Hi Gamestar32! It’s very apparent Scooter likes you, so definitely don’t take it personally. As a prey animal, rabbits have the tendency to run away every chance they get!! Wick personally hates the sound of the spray bottle I use to clean his pen, but after a little training, he now just scoots 1 ft away so he doesn’t get hit by it.
Using the same tone of voice, I always pair a “bad” stimuli/reaction to something he finds scary with a coo-ing “It’s okay!” and petting on the head and around the body (a hand “security blanket”); even if it required me to go across the room to get him. For example, Wick was very uncomfortable being put back down on the ground, so if he’d kick on his way down, I’d pin him on the ground with pets, saying it’s okay until he was calm. Once he collected himself, I’d pick him up slightly and gently put him back down. After a few times of this type of reinforcement (he reacts negatively to something harmless >> It’s okay + pet until calm), he doesn’t flinch or freak out while being held, put down, or handled above ground (vigorously tested conclusion; Wick was not harmed in this testing ); he just purrs because he knows he’s safe and it’s okay.
For the spray bottle, I’d spray it, he’d go across the room, I’d immediately go to him and make sure he was comfortable. After he realized it was harmless, he was all right with it. He’s fine with vacuuming next to him too because of this. Most closely aligning with your specific situation, Wick used to be spooked by movement on our sofa. It’s a metal frame, so it creaks all the time. He would jump off and run into another room if there was sofa movement. I’d track him down, say it’s okay, place him back to his comfy spot and ease him back into calmness. He’s fine with metal creaks now.
— In short, my advice is to always comfort him following the bad reaction and associate a phrase with the comfort (phrase is helpful if he doesn’t let you approach him, but he still needs to feel okay). Training in rabbits, for Wick at least, works best if there’s as little time lapse between A — B as possible. Once Scooter gets spook, try to comfort him right away; he may be thinking “The danger has passed but may come again”, rather than “That wasn’t actually dangerous” when he calms down without being reinforced. In about a week, Wick picked up “It’s okay” and the vocal tone I used as a comforting sound, so it’s helpful if someone accidentally drops a pan on the ground and I can’t get to him.
I hope this helps!
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.