Yes, Your Rabbit Hates You (How To Be Friends With Your Bunny)
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If you've recently purchased a fuzzy baby bunny, or perhaps been gifted one by some kind hearted person, you're no doubt a little confused. What exactly does one DO with a bunny? For starters, I am not a fan of keeping rabbits outdoors. Once you get to know them it's kind of like getting a cat and sticking it in the shed, a tad on the cruel side. It also makes it very hard to tame them, and to allow them to express their crazy bunny personalities.
Odds are that your bunny currently regards you with mistrust and suspicion. At least, I would assume so given that a) you are reading this, and b) it is fairly common rabbit behavior. If you have a friendly sweet rabbit then kudos to you, enjoy. If your rabbit is less than you imagined it might be, read on.
Rabbits are bad ass...
The first thing you need to understand about your rabbit is that it has no comprehension that it is a tiny fragile creature. Your bunny thinks that it is the biggest bad ass to hit town since Clint Eastwood. If you push it, your bunny WILL take you on. If you're lucky s/he will warn you first with growls and angry foot scrabbling, but then again, s/he may not. After all, you should know better, and respect the bunny.
It may help to think of your rabbit like one of those martial arts grand masters. They seem peaceable enough, but disrespect them and they will kick your ass. Learn this lesson well.
Rabbits love treats..
Apples and carrots are big hits with many rabbits, and they will oftentimes even get over the fact that you are clearly persona non grata to nibble at a treat from your hand. If you've been having trouble getting them to allow you to touch them, then this is a great way to start. You can get a few pats in this way oftentimes, just realize that the rabbit may realize what you are doing and nip you for your effrontery.
Take it easy, but make them accept you...
This is the delicate part of rabbit taming. When I say taming, I don't mean you should do this with wild rabbits, it would be both cruel and stupid. I am talking about domesticated young rabbits who need to become accustomed to you, their new owner.
First of all, pick them up securely, then place them on the ground and brush them gently. Don't let them run away, even if they are acting like you're trying to kill them. Do be careful though and make sure you have a firm grip around their chest and back legs. They can easily kill their silly selves by fighting too hard, though generally speaking they would prefer to avoid this.
Once your rabbit has settled, let it go gently. It may hop away, it may stay around for a while, it may turn and bite you. For this reason I recommend wearing jeans (which offer some protection) and applying common sense. If your rabbit is growling fiercely, don't let it go facing you. My own rabbit has a habit of retaliatory nipping, but she doesn't take it too seriously, some rabbits will go for blood however.
The thing is not to let it phase you. Treat the rabbit gently and firmly. Make it realize that it has no choice, that you will not hurt it, and that you will reward it with tasty treats. The strange thing is that rabbits actually quite like being petted, and after a while will run up to you and demand attention. This is particularly endearing when you don't see them coming and they get stealthily underfoot. Really, be careful when they're out of the cage.
Of course, all of this is assuming your bunny is at the stage where it can be picked up. If your bunny isn't quite there yet, try spending some quiet time with the cage open, and sitting on the floor, letting it get used to you, then proceed to the aforementioned step.
Remember: Your rabbit is crazy
Probably. Most rabbits have a certain edge of playful insanity to their behavior. They are also capable of holding grudges, and letting you know when you have offended and displeased them. My earlier advice of treating them like small fuzzy martial arts masters will hold you in good stead. They have a strong sense of protocol, which you may never understand fully. That's okay. What we are talking about here is simply the first step, getting your rabbit to be somewhat friendly.
Take your time, be patient, and remember that a good antiseptic brand is worth its weight in gold.
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Comments
That does always seem to be the way, doesnt it. Mind you, even though my bunny will still occasionally attack me for the sheer joy of it, and will happily destroy any clothing left in her path, she is still somehow a sweetie :)
lol that is true about bunnies. They are tons of fun though. I have 9 bunnies and they love to play with my pet sloth for some reason. Then perky my sloth gets upset cuz she can't get any sleep! lol
Rabbits are cute, but they sure are messy
I agree
they are cute and messy but i need some help with my rabbit it hates to be picked up so i never get a good chance to examine it properly
Hi Tyler,
You need to take the time to play with your rabbit and pet it gently before trying to pick it up. It might take a while for your rabbit to trust you, and even then to be honest, many rabbits still hate being picked up. Make sure that when you do try to pick it up, you support its hindlegs and make sure that it cannot kick out and harm itself. You should then be able to gently turn it over onto its back and examine it.
If you haven't been able to do this, and you still can't, I would reccomend taking your bunny to the vet, or an experienced bunny owner. These people will be able to have a look at your rabbit and see if it needs any extra grooming, or if it has any other problems.
i just got my bunny Hoppy last week. And he is still not friendly or trust me. I gave him treats, he took it and ate it, then just left me all alone. i want it to hop around me, and enjoy his owner :(
i think my rabbit likes me he eats out of my hand but he scratches me when i try to catch him i also tap him on the back and make him run around in circles maybe he dont like that. how do i know if he is playing or serious.
When I first got my bunny Delilah she was like that. A lot of times they are playing. the best thign I can tell you is that just give ti some time. I live in a college dorm so she is used to having a lot of people around BUT she hates being picked up. She scracthes when I catch her bcause she knows that its time for her to go into her cage
Well, i've tried everything and spot still dis owns me...she use to let me pick her up then she got really mean...and started to bite.
thanx for the tips. hopefully this works or my new bunny SAKIMA im getting from the shelter :P .....i hope my bunny wasnt abused before it came to the shelter, bcuzz it may cause the bunny to fear or feel endangered.
I named it SAKIMA bcuzz im going to spoil him, and SAKIMA means king in a native langauge:P
When I pet my bunny sometimes it corners itself is it scared of me?
I just got a bunny, she was born on easter [i still need a name for her] her mother belongs to my cousin angel, i'v never had a rabbit and being a teen ager whos always out and about, take her with me everywhere. but i dont know if i am bonding right. she never runs from me, she seems extatic when i come to her cage. She just doenst seem to like being pet, she lets me but i cant tell what she enjoys nad doesnt enjoy. I hope that these tips help me even though there sno real problem, i give her treats. and if anyone could help me i'd like to know what age i should start liter trianing her, becasue picking up dozens of her droppings every 10 min. is get old. =]
Great article. I love your sense of humor however truthfulness about bunny rabbits. Bunnies are badass little dudes, and they do play the timid and shy card but inside these little bundles adorable fur there are feisty fearless critters ready to rumble (usually with your leg especially the boy buns).
Hey Kaylan... Litter training starts right away, although I should let you in on a little secret.. it's not really "training". Bunnies tend to want to go bathroom in the same place. Keep the rabbit confined to an area you want it go to bathroom in, and when it picks a spot, put a tray there. The rabbit generally does the rest. I have more hubs on toilet training bunnies if you want more information.
When I take my bunny out of the cage and put him on the bed he runs around for a while and seems to want me to pet him, but when I go to pet him he looks me up and down and attacks me with all of his might by standing on his two back legs and scrawls me with his front claws and whenever he can fit it in, he goes for me and bites me. It hurts a lot and I really don't know what to do about him or whether to correct him or not?
This article is so true. We've been gradually bonding our third (crazy) rabbit to our two (ridiculous) older bunnies and both of us have taken a few hits. It's all about patience and keeping your temper, even while being kicked in the stomach.
My daughter has a bunny who is about seven months old. For all intents and purposes, it's my bunny, since I spend the majority of time with it. The first couple of weeks that I had her, she was timid outside her cage. I thought she was going to be very docile. As time went on, and even after being spayed, she became more confident and would take off around the room upon being out of her cage. I could pet her in her cage, which she seemed to enjoy, but outside, she tended to scoot away, unless she was getting a treat. I recently moved her into the same room with three cats--all of whom seem happy to try to be friends, but she grunts at them. She doesn' t like to be picked up, so I try to relate to her on her terms. I speak quietly to her, offer her treats as she charges by me, and try to make the best of it. It's hard to find a good reason to even have this pet, but I would like to keep trying. What do you suggest--I hear two different opinions. one, don't pick her up. bunnies don't like to be picked up. and two, I should pick her up and handle her if I want her to become more docile. Help.
Hi dana, That's a good question. Your bunny might not like being picked up, alot of them don't, but they do need to at least learn to tolerate it. You may need to pick them up if they get themselves into trouble, or need grooming, or need to go to the vets. If your rabbit is happy with patting and stroking, then pick it up occasionally as well. It doesn't have to be for great lengths of time, just long enough for the bunny to settle in your arms before you put it down again. The rabbit may never be overjoyed about you picking it up, but it is a necessity for you to be able to do so.
Also dana, keep in mind that cats are predators and can easily kill a rabbit. Essentially you are tossing a prey animal in with a group of hunters and wondering why it isn't happy. Imagine being put into a cell with three burly men with guns laying about in it and you might understand why your bunny doesn't want to be "friends". Your cats may not want to kill bunny, but the bunny doesn't know that.
Hello , i love rabbits. but something tarable has happend to me. On thursday june 11 2008 i have just gotten home from a bluejays game with my school. And my parents have told me that they have some "Good news" so i ran to my bunny cage and saw 6 little cute bunnies. at that time i almost broke out crying :P but yea.. So i watched them and noticed that my 2 rabbits where STEPPING on the babies. I didnt know why, so the next day,, i found 4 DEAD!! :'( i was very upset and started to cry.. I didnt know what to do. My parents think that one of them had a desise and pased it on to the others. So i came on the computer and wonderd why blahblahblah.. it had told me to go buy some KMR kitten milk and feed them, so i did. I came home and found only 1 baby left. I fed it and took it out from its parents. i found the poor thing dead this morning. i am very heartbroken i am still upset, and tears comming down my cheek. :'( but i love all of them so very much. i think that this happend because my rabbits are very young. The mother doesnt know what to do. so i dont blame her. its not her fault. I tryed everything. So thats my story. :( goodbye. may all of the babies rest in peace, your grandmother amanda (L)<3
Mandie, get your bunny spayed. You should NOT be breeding your rabbit this way. It is NOT safe for the rabbit or for the babies. It is completely irresponsible for you to have a male and a female rabbit together in the same enclosure unfixed.
i want to know how you can get your rabbiot out of its cage
i just got a little bunny and we put it in the outdoor cage w/ our other 2 bunnies that we got about 5 years ago. they seem to be getting along well, im i doing the right thing??
If they are getting along, then yes, absolutely, no problem. Sometimes rabbits can be very terrirorial and mean, but if they are okay, then I wouldn't worry about it. I hope you have a large enough cage for three rabbits though.... that would have to be a VERY large cage indeed. It is cruel to keep rabbits in a cage that they can't run and jump in.
I wanna a bunny. My mom and dad say on new years but it is August! what do I do?
My Rabbit Mocha always run away from my hand when i feed it cause somehow He is probably scared of me. his daughter Skippy died (she had a nub for 1 of her 4 legs and his wife Strawberry bigger than him ran away) What should i do??
I got my 3 bunnies yesterday 8/16/08 and this am they let me pick them up. But I do talk to them on my way to there cage and before i pick them up I place food in cage so they know I am there mom now.
Hi my bunny is a dwarf and it is 2 months i have two and they are sisters and one of them if mean i try to hold it and it jumps away it moves alot and i love rabbits this is my 2 time having one i don't understand please help
I just took in a very very large 3 yr old Lop Eared yesterday. His name is Reidar, and hes neutered. for the first 10 months of his life he was abused then surrendered to the spca, then someone adopted him and for whatever reason gave him up, and now iv got him. Hes very shy and when i hold him he stuffs his face against my arm. Hes nice to my cat who licks him, and last night he was ok, but this morning he jumped out of my arms and ran around and then once back in his cage and settled down i gave him some veggies and he charged at me growling and scratched. I've owned 3 bunnies in my life, first one was a dwarf who nvr rlly bonded with me, then another dwarf who totally loved being picked up and carried around and even would hop up onto me while i play vidgames and would lick my face, and now its this big guy, im patient and quiet with him, picking him up and letting him play (hes nvr been allowed to run around a room before) i feed him veggies and brush him (he sheds sooooo much!) but hes still aggressive, what do you suggest i do to calm him down and show him i wont hurt him?
I have two female netherland dwarfs and I was laughing as I read this. We have had them since they were 10 weeks old. At first they loved to be held and then my daughter who is 4 got independent and "played" with her bunnies on her own. I don't let the kids have them out without me to supervise and she didn't like their nails on her so she never held them without me. She got over that one day and it was traumatic. She was practicing picking them up and when I came in to the room she smiled and said, " Look mama, I hold my bunnies on my own. But I think Smoky puked." She was picking them up too tightly around the tummy. I wanted to puke. We moved the cage and the next day I was cleaning the cage and put my hand inside to clean the bottom and smoky bit me so hard I thought she drew blood. She's got her playful moments, but she bites my daughter everytime she comes near her cage. If I take her out first and hand her to my daughter she's fine. The warning signs are a lot like a cat. Ears back flat and stiff body. And if they thump the bottom of the cage with their foot, walk away or give a treat sweetly. Their inside and are totally spoiled, but they do have quite an attitude sometimes. And then on those rare occasions they allow us to love on them-it is so cute when they stand on their back feet and sniff the kids faces! We lay on the floor on our tummy and let them hop around us. That is when they play the most. Cute little crazies.:)
I keep my bunny outside in a rather large area and it doesn't like me I think but it lets me pick him up...... and what does it mean when a rabbit lying down?
my bunny is EVIL
like you said!! only it wont eat treats off my hand it dives and bites me when i put it's food bowl in it's cage and kicks like a beast!!!
i feel sorry for it though it's sister died - she was really sweet && gentle
but Pandora's gone mad :O
The thing with my bunny is that, (she is just going on a year old this March) she is skiddish, and has an odd way of showing affection. Get too close to her when she doesn't want you, she'll go berserk and start stomping around like crazy. You touch her and your not me, she will bite. Unless your my insane friend who she gives love bites to... She just seems to be stubborn and not WANT to love me no matter how the table turns... ugh. I need help.
I just got my bunny and we are not getting along. Everytime I try to pick him up he just poops on me which just forces me to put him down and thats even if I'm lucky enough to get him in my arms. He sits in the corner of his cage all day long. I got him about 6 days ago and everyday I try to sit and spend some bonding time with him but he wants no part in it. When I try to pet him he crouches down and stares at me... it's kinda scary and I dont want to bother him.
What should I do?!
I have a bunny, Her name is Nevay..
I was actually thinking today about how much I cared about her, and if she actually had emotions for me too... I got her February first [my birthday, last year] And now its about 8,9, days from that same time.
And I was too curious to see if their was anything online to tell me how she may show her affection without me knowing.
Luckly I found this,
and other sources, and took the time to read it. I guess my baby loves me alot.
She's my beutiful young bunny.
And to everyone who is talking about the pickinging up ordeal,
Well Nevay is the nicest, sweetest, crotter to ever oam this earth,
but she grunts and scratches when people try to pick her up.
even if I try,
So don't take it too offensivley, its a matter of personal space.
I just got my little bunny 2 days ago and boy is he a handful already! but it seems like one minute he wants to be held a pet and another he runs away when i try to pet him as if i were going to hurt him...maybe hes still just trying to get used to his new enviornment
Look people, here is the answer to more than half your questions. BE PATIENT and TOLERANT. Also, these are not programmable robots, they are independent creatures. If your bunny wants to come out of the cage, it will when it's ready, if it wants to be touched, it will let you when its ready, if it wants to be picked up... well it might never want that. =)But you cannot force your will on them. They are amazingly single minded and set in their ways. The best you can do is very slowly and gradually introduce new things to them. If you wanted a lap pet or a pet you could boss around then you got the WRONG animal. If you can't accept that then find a better, more loving and accepting home than yours for your awesome bunny to go to!
In other words, you're probably the problem, not them!
I have an almost four month old male lionhead rabbit.....thought I was getting a girl....surprise surprise....we changed his name. I know rabbits are hard to sex at a young age so no big deal! The best thing you can do as a rabbit owner or potential rabbit owner is read read read. I searched and read so many websites before and after getting our rabbit. Those who think rabbits are messy are wrong....mine is litter box trained and I empty and clean it every day. He had some confusion with the whole litter box thing at first and I discovered this is because his litter box was too small! Rabbits are creatures of prey and are most comfortable on the ground where they feel safe thus the reason for not like being held. Mine hates being held...he'll tolerate it for a few minutes but that's it. Rabbits are territorial and I never never stick my hand in his cage for this reason. I put my hand at the door and let him come to me. We have an exercise pen attached to his cage and I will sit in there with him and play with him. When he is aloud to run in the family room this is run time and does not want to be bothered for the most part. When he is ready, he love love loves to have his head and cheeks rubbed. Never never never poke them in the rear....this is where they are usually attacked by preditors and thus startles them. Pet them head to back to get them use to having their rear petted. Like bunniez said they think they are biggest bad ass....I am not going to make him what I want but rather I have to do things on his terms....doing this, we get along great! I love my bunny!!!!
I lalways new bunnys were little kung fu warriors, I know one that everytime someone goes near it it goe extatic and goes into crazy rabbit mode!!!
my rabbit keeps on running away from me
ive had a few rabbits in my time... i had two girls to start with and they were adorable but they had the run of my whol garden 247 and refused to be picked up. Then they died and i got 2 guinea pigs ut then one dies and the vet said that it was to late to neuter the u=guinea pig to allow me to get another so i was reconmeneded to get a rabbit... what a mistake!!! dont get me wrong im in love with my rabbit but it ended up that he chewed this guinea pig to death!!! so then i just had my rabbit but i was looking after a friends rabbit over the holidays and my rabbit escaped while i was giving the other exercise and mated with her... so i had 5new little bunnies.... they were given away: i kept 2, the mothers owner kept one and a friend took the other two. But one of y two got myxamatosis and dies then the other baby i kept got very territorail and attacked anyone that went near him. You couldnt put your hand in the cage without two pairs of gardening gloves!!! but then he died of myxamatosis too. So now i have my original rabbit who is the sweetest one alive. but this holoday im looking after the remaining two babis from my friend but this time my rabbit is staying in another room completetly.
So anyway the moral of the story is that rabbits all have different personalities like us and you can't try and change that.
thank you if you could be bothered to read all of that!
xx
i just got 2 adorable New Zealand bunnies, I'm very curious about their age. They weigh aboout 1 1/2 lbs. They eat on their own hop and play. My guess is 2 months, but i'm no rabbit expert.
by the way I named them Hunni & Bunni, isn't that soo adorable!
So I've had my rabbit now for about two months. He's pretty decently litter trained although he normally just pees on newspaper, which is kinda where I trained him to go on. And he poops everywhere. Anyway He's been chewing and I think eating the newspaper more than he does his food sometimes. Should I be worried about this or is this just a normal thing that bunnies do? I'd like to get him a little box like thing, (but for rabbits) its just I haven't been able to get to the stores cause of my classes. Also he just pooped today and it was a pretty smelly compared to normal, clumped into one ball and pretty slimy. I suppose it may be becasue I gave him a baby carrot last night but im not quite sure. It's pretty nice though cause even though he's still a little shy alot of the time he'll come over to me and nuzzle me, sniff or just kind of play with me... Unless it doesn't mean that he wants to play when he tries to dig on me and then nibbles..
My bunny, oreo is such a dear but he always gets underfoot then gets mad at me. Why is that?
hi
i'v just gotten 2 days ago a dwarf brown and white bunny at first he was really scared but just today he started licking my hand like CRAZY!!!!!!!! his name is moka and hes the cutest bunny in the universe!!!!!! (no affence to other bunnies) and im not giving him away EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER!!!!!!!!!!!
I have 2 Rabbits one girl one boy. The boy is really friendly and loves to be piked up but the other one the girl is more bossy and when i pick her up she scratches me. sometimes when i pick her up she is fine. And then I think she has bonded well with me but the next day when I pick her up she scratches again. I love my bunnies and I want them both to love me so please tell me what i should do :(
I have a tip for bunny owners. If you have 2 or more rabbits and they have been playing in the garden OR they have escaped well all you need to do is put a carrot in the hutch and when a rabbit smells it the rabbit will omidiatly go into the hutch then when the other rabbits hear the rabbit munching away on a carrot the other rabbit will go in the hutch and enjoy the treat :P
i have a rabbit, flossy, she loves me! she comes when i call and understands no and come out, i love her! but i got a new one called nelly, they hate each other and try to kill eachother! not funny but its like rabbit fights i mean, bad ass or what!
Cathy says:
2 years ago
As an owner of a pair of rabbits this article rings only too true. One is indifferent to us, the other has taken a dislike to my sister. I'm really enjoying reading these articles, though it's only once you have rabbits, you find pieces like these explaining the truth about them.