Please help me (human bonding)

[tabbybear]

I rescued a very handsome black boy who is about 1 year old now about a week and half ago, although I recently had to give away my other rabbit (due to her biteing and charging problems with my siblings) my mother agreed to take in him because he was just adorable and sweet. Which he is, both adorable and sweet but with that being said he is also very timid and shy and scared. I have tried bonding excercises with him, and even sat on the floor for a whole 3 days with him, I sleep next to his cage, and when he gets full run at night I sleep on the floor and sometimes he sits close by to me. Right now, were in my bathroom "trying" to get to know eachother but he is just sitting in the corner right now watching me. I just wanted to know if you had some tips on bonding with rabbits?

Also some questions..

If you inaciate it yourself as in..

-Licking them on the nose (I know that sounds gross to some)

-Nudgeing them with your nose

-grooming yourself in there presence (as if you were a rabbit of course)

-Lieing down in there precense to show you are not scared





If you could please give me some advice ASAP. that would be amazing.





Tabitha.

 

[YukonDaisy]

Sounds like you are doing everything right. All you can really do is spend time quietly with your rabbit and let him get to know and trust you. How long it takes is up to him, you just have to be patient. Let him aproach you and don't be grabby or bother him too much, and treats are always a good way to get buns liking you, lol.
You'll get better responses soon and good luck!

ETA: Welcome to RO! :biggrin:

 

[Flash Gordon]

the best way to get a bunny comfortable with you is to sit on the floor and ignore them...im not sure the bathroom thing is gonna get him to bond with ya...he prob feels kinda cornered by you...u def have the right ideas with getting down to his level ,,but now u hafta try and not touch him or pick him up..the first thing a bunny needs to do is trust....trusting to them is being able to go about their bunny business all around you without feeling like ur gonna grab him...bunnies are very inquisitive so all this ignorning that ur gonna do will give him a chance to size u up..when he does come to you.,,dont pet him just sit there...after awhile start with small pets for a min..then lengthen them...he will eventually get used to you....
its really hard to do it this way cuz i know all u wanna do is luv on him....but trust me if u do it this way before u know it hell be hopping over to you and nudging u all the time for luvin...
ur first bunnies lunging and biting prob came from the same scenario.prob was overwhelmed with all the grabbing and attention..and didnt trust ur siblings yet.....could have been hormones too if they werent fixed....
please be patient with him ,,it might take a couple of months to get him to trust you..but it will be worth it cuz theres nothing kewler then having a bunny all up in u face for luvin....

 

[tabbybear]

Yah, I have tried ignoring him last night, (but I think were past that stage as he already comes near me and jumps on me) and he even ate lettuce fro my hand last night. as well as fell asleep when I was petting him and he even started purring. I think its the start of something good.

 

[kirbyultra]

It sounds like you're doing just fine. Your bunny seems to like you well enough and trust you enough to hop on you. It's a very good sign already. Some buns don't give you licks, and that's just the way they are. But if they interact with you and they are not scared of you, it's already really great in bunny world.

 

[SarahJ]

Have you read the Language of Lagomorphs? It's an excellent resource for understanding what your bun is trying to tell you and really helps to bond with them as you know what they are saying!

http://language.rabbitspeak.com/

 

[kirbyultra]

I love that website! It's very cute and revealing about the world of bunnies.

 

[SarahJ]

It was a complete lifesaver when I got my first bun!!

 

[Pipp]

Here's a great RO article courtesy of Flashy...

Bonding with your bunny


I always try and use 'face time' with my hand-shy rabbits.

Ignoring them or offering them tiny bits of treats (bits of carrot or apple peel works well, not too fattening).

It does take awhile, though. Progress is better measured by the week then by the day. Its taken me four years to get Darry to let me pet her, although I wasn't trying on a daily basis by any stretch).

Time and patience!



sas :bunnydance: