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The subject of intentional breeding or meat rabbits is prohibited. The answers provided on this board are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet.  It is your responsibility to assess the information being given and seek professional advice/second opinion from your veterinarian and/or qualified behaviorist.

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Forum BEHAVIOR Why do my bunnies hate me?

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    • narkut
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        I have had my 2 Netherlands dwarf bunnies for 8 months now, they are 10 months old. They were neutered and spayed 7 months ago.
        They have never wanted to be touched, especially since they been neutered and spayed, they run as soon as I reach my hand out towards them. They’re happy to jump all over me (I spend hours on the floor with them every day) and they’ll eat out of my hand but they do not want to be pet, EVER!

        Do I have bunnies who just don’t like pets and human contact, or am I being impatient? I thought our relationship would improve and I would win over their trust by now but nothing seems to help them trust me. What am I doing wrong?? Or is it just their personalities?


      • Danielle
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          Were they with any other owners besides you, or have you had them since they were kits?

          I think a lot of it comes down to personality and prior circumstances, especially if the animal is a rescue and/or came from bad prior circumstances.

          I have more experience with guinea pigs, Finn is my first bun, but I feel like similar “prey animal” rules apply. None of my pigs enjoy being picked up and I’ve had them for varying amounts of time from 8 months to almost 4 months. 3 of them, I’m the only “mum” they’ve known and have been with me since they were young. 3 of them had prior homes, one of which I’m fairly certain either didn’t socialize the pig, or the more likely scenerio…handled him roughly. He is 3 and honestly was kind of feral when I adopted him. I’ve never had a pig actually turn on me violently until Gus. He’s taken a long time to even remotely trust that I am not going to harm him, and it’s limited to nose petting in the cage and short cuddle sessions. He runs and chatters his teeth angrily at me when I attempt to pick him up. The other two that came from a prior home were dumped at the feed supply store because their owners “didn’t want them anymore.” They are both extremely skittish, and it’s taken 4 months for them to willingly take food from me.

          Basically, long story short…I do not think your buns hate you. They interact with you in their own way, ie the climbing on you and running around you. Prey animals just take a lot of time and patience to earn their trust, and even then…sometimes just merely being in your presence is about as close as some will get to.


        • Azerane
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            A high strung personality is reasonably common with nethies and with it often comes the trait of not wanting to be touched. As mentioned, with prey animals it’s not unusual for this and many bunnies are like this. Some take years to trust completely to allow themselves to be pet, others never change at all.

            It doesn’t sound like you are doing anything wrong, especially since they’re quite happy to climb all over you, I think you just may have two very fussy buns who don’t want to be petted.


          • Mikey
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              My nethie hates any sort of physical attention unless he is the one demanding it. I think it is just the part of the breeds personality types They play with you, eat out of your hands, and feel comfortable enough to play on you. I wouldnt worry about them not loving you; they clearly do!


            • sarahthegemini
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                Your bunnies don’t hate you! Some just aren’t big fans of being pet. My Buttercup is happy to be pet and have her little bunny butt patted and her tail schmooshed whereas Peanut will only just tolerate a few strokes. He will eat out of my hand, lean/climb on my lap if I’ve got treats, he’s even jumped on my lap a few times and flopped between my knees but try to pet him for more than a few seconds? Nope!


              • dogmom
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                  My daughter felt the same way about our bunny. This is how the vet explained it to her. “To rabbits we are predators, our eyes are in front like all other predators, so they are always thinking that we might eat them.” So that they spend anytime being friendly is a miracle. They are programmed to stay alive, and instinct kicks in easily. I am constantly reminding my daughter that they are prey animals, they aren’t like our dogs. Dogs will always love you and will show you 100 ways. I think bunnies are the zen pet that you need to learn a different way of being to understand their affection.


                • Krista
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                    There was a similar story similar to yours. One of the suggested things was that the rabbits get their important socializing from each other. They trust you enough to play on you. Could always try rewarding them for letting them. Bilbo, my bun, is pretty affectionate but he wasn’t always. It took me nearly two weeks to get him to even come to me. Now he sits in my lap and licks me. All thanks to treats and letting him do things at his own pace. I think your buns are just bonded closely to each other and therefore dont need pet. Bilbo is a single bun (I think he would be angry if I got another bun because he is such a little brat/momma’s boy) and so most of his social interactions come from me. He interacts with other people of the house but he prefers to be near me. They don’t hate you, if they did they wouldn’t even come near you:3 they’re also young so they probably just want to play and not settle down to be pet. All I can suggest is be patient and try to reward them when they allow you to pet them:3


                  • narkut
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                      Thank you all for your comments! I feel a bit better now that I may not be doing something wrong and that it doesn’t necessarily mean that my bunnies hate me. I’m just very worried that I am making them distrust me somehow when all I want is for them to be happy and feel secure in their own home.
                      I thought 8 months would have been enough time for that, but I suppose I’m being too impatient so I’ll just continue to wait for them to feel more at ease with me.
                      Thank you!


                    • Vienna Blue in France
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                        Don’t forget to approach your hand slowly from the side of their face when you want to stroke their face.

                        Bunnies can’t see directly in front (BRILLIANT vision all around the side and to their bottom), so it’s a surprise to them when suddenly they smell/feel a hand on their nose…. and they don’t like surprises which make them jump.

                        Hold a treat in one hand and put the other hand next to their face without touching it. When they don’t run away let them take the treat. Do this again and each time bring your hand closer to their body. Don’t let them take the treat until they are comfortable with you. If you have a bigger treat, hold it ion bewtween your fingers while they munch and gently try to pet like that.

                        Stay calm, they feel your energy. Don’t get frustrated when they run away.
                        Say something gentle in a calm low voice’ like – oh you’ve had enough – don’t worry, it doesn’t matter, you can come back when you’re ready.


                      • narkut
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                          Thank you for the tips! It will be difficult to try with Lady because she has also now started grunting and lunging if I take too long to put her food down. So If I withhold treats from her I might end up agitating her more! I will try this with Duke but I think he will just run away and eventually stop coming back to try and get treat.

                          I never show my frustration or force them to do anything they don’t want. I make sure everything around them is calm and quiet, to the point where I barely watch TV or listen to music anymore! I really don’t think there is anything they could possibly be scared of, except for the fact that I’m human. Hopefully (very soon) they’ll realise I’m a nice human.


                        • Vienna Blue in France
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                            I personally would keep all that noise going on (hardly “noise”, but you know what I mean – lol) it will desensitise them to it and they’ll become happier with noise and movement in general.

                            I have a new rescue cat, who is spooked by ev.er.y.thing… but I don’t go around on tippie toes and I sing out loud (poor things) so that she gets used to normal life noise.
                            If I drop something, I say silly me in a (or likewise ) rather than going to check if cats are ok (unless I drop something on them…. )

                            I do of course become calm and quiet if I want her to come to me and eat a treat….

                            I read an article not long ago which says that bunnies should be kept in a place where there is normal life and noise and people passing by (like a living room) – rather than up in a quiet bedroom all day long and then when someone does come along they bolt into their cage…

                            It’s like fireworks, if a puppy or kitten (or hooman baby) listens to recordings of these noises when little, they learn not to be afraid of them as adults. (usually…. )

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                        Forum BEHAVIOR Why do my bunnies hate me?