My older rabbit has withdrawn from me after bonding?

[Vincent]

So, I had two rabbits a while ago and they weren’t exactly bonded they’d play together but I couldn’t keep them together cause my older male got really territorial no matter how hard I’d try.

But then the older male died and my younger one got depressed, so I decided to find a new friend for him, and around my town it can be hard to find rabbit breeders because it’s illegal to sell them un fixed so a lot of people don’t breed them anymore cause no one wants to pay 200 dollars extra for a fixed rabbit apparently.

So I found a female spayed rabbit at the spca who was very jumpy, like so jumpy she wouldn’t let anyone get near her without a real struggle, but I was desperate so I got her, plus I belive that everyone should get a chance at a forever home. I started bonding them pretty much right away had them put in cages close together to get used to each other scents, and helped my female warm up pretty slowly, after a month she let me pet her for the first time ever.

Anyways, I have them bonded now they are very close, always groom annd snuggle one another and my female enjoys cuddling me now.

BUT, my male, who used to love cuddles and pets has gone into a flight mode type thing like my female had when I first got her, and won’t let me pet him anymore and doesn’t ever come over to see me. I have tried making him warm up to me again but the most I can get him to do is grab food out of my hands before quickly retreating.

So my basic question is, is this normal, he’s perfectly healthy I’ve got him checked, and any tips on getting him to warm up to me again?

For those wondering, both are fixed so babies won’t ever be an issue

[Luna]

That’s great they bonded and are getting along well. I’ve read that sometimes two bonded buns won’t seek out human attention as much as single buns. Also, it could be that your male bun is being more jumpy because he is taking cues from the female bun being jumpy. Maybe he will not be so jumpy again once your female bun becomes more comfortable with you and humans?

[DanaNM]

That’s very interesting… how long have they been bonded?

I wonder if during the time you were working to earn the trust of the new bunny, your relationship with your original bunny deteriorated a bit? Perhaps he got tired of being handled so much during the bonding process, and started being afraid of being handled when you approach? 

I suggest working with your original bun the same way you did with the new one. Sit or lay on the floor with them, allow him to approach you. Don’t try to pet him right away, even if he comes up to you, minimize handling. Sometimes with bunnies it’s best to play hard to get. Keep up the hand feeding! 

Keep working with the new girl. He trusts her, so if she trusts you, he will eventually trust you again.  

. . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.  

[Vincent]

Thanks for the replies!

They have been bonded without a hitch for 6 months now.

I was thinking about maybe he was bring jumpy after seeing my female being jumpy.

So yesterday night I made some progress and instead of running off with the food he ate right out of my hand so I am thinking you might be right Dana, about playing hard to get, cause after your suggestion I think I made a lot of progress. Been trying very hard to hand feed them at every meal if possible.

But last night I was on the floor watching movies on my tablet with them and just sorta ignoring them besides that and he came up with my female to come sniff at me and ocassionally put his paws on my leg.

Thanks for the tips!

[DanaNM]

Great, that definitely sounds like progress! I’m sure you will have both of them trusting you fully soon. Rabbits are definitely social learners, so you’re right that he may have picked up on her being jumpy, but should also pick up on her being calm. 

One of my first bunnies, Bunston, was sweet but very shy when I first got him. I would lay on the floor and just ignore him at first. Once he got to the point where he would lay down outside of his cage during play time, I would slowly inch closer to him on my belly, and eventually get close enough to pet him. Then he would just melt, and eventually I could just sit next to him and pet him (or he would come up to me and ask for pets). I think it just had to be obvious to him that I wasn’t going to try to pick him up.  I also would never pet him when he was in his cage, and that was his personal space, and I tried not to mess with/clean his cage while he was in it (or he would get so grumpy at me!). 

. . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.  

[Vincent]

Edit made extra post somehow

[Vincent]

Yeah I try not to ever pick them up but I have trouble with getting them to stay still enough for me to brush them without picking them up and since they both have a bit of long fur, especially Acrylic my female, who’d part Angora (I usually trim her fur so I don’t have to brush as often which would be otherwise be daily or have matts)

But other then thay I’ve been trying really hard not to pick them up!

Sketch is just a lion head so the rest of his fur is short but his head fur matts if I don’t groom it at least once a week. They both really hate being brushed though

And I’ll try the personal space cage thing that sounds like it would help them both a lot I think! Thanks again.

[DanaNM]

Oooh, yeah, grooming is tricky, cuz ya gotta do it! 

Have you tried reinforcing with treats during and after grooming sessions? The shy bunny I mentioned hated being groomed with a comb,  but tolerated hand-plucking of tufts when he was molting. He also liked being brushed with a soft bristle brush (which didn’t actually remove much hair), but I would start with the soft one to let him settle in, and then switch to the fur buster comb, and then switch back to the soft one if he started getting fidgety. I would try to do short grooming sessions on the ground.  But yeah, tough love is necessary with buns, especially with ones that need lots of grooming!

Sounds like you are doing a good job with them though  

. . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.  

[Vincent]

Yeah I always give treats afterwards! Usually a piece of banana or apple since its not more then once a day. Maybe I’ll try in the middle of the grooming sessions too though hmm

I usually do short sessions, especially for Acrylic cause her fur is so thick and takes so long.

But I haven’t tried a sort brush to start with before, maybe I’ll try that next time! Aka tonight.

Thanks again Dana, yoy have given me a lot of helpful tips!

[DanaNM]

You’re welcome! 

. . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.  

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