Bam was my mother, when she was visiting. Then he evolved fast into letting everybody pet him. My mother can’t stop petting him or he becomes angry!

You can’t be sure what previous experiences he’s had with humans since he is adopted. His first ownermay not have given him any attention or they may have been mean, even.

For very shy animals, like llamas, there is a method of training that means you actually reward the bunny by withdrawing yourself. I’ve only read about this in the imo great book on how to train animals Don’t Shoot The Dog by Karen Pryor, a former dolphin-trainer who uses positive reinforcement. I found this as I googled, the part about the llamas is on page 7:

http://clawbiespups.yolasite.com/resources/Don’t%20shoot%20the%20dog.pdf

Edit: You can’t really trust a bunny to never chew, so please bunny proof electrical cords for safety reasons. Even Bam has chewed the occasional cord. I use cable organizers like these but there are many different brands: http://www.amazon.com/Rabalder-Cable-Management-Organizer-Computer/dp/9178901499

Thanks again! Rewarding my bunny by not touching him is actually one of the things I do. I pet him a little and then just sit next to him to show him he does not need to be afraid (to be petted again ha – in case he does not like it). I will definitely  read the article. My house is bunny proof but so far he behaves. Thank you, again. I truly appreciate your help!

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