Aren't Rabbits Skittish..??

[pdm]

Hi,

I am looking into getting a pet & had always thought bunnieswere cute but had stayed away from considering them as a possible petbecause I always heard they
are very skittish & afraid of everything & do not like to be around people. And all the
ones I had seen in the pet stores wouldnt let you pick them up & didn't really want
anything to do with people. But someone I ran across the other day owns one & said
that this is not true that his rabbit hops up on his laps and is very interactive.

Can some rabbit owners give me some feedback on this topic..??


Thanks,

pdm

 

[TinysMom]

Just like cats and dogs, rabbits have their ownpersonality. Some are skittish by nature -after all - they are animalsthat would be preyed upon in the wild. Others are more outgoing.

So I guess my answer is "it depends upon the rabbit itself".

One way to get a rabbit is to go to a shelter and adopt one. Many timesthese are older rabbits that have developed their personality alreadyand have been in a home already. By taking a few moments to play withthem, you will quickly learn which ones are skittish and which onesaren't.

Another way to get a rabbit is to go to a breeder and purchase fromthem. One benefit that you get when purchasing from a breeder is thatthey can frequently tell you about the parents and lineage of thatrabbit. I believe that a good breeder can and should know enough abouttheir rabbits to tell you who is outgoing and who is shy, etc. I breedlionheads and I try to work with them to socialize them so they willallow their new owners to hold them, etc.

I just rehomed about 1/4 of my herd and I had people bringing theirfriends back for rabbits because they could not get over how friendlyand loving my rabbits were. Sometimes they'd had rabbit in the past butthe rabbit wasn't very friendly and they just weren't sure if they everwanted a rabbit again. Then they played with mine and realized that arabbit can be fun.

One thing you need to do when considering a rabbit is research some ofthe different breeds and think about what you want. Do you want asmaller rabbit? A larger rabbit? What are you looking for? a cuddlebun?would you prefer to watch one play and you're not much of a cuddleryourself? These are all things you need to consider.

You will also decide if you want a younger rabbit or an older rabbit.Do you want to get one from a shelter which has been in a home alreadyor do you want to get one from a breeder?

Please remember this....only you can decide what is best for you. Somefolks may make you feel guilty if you don't take a shelter rabbit as"there are so many homeless bunnies out there". Others may make youfeel bad if you don't get a rabbit from a breeder cause "you know whereit came from" and stuff like that. But you have to decide what is bestfor you.

As a breeder, I do my best to socialize my rabbits and if any aren'tadopted, I keep them until I can find them a home. I talk to peoplebefore I sell my rabbits and make sure they are going to a home I feelcomfortable about. If you come to me and ask me about a rabbit I canusually tell you its favorite toy, whether it prefers to be caged orhave free time outside the cage, etc.

Finally, please know that rabbits aren't for everyone - and that is ok.Yes, the folks here are "bunny people" and we love our rabbits. But ifa rabbit isn't best for you....then don't get one because both you andthe rabbit will be unhappy.

Peg

 

[Spring]

Welcome to the forum!

Rabbits are wonderful, playful, curious little critters. They have such big personalities in such small, or large package

:yeahthat.

Rabbits have their own little personalities. I've never met two thathad the same personalities! Some love to be cuddled, pet, and fussedover where others like to just explore and get the occasional pat. Somerabbits can be very docile and laid back, and some can be very nervousand skittish. It's good, especially for a first time owner topreferably get an adult so you know a bit about their personalities.Babies can be cute at first, butmost go into a hormonal stagewhere their personalities change drastically.

The rabbits from the pet store that you saw are probably very stressedwitheveryone grabbing and petting them. So in thatenvironment with all the noise, stress, and smells it can put a rabbitunder a lot of stress. Once a rabbit is in a calm, familiar environmenthowever, they calm down. Rabbits take some time to warm up to humans,but once you are at the place in the relationship where you share atrusting bond, it's a wonderful thing.

 

[Starina]

I got my bunny from a pet store. I picked herbecause she was curious when I showed up, the other one was sleeping.When I first got her home she stomped at pretty much every noise in thehouse. Now she sleeps through loud chainsaw and screaming movies thatme amd my bf often watch. She still doesn't like to be picked up, but Iam getting good at herding her around. (luckily for me, I use a cane toget around) I didn't know that bunnies had so muchpersonality, and were so much fun.The key to enjoying yourbunny is to learn their language. They are generally quiet, so you haveto watch their ears and body language, it will tell you pretty much howyour bunny is feeling. Spend a litttle time with your bunny before youpick it, and see who's personality suits you. I lucked out this time,and picked a rabbit that I could easily train and doesn't takeadvantage of my bad leg as much as she could. She does like to hidunder things and run upstairs on me sometimes.:bunnydance:So, good luck on your pet quest. I hopeyou find the animal that is right for you.



~Star~

 

[Mikoli]

Each rabbit has it's own personality, and someare skittish. Most rabbits love humans, and are quite social. Mostrabbits and owners form quite a strong bond, and you will find rabbitshave their own curious, intelligent, and loving personality. Of course,there are always some oddballs. You will find some rabbits that areskittish because they were not handled much when they were little. Asfor the pet shop thing, there may be a few reasons why the rabbits areskittish there. They may not have been handled much. They may be youngand were just taken away from their mother. But, considering they werestuck in a cage, with lots of noise and giants poking their heads andhands into their cage every few seconds, their mother's gone, andthey're in a scary place, you can imagine why they aren't exactly themost relaxed they have ever been.

As Tiny said, some people aren't rabbit people. If you are hoping forsomething that you can run around with and throw toys to, then get adog instead. Rabbits are not for everyone. But, if you are interestedin buying a rabbit as a pet, do some research about them, and seewether they are right for you.

Rach & Ollz.

 

[maherwoman]

Hello! Welcome to the forum!

Looks like your questions have already been answered, but I wanted tosend you a little welcome and encourage you to introduce yourself inthe New Members Thread!

See ya around!

Rosie*

 

[Pipp]

I think all of mine were skittish (except Pipp)and hated being picked up when I first got them, but within about sixmonths, they've all pretty much become lap bunnies.

Dill used to HATE being picked up, he'd explode, but I scooped him uptoday and he didn't mind much at all. But eventhough he hated being picked up, he was always the friendliest bunny --following me around, pawing at my leg, greeting people at the door,etc.

Darry used to hate 'hands', and was a real bear if anybodytried to reach into her cage -- she was deemed unadoptable -- but werespected that and got her a pen instead of a cage and always dealtwith her on the floor at her level--shehad no problem with faces, legs and backs -- and now she'seven letting us pet her.

Sherry would grunt, honk and chargeif you reached for her,but I didn't take herseriously (although she sure scared theneighbours ) and mostly let her come to me, anyway,andshe's just fine.

You just have to gain their trust.

All five of mine arethe most awesome little guys!

I'm sure this has already been mentioned, I haven't read through thethread, but if you want to be sure you're getting a human-friendlybunny, get a proven one from a shelter.

Let us know how thatworks out!

sas

 

[bluebird]

Getting an adult rabbit is an excellentidea.what you see is what you get.A baby rabbit may or may not becometame and loving.most rabbits do not like being picked up but will learntoo tolerate it.shelters will let you interact with the animal beforeyou take him home.remember too rabbit proof the house or he must besupervised at all times because mostrabbits love toochew.bluebird

 

[pinksalamander]

I had an experience with rabbits when i wasyounger that left me, not hating them, but not really appreciating howgreat they are. My first rabbits were very "boring". Porbably because ihardly ever played with or took time. I did enjoy them at time, andliked to put them in the run and such, but they fought and i quicklylost interest. I was 5 at the time though!

Now just over 10 years later i decided i wanted another. The mainreason was i had been keeping hamsters but i found they often died ofunnatrual causes. I believe it was because of something in my house. Ireally can't explain it but my house was damp and i believe too muchwater vapour was getting to them in some way. So i decided i shouldstart with another animal. I wanted a small critter, i already have 2cats and a dog was not an option. I thought about guinea pigs but to behonest i've never really found them particularly "cute". I think i likerabbits because of the ears.

So then i adopted Will. At first he was a bit of a loving pain. He wasadorable but hated to be picked up etc. It was always a battle gettinghim to his run and such. I went on holiday a few months later and hestayed with my rabbity friend, who put lots of effort into him. When igot him back he was very good, hardly scrabbled at all. Now recentlyhe's showing even more affection and loves a generous cuddle.

All in all, through the many pets i've had, i'd say that rabbits arhard work, but they are a fun project. Its nice to see them growing anddeveloping a personality and i'd say whatever you put into your rabbitis what you get out of him!