taming sparks

[sparkyII]

I'mhaving trouble taming sparky. I hold her every day try to hand feedher. I'm doing every thing from my understandings that i should do.when I try to get her out of her pen when I want to hold her she goeswild it's like i'm some kind of mountain lion that would eather.

even when I dont hand head her she pounces on my hand.

plaese help I'm still new with rabbits

 

[ayglnu13]

Here is a thread from this site that has some taming ideas

http://rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=6888&forum_id=1

~Amy

 

[sparkyII]

thanks

 

awwwwwwits so hard sometimes withnew bunnies , trythis ,, let her out of the cageto run , dont pick her upunless you have too for right now , thenlay on the floor at her level lether come to you , this may takea few times its no miriclecure rightoff the bat ,when she sees thatyour not going to bite her head off shewill start coming around , whenyou want her to goback into her cage, put in some of her favoritetreats Just a little not a lot, and when sheassociates good things in her cagewiht going back inshe hsould be much easier to handle ,

Also you can try out sidethe cage handfeeding something likecheerio's one at a time , but againlether come to you . trythis and keep us posted on yourprogress .

 

[Buck Jones]

sparkyII wrote:

...plaese help I'm still new with rabbits

There in might lie some of the problem. You might be trying too hard and too quickly. As far as she is concerned, youmight as well be a lion because she is a prey species and operates from that point of view...a very wary, fearful and suspicious perspective which has worked for eons for her kind.

Try to be more patient. Let her come out of her cage in her own good time. Talk calmly, reassuringly, and in a cooing, high pitched voice like one might speak to a baby. Ply her with goodies and treats, all the while talking, so she associates your voice, smell, actions with good things.

Leave her cage door open and lie on the floor. Let her come to you in herwhen she trusts you enough...and she will, believe me. When a bun gets chased or grabbed it elicits the fright or fight response. When she comes freely, that response won't come into play.

Buck

 

[sparkyII]

okay, I'll do that right away

 

[Kricket]

Buck gives the BEST advice! As doesGypsy. I've had LOTS of luck taming my buns by handfeeding. Good luck and keep us posted!

Hugs!

Shorty, Star & Krick

 

[CorkysMom]

Mine are VERY tame but if I open the door andtry to get them out sometimes they will react like they are scared todeath...so I generally open a door and let them come to me...then theyare excited to get out! Doesn't take em long to get curiousabout whats going on on that next level of the cage... Good luck..it'll be worth getting the bunny tame.....hang in there!

 

[TinysMom]

I found that if I laid on the floor with acatalog or magazine or something and browsed through it - my rabbitswould come to me to explore what I had. I didn't try to reachout and touch them at first....just let them look at the pages or tryto pull on the paper. I'd have the magazine laying on thefloor and if they started to tug on it, I'd leave it alone.Sometimes they'd get distracted and I'd get a chance to touch them.

I also had treats with me and would offer treats to them.Sure...I'll bribe a bunny to get it tame. I used greens astreats also because my buns were old enough.

They still are skittish (some) but so much better than theywere. It seems like the more time I spend laying on the floorwith them - the happier they are and the more comfortable they seemwith me.

Peg

 

[sparkyII]

: Buck Jones wrote

Therein might lie some of the problem. You might be tryingtoo hard and too quickly. As far as she is concerned,you might as well be a lion because she is a prey species andoperates from that point of view...a very wary, fearful and suspiciousperspective which has worked for eons for her kind.

I know patience isn't one of myvirtues

 

[black_jack]

sparkyII wrote:

okay, I'll do that right away

dont do it right away i think your missing the point.. take your timewe have 7 - 12 lovely yrs with our buns if we'relucky. I'm sure u can spend a few days just lying on thefloor with her.

My buns don't like to be picked up but they'll let me lie next to themand stroke them. Sometimes with buns its a case of meetingthem half way (the other half tends to be giving into their demandslol).

Dont mess up a 12yr friendship rushing just take your time.

Although Hetti doesn't let me hold her she came out to see what waswrong with her mummy when she was yelling at her daddy down the phoneand Jack binkies for joy. I may not be able to hold them butthey are precious all the same

 

[sparkyII]

I've hand fed her everydaybut still doesn't want to be held except once

 

[Stephanie]

Keep in mind that most rabbits don'tlike to be held. At all. If you keep trying to hold her, it'll onlyhave a detrimental effect on trying to tame her. I'm speaking fromexperience. It took me a long time to regain the trust of my doe fromtrying to "train" her to be held. Unfortunately, sometimes it justisn't going to happen.

 

[sparkyII]

I think I'm fine i followed everything you toldme to do and she comes out and I got her more toys and treats. I thinkI found a new friend. she actually begs to be held I took her to mygrandma's house and she didn't act up and everyone liked she only actedup when I tried to put her harness and leash on but I think it wasfine. she even played with my dog and my other dog acted like a mom andlicked her sparky didn't get nervous or anything . i'm so glad

 

[CorkysMom]

Glad to hear its paid off!! They are great fun aren't they!

 

[Prizm]

I have not owned rabbits for a long time, but Inoticed that head pets are less frightening to my rabbits if the handcomes from the front of its head, rather than behind. A neighbor triedpetting from behind and this only resulted in chasing the bunny around.It may also help to bring your hand slowely, towards the bunny's head,but try keeping your hand close to the floor and rather than head-pet,try extending a finger to thebunny's cheek. Perhaps otherrabbit owners would like to comment on this approach? It would bepretty easy for your finger to get bitten from this angle, but minenever have bitten and they seem to think I'm grooming their faces--I'lleven wriggle my finger over their tear-ducts (where the "sleeping sand"accumulates) and they close their eye to allow me to continue.

 

[sparkyII]

Sparky never bites I only think she got scared and ran on my hand and got it all scratched up