How to bond with bunny

[Hopper12018]

How do I get my 7 week holland lop to not be afraid of me? I did make the mistake of picking her up twice the day I got her but haven’t since then, I have spent many hours lying on the ground so she can sniff me and such but she isn’t interested and runs into her hut in her cage whenever I enter the room! I know that there are no treats I can give her because of her age. But does anyone know of anything else I can do?

[HerculesandMolasses]

She should not of been given to you so young, she is not old enough to be with you. It’s not your fault but try to steer clear of people who sell them under 8 weeks. Try to read to her to make her comfortable around you and used to her voice. Also, what are you feeding her, how big is her cage, and where do you get her from? I must ask you this because a lot of new bunny owners are feeding their buns wrong and keeping them in wrong enclosures. If you are feeding her wrong, then here is a good suggestion for her age; unlimited alfalfa hay and unlimited alfalfa pellets. Ideal would include mother’s milk, but obviously that’s not possible. Also make her enclosure as big as possible. If you get another bun, get it from a shelter or breeder. Here is my favorite rabbit feeding guide: http://rabbit.org/faq-diet/

[naodar]

Don’t feel too down about her age. What’s done is done, and the best thing you can do is just be calm and keep a low, relaxed tone of voice with her. My holland lop was unfortunately even younger when she was given to me (we had originally agreed on 8 weeks but circumstances pushed the pick up date up by a little over a week), and she settled in just spectacularly. I personally think her shyness is more about not being over the initial fright of being picked up.

If she’s in a room where you don’t normally spend a lot of time, you may want to just bring something to do and sit down near her cage and do it – reading, browsing social media, painting, etc. without opening the cage. This way she may feel extra safe than if the cage was open. She basically needs plenty of time to realize you’re not going to hurt her.

I wish you the best!

[Bam]

As naodar says, what’s done is done. You now need to convince her that you are not a predator. The advice about just sitting in the same room as she, not even looking at her, is great. Rabbits are innately curious and will come to explore you. Predators look at their prey before they try to catch them, so rabbits are sensitive to being looked at until they get to know you.

Make sure she has a hidey-house (an upside down cardboard box with door-holes cut out will do fine) so she knows she can withdraw to a safe place (like a burrow almost) if she needs to.

Another good thing is hand-feeding her pellets. She doesn’t know pellets aren’t treats =) You can also get some alfalfa hay and hand-feed that to her. It’s healthy for young bunnies and often considered very yummy.

I too wish you the best!

[Author]

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