offended by stomping

[Julie_in_PA]

Patch keeps stomping at me ... I feel offended ... should I be ?

I talk to her and give her treats and love on her, and she stomps at me !

 

[JadeIcing]

I would try not touching her if you don't have to. Stomps can mean any number of things. To more attention, less attention, why were you gone so long, why are you here....

 

[Leaf]

:devilI bet she's testing her limits with you.

I have a little girl named Apple who does that but once scolded she gets out of her miff and decides to behave. :hearts



Apple is a fairly newly adopted shelter bunny who is almost completely blind due to her cataracts. When she first came here she was a little scared but actually adjusted very well.

No idea what her age may be but she is a doll who loves nothing more than to snugle at times.

 

[Julie_in_PA]

well how do you "scold" a bunny though ? I am afraid of making her even more nervous and afraid of me ... sigh. What do I do when she stomps ?

 

[Spring]

All my guys thump, just a way of communicating . Don't take offense to it, she's just being a rabbit! That's what they do! You can usually tell in the situation why, if she's annoyed, nervous, warning etc.

Just talk calmly when she does it, and if she seems nervous, try backing off a bit and let her approach you. She might feel a bit threatened if she's being smothered with attention .

 

[JadeIcing]

The one I had who had issues I would look her dead in the eyes and slap my hand down on the floor. Oh man we would do that for awhile sometimes. I only started doing that once she was ok being around me. The best thing is to just sit and read. Ignore her, bunnies are so curious that with time she may seek you out.

 

[swanlake]

in nature, when a rabbit stomps its to tell other bunnies "danger!".

her stomping could be from her being scared. from your story of her, she is probably not used to a lot of human contact. another reason bunnies stomp is cause they are ticked off at you!

a trick i learned when dealing with my bunnies who are shy or maybe "agressive" is to scratch their head. it immitates grooming, and shows you are not going to hurt her. i would let her sniff your hand first though.

 

[NorthernAutumn]

Really, not something to get upset about My Evie stomped at me on a regular basis since she came to my home. She loves the headrubs, carrots and Craisins. However, when she was nervous or unsure, or offended by my actions, she would stomp.

To deter this, I try really hard to approach my rabbits on their level. Try to figure out what is setting her off.
Are you moving too quickly? Carrying stuff that confuses your body shape? Talking too loudly?
She's trying to get a concept of your behaviour, and what she should expect you to do. From your story about her, it sounds like this is a major adjustment for this little gal...

 

[Julie_in_PA]

Ok, well I'll try not to be to offended, and I'll try to understand. Although I have to admit it's hard since I'm doing everything I can to try to please her (sigh).

She has been through a big change, from being a lonely cage bunny who no one ever handled ... to comming here to live with us, and I handle her every day, petting her, giving her treats, and I try to pick her up atleast once per day and hold her just so she gets used to it. Maybe I'm moving to fast with things ??

 

[swanlake]

good that you are handling her so she gets used to it.

i think bunnies are kinda like people in the way that it takes some time for them to get comfterble around new people.

i think that since you care so much and truly want what's best for patch, everything in the end will turn out fine. it might take some time, but eventually it will all work out.

 

[JadeIcing]

I have to say I don't completely agree with picking up in cases like this. Honestly once every other day but still...

I think if I had pushed Sam into being handled so soon I wouldn't have gained her trust. We took are time letting her be the one to choose each next step once we had that trust we started letting her know who is boss. We eventually became the best of friends. I can't post to much tonight but am off tomorrow so I will post more than.

 

[JadeIcing]

I am going to post two things. Hope you don't mind.

Desi Coming out of his Shell This one is about a shy bunny I worked with. (foster)

What Can You Do When You Have An Aggressive Bun This one is an aggressive bun I worked with. (mine)

 

[JadeIcing]

RIP Samantha Jane

I want you to see what working with her brought to my life. I think that some how you form a HUGE bond with bunnies like this when you try to understand them.

 

[swanlake]

:embarrassed:

so handling everyday is not good? when i had a problem guy i tried to pet him everyday, it seemed to work for me.

 

[JadeIcing]

swanlake wrote:

:embarrassed:

so handling everyday is not good? when i had a problem guy i tried to pet him everyday, it seemed to work for me.

It can be but sometimes it can be a step back. Right now her bun is reacting negative to touching so it helps to try a different approach. Also since the bun is fairly new from a very neglectful home she doesn't understand love. She went from that sitution to this one and she more than likely is confused.

 

[imahappybunny]

My bubba stomps when I turn out the light... do you think she is afraid of the dark?

 

[Spring]

Yeah, I think with nervous bunnies it can sometimes do more harm than good for gaining trust. Try to interact with her at her own level, and not force stuff on her,

For more trusting/friendly buns, frequent handling does help to get them used to it. Georgie used to resist a bit before, wasn't afraid of being picked up, just didn't like it, but now that I have to do it twice a day to check his wound, he's used to it and just stays still. But a bit counter productive with rabbits that don't trust you.

 

[BlueCamasRabbitry]

Stomping usually means they're mad. My buck did it a few nights ago when he got interrupted by my cat and it was 4:00 in the morning and he was right next to my bed. Anyway, after he was through with being mad he stopped stomping and cooled down. lol.

Emily

 

[FallingStar]

I agree with BlueSky. It usually happens when they are mad. One of my does (Rayne) stomps when I take out her toy to wash it, because she doesn't want it washed. Then she gets over it after awhile. Hehe. And my bucks do that too, when I try to catch them when they dont want to go in their cages. Lol.

~

Karlee

 

[Leaf]

JadeIcing wrote:

The one I had who had issues I would look her dead in the eyes and slap my hand down on the floor. Oh man we would do that for awhile sometimes.

:shock:Aiden and I used to go in thumping rounds all the time!

Now he reaches his big fat head up to me so I can kiss his nose.