(human) bonding trouble

[Sunny]

hey all,

i haven’t been here in a while, not even to read posts, but i’m still alive and well, of course.

i’ve had my rabbit for about 3 years or so now, and while she was somewhat of a christmas gift, my mother and i did plenty of research before bringing her home. she’s the sweetest little animal i’ve probably ever owned and always has been, but i’ve had an issue with being her best friend since day one.

i wouldn’t say that she hates me or anything like it, but she doesn’t trust me. i don’t hear about this often, especially not from younger rabbit owners like myself who might feel a bit more excited to get new pets, but i don’t know how to get her to.

it’s been such a long time without this connection that i’m not entirely sure what to do. i spend time with her and always have; i like to sit and read (silently or aloud) next to her, draw, watch videos, pet her, and sometimes just laying next to her and staring at her is strangely comforting. 

she doesn’t run from me unless i’ve annoyed her, and if she ever does i leave her be. i know her safe spaces and her boundaries, and i do my best to respect them. i know she’s a prey animal, and some rabbits just need certain areas to themselves where they know they’ll feel safe if threatened or provoked.

i’ve read up a little bit on depression in rabbits, and i’m not sure that’s what she has. from the sound of it, they just grow disinterested in everything, including food. my bun isn’t like that. she eats well, even with the occasional trouble with greens/veggies, and always begs for pellets and treats. when it comes to behavior, she’s still very much a normal rabbit. she binkies when excited, zooms and zips around my room (although that one is pretty rare), and loves getting into trouble, especially when it comes to climbing up on my bed and making me worry that she’s going to injure herself.

so clearly she doesn’t hate me. however, as stated previously, i don’t think she trusts me much. 

every time i come near she startles some and has to smell my hand for a good second before i can touch her. she sometimes stretches out on the ground and flops underneath her hutch for a nap (her cage isn’t just the hutch, by the way — it’s my entire closet floor, about 6 x 3). but as with the petting, if i come near her while she’s relaxing, she jumps up. she doesn’t take food from me unless it’s a piece of fruit, or in other words, a treat. if i try to hand-feed, she takes a bite, runs off, and usually does it multiple times as if she doesn’t want to be near me for long. she doesn’t distrust me in every regard, but those are a few examples. there are some other behaviors not too dissimilar from the ones above, but i believe most of them come from that same desire for private space.

i’m not sure if this is simply her personality/behavior or if it’s my own doing. maybe i over-exaggerate how much time i really spend with her. i got her at about 8 months old from a woman with a daughter going off to college. i never really asked her how my bun behaved with her, but i’ve been considering it since i can still get in contact with her. it might give me some insight. in the meantime, does anyone have a possible explanation for these behaviors or any opinions on the matter? i just want to feel like my rabbit trusts me. sorry for the long post, by the way.

[CocoaPuff]

My best friend and I both have bunnies. My sister has one too. My best friends bunny is deaf and if you approach her she can spook if she didn’t see you. Like if I round a corner and she’s right there, she gets scared and runs for her safe place. She’s skittish around pretty much everyone and she only likes my friend because she gives her food. So sometimes I think trust issues can arise from a health problem like the deaf bun.

Of course at the shelter I work at, there are rabbits who were handled improperly or downright abused. This can also cause trust problems.

This actually happened at my house. We used to have a rabbit who was severely aggressive because she was pinned and force fed medication after a spay where the vet cut her intestine. She never trusted us after that and would lunge/bite/box/growl and do everything in her power to make us leave her alone.

Lastly, rabbits are prey creatures and sometimes it can take awhile for them to trust a person. Although from what I hear this shouldn’t be problem with you since you’re spending time with her.

[Sunny]

Posted By CocoaPuff on 6/17/2018 3:24 PM

My best friend and I both have bunnies. My sister has one too. My best friends bunny is deaf and if you approach her she can spook if she didn’t see you. Like if I round a corner and she’s right there, she gets scared and runs for her safe place. She’s skittish around pretty much everyone and she only likes my friend because she gives her food. So sometimes I think trust issues can arise from a health problem like the deaf bun.

Of course at the shelter I work at, there are rabbits who were handled improperly or downright abused. This can also cause trust problems.

This actually happened at my house. We used to have a rabbit who was severely aggressive because she was pinned and force fed medication after a spay where the vet cut her intestine. She never trusted us after that and would lunge/bite/box/growl and do everything in her power to make us leave her alone.

Lastly, rabbits are prey creatures and sometimes it can take awhile for them to trust a person. Although from what I hear this shouldn’t be problem with you since you’re spending time with her.

i can see some of these being plausible, especially the last two. i really ought to get in contact with the previous owners and ask them a little bit more about their experiences with my rabbit. until then, i’ll probably just spend some extra time with her.

[CocoaPuff]

If you are able to ask the previous owners about the bunny that’s amazing! Most people aren’t that lucky. My dog was a rescue and we don’t know why he doesn’t like certain trucks or men with baseball caps. We can only guess you know?

[Nutmeg]

Hey! I just want to start off by saying you are an awesome bunny owner to care!

I ALSO want to say that you have mostly just described BOTH of my bunnies hahaha. Bunnies are usually even less cuddly than Cats, but like cat’s its on their terms lol. And if she didn’t trust you she wouldn’t even take treats from your hands.
She just sounds like shes a bit more stand off ish than some!

And it sounds like you are doing everything right to build that trust. Rabbits can’t see straight in front of them – so when you go to pet her than try to make sure your hand is coming at her from the side and not from in front or above. I have startled my rabbits that way myself lol.

I still think its an awesome idea to ask the previous owner any questions you may have… but maybe she wasn’t handled much as a baby… although my bunnies grew out of being ok with being handled at about 4 months LOL

I think you just need to adjust your expectations on how a rabbit shows affection as it all sounds ok to me
My rabbits ignore me 75% of the time hahahaha
I may get a fly by bump from their nose – either saying Hi or telling me to move lol – and the only time they maybe jump up on me is to see if I have a treat.

I hope that helped!!

[Nutmeg]

OH and my bunnies also jump up when I come near them if they are flopped over relaxing! They don’t stay there while I approach to pet them either.

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