Our First bunny

[Lunaisawesome]

Hi, my partner and I have just got our bunny and she is about six months old and rather shy about being handled. We got her from a pet shop and they said that she had been there about two days as her previous owners had to move without her. She doesn't mind just sitting in your lap once you have managed to pick her up, otherwise she just races away from you. I was wondering what would be the best way to get her more comfortable with being picked up. If you just let her be and hope she comes to you she just sort of approaches but as soon as you move she races away again. She enjoys exploring and just roaming the house and even just relaxing in her space. Although today I'm worried she hasn't eaten much and I'm not sure what is exactly normal for her and I don't want her to get sick. Can someone help with advice?

 

[JBun]

Because she seems a bit stressed being in a new home, I would suggest keeping the handling to a minimum for at least a few days to help her settle in. You really do want to minimize the stress, as it can cause a disruption in a rabbits digestive bacteria, which in turn can lead to a health problem where she stops eating altogether. If you need to keep her in a smaller space to be able to manage this, then that is fine and actually may help with her being able to get used to you and feel more comfortable. When a rabbit has too much space at first and it is nervous, it can very easily avoid you and hide, not giving you much of a chance to build trust. In a smaller space you can sit with or by your rabbit and she can't just run and hide but can have a better chance to approach and learn to trust you. You don't want to pick up(unless absolutely necessary) or even reach out to her. Just sit with her and allow her to explore. Even if she comes up, just read your book or other activity and essentially ignore her. Gradually when she becomes more confident you can gently reach out your hand to see if she will smell it. After she is feeling very comfortable with that you can try a little nose rub. For nervous buns it's all about small steps and building their trust. Once she has settled in and is more comfortable with you, then you can try working on picking her up. Even then most rabbits dislike it, but can usually learn to tolerate it.
http://www.rabbitsonline.net/showthread.php?t=29064

You do want to keep a very close eye on her eating, drinking, and pooping. Any changes in these can signal the start of a health problem. How much she should be eating depends somewhat on what you are currently feeding and her weight. Have you changed her diet from her previous home? Were you given any of her usual pellets to transition her onto new pellets? Did the previous owner give you any info on her usual diet? Changes in a rabbits diet should usually be done gradually, as their gut flora can be easily upset, so they need time to adjust to any new food, with the exception of grass hays, which are usually well tolerated when sudden changes are made. But all other food needs gradual introduction or change.