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Forum HOUSE RABBIT Q & A Bad at raising bunnys?

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    • Hannasue
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        Hi so names hanna i have two bunnys. One is a 6 month old bunny named sushi. She is scared and terrified of everything. She is food aggersive and skittish. Yesterday i got my second bunny named swanson he is about a year old. Hes very nice but i am absolutely terrified i will turn him into sushi somehow. I never did anything particularly wrong with sushi maybe would occasionally forget to mention my presence walking into the room and she gets spooked. She is very anxiety ridden and doesnt like people. Swanson is the opposite he likes people he approaches me happily.

        I cant help but think over time he will become terrified to i can’t help but feel like i raised my first bunny wrong. My family blames me for her behaviour and told me its my fault cause i didnt hold her or pet her enough.

        Any advice on how to not ruin a good bun? Im so scared i’m somehow making this behaviour.

        Thank you


      • sarahthegemini
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          How do you interact with Sushi? And how often? With all due respect, 6 months is very young, she’s still a baby (well, teenager I guess) It sounds like you’ve just accepted that you raised her wrong and that’s that. In actual fact, some buns just take longer to get used to human interaction. It doesn’t mean she’s ‘ruined’


        • Bam
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            Fearfulness and aggression are traits with high heritability. That’s been shown beyond doubt in dogs, and that’s why fearful and/or aggressive dogs never should be bred.

            Fearfulness is of course an important survival mechanism in a bunny, so it’s not surprising this tendency has survived in the genome. As a rule rabbits aren’t bred for their personalities – and they’ve only been domesticated a couple of hundred years, so they still have lots left of their wildtype behavior.

            I don’t think your Sushi is fearful because you havent raised her properly. We’ve had many reports here about little super-cuddly baby buns who always wanted to be carried around – and how all that changed more or less overnight when the bun hit puberty. Some baby bunnies absolutely don’t want to be held.

            If the boy you get is a year old, his basic personality will be pretty set, and chances are his presence will help Susi feel less fearful. It isn’t natural for a bunny to be alone, they rely a lot on safety in numbers. Some buns do indeed thrive as only buns and wont have anything to do with other bunnies, but the opposite is much more common.


          • Deleted User
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              Hi Hannah,

              First off, sushi is SUCH a cute name, I love it!! How long have you had sushi? If you have tried to pick her up and handle her a lot, it may be that she has learned to avoid you because she doesn’t want to be picked up. This doesn’t mean that you can’t regain her trust though! Try to spend time around her, just “being there”. Just sit on the floor with her in the room and let her sniff you and figure you out, but avoid the temptation to want to smother her in pets – it’s hard, I know! I spent a lot of time just hanging out on the floor in my rabbit’s room and it took her about two months before she was ok with me petting her on my terms. Now, she’s completely comfortable. I can walk toward her and step right over her and she won’t budge. Last night I just walked over and lied down on the floor right next to her and she doesn’t mind at all! They just take time and patience, but most of all they take self control!! You just have to let the relationship form on their terms, and once they trust you it will be easier to create a bond. For them, it’s a difficult transition. They were born into a litter and spent time with their own but were torn from their kind and placed in a house with a human. It’s no wonder they feel alienated at first, but keep trying and it will get better!


            • Hannasue
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                Thanks for all the responses i’ve had sushi for about two months now. I try to sit with chill with her. In the early stages i tried attempting petting but she was hesitant and scared so i stopped. I might try to pet her if she looks really calm but mostly not now. I try and give her lot of treats so she knows im ok. However recently ive had to give her meds so i pick her up 3 times a day right now for one or two more days. Already the two bunnies seem calmer just seeing each other which is nice. Sushi is a bit less crazy but still food aggersive. I respect her cage space i never go in when shes in there i try not to move objects around a lot. Thanks for all the care tips guys its just hard to think your doing everything right but not seeing those results like you want.


              • Bam
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                  She’s still young, and 2 months is actually a short time when it comes to bonding with your bunny. If you go on like you have, she will learn to trust you, but it could very well take anything from 5 months to a year.


                • DanaNM
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                    2 months isn’t very long to bond with a shy bun! I think bunnies are a weird combo of dogs and cats. They are social like dogs, but you have you earn their love, a lot like cats. :p 

                    Sounds like you are doing some things right so far. Some more tips: 

                    – play “hard to get”. ignore her. Lay on the ground while she is out, read a book, etc. If she comes up to you, don’t try to pet her (yet). 

                    – Keep up hand feeding! You can even feed her veggies and pellets by hand. Talk to her calmly so she associates your voice with good things. 

                    – when she has become comfortable enough with you that she will lay down or relax near you on the ground, you can “ask” her if you can pet her, by placing your hand on the ground in front of her, so your pinky is on the ground and the back of your hand is facing her. If she puts her head down, she wants you to pet her head! If she doesn’t then don’t force it. Stick to petting only her head and ears until she gets really relaxed with you. 

                    You didn’t mention, but are you planning to bond the buns? Have you spayed sushi? both buns will need to be spayed/neutered if you plan to bond, and sushi should be spayed to prevent uterine cancer (about 3 in 4 unspayed buns get uterine cancer). 

                    . . . 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.  


                  • Theo&Mickey
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                      Hey Hannah! I wouldn’t beat yourself up, some bunnies are just more fearful than others. We never quite know what our bunnies’ adult personality will be, so whatever the case – timid or cuddly – it’s something we just have to accept. If Sushi isn’t spayed yet that might help with her territorial behavior/aggression.
                      To give you a counter-argument for your thoughts, my Theo is being picked up and “manhandled” getting his “man parts” cleaned 3 times a day because of an infection, getting meds syringed into his mouth, wearing a constricting cone all day.. and he still comes up to lick/groom me. Like some people, some buns just have an easier personality! That’s not to say they are any better, though, just less challenging, and Sushi might surprise you in the future with the different ways she shows affection and trust.

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                  Forum HOUSE RABBIT Q & A Bad at raising bunnys?