I've had my Rémy, my male mini rex for about a month. I'm obsessed with him to put it lightly. He's about 14 weeks old. Sometimes he'll be flopped in his cage (we plan to free roam but he's a bit too young) and I'll go over and pet his forehead and he seems to enjoy it (eyes closing slightly, not running away). But, when he's out of his cage, he nose bonks me if I try to pet him and I just sense a dislike. He doesn't flop near me yet but I lay on the ground with him all the time. He used to lick my knee a lot but he hasn't done it in about a week. He binkies a lot but just on the carpet (we have mostly wood which leads me to believe he's just excited about the carpet). I just get this feeling he's never going to love me or come and chill with me. I get the feeling he'll always see me as a potential predator. Am I anticipating the worst?
Will he ever love me...
- Thread starter Gelly
- Start date
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It just rakes time for a bunny, he might just not being the cuddle type of bunny and just enjoy you being there.
He’s still young and some bunnies take longer to open up to their owner. Also he’s in the teenage age period with hormones playing around.
Your bunny it’s happy and healthy, took my netherland dwarf nearly 2 years until he started to flop around me and lay comfortably on the floor without being on guard [emoji23]
He’s still young and some bunnies take longer to open up to their owner. Also he’s in the teenage age period with hormones playing around.
Your bunny it’s happy and healthy, took my netherland dwarf nearly 2 years until he started to flop around me and lay comfortably on the floor without being on guard [emoji23]
JenGibs
Well-Known Member
Awwwww....hang in there! I’m so glad you love him so much! I know I adored my bunnies when they were little....baby Angora floofballs. I wanted to kiss them all the time and they just hated me. The fact that I had to be the bad guy and give them required hair cuts every 6 weeks didn’t help. It broke my heart sometimes. I will say that they are approaching 3 years old now and they are calming down. They don’t come on the couch to me but will sit with me if I pick them up sometimes. When they do let me hold them I hold them close to me (they like that wrapped up feeling) and I will hum to them. Naturally, the mom-sway happens. Lol....
If I am calm, they are calm.
Remember that they are ground animals so laying on the floor like you do is perfect! Once their feet leave the floor there is no telling! My buns also had many different personality changes during the past 2 years. I give them evening treats in the same place every day and now I find them sitting there by 7:30 waiting on me! They get their treats, a few snuggles from me and they hop to their enclosed area for bed. They like routine bc they know what to expect.
I wish you luck and just know he is still young. Give him time. Sit on the floor and read out loud. Don’t touch him but put some pellets or a treat in the area and move it closer to you over time. When he comes, still don’t acknowledge him. Do this long enough and he will know to trust you and being close is a good thing. After a while, reach out and pet his head with your finger. Just take it slow. Your love for him will prevail in the long run.
Imbrium
Jennifer
Based on context clues, I've always interpreted nose-bonks as a sign of affection. Rabbits are like cats. They're independent and like things on their terms. It's often hard to tell the difference between indifference and love, lol. The difference between them loving you and finding you annoying, however, is frequently expressed with a nip on the bum!
My husband and I have had 7 rabbits over the years and I've managed to turn every single one of them into a cuddle-bunn. Here's my advice if you want to teach a rabbit to enjoy cuddling with you:
~ Don't wait for him to come to you, because he'll happily do his own thing indefinitely. If you want cuddles, scoop him up and take him to the cuddle area.
~ Lay down with him. The vast majority of rabbits do NOT enjoy being held in your arms or your lap for cuddles - like JenGibs said, rabbits like their feet on the floor (or mattress/sofa). When I want snuggles, I take a rabbit to our bed and lounge in front of the TV with them.
~ Hold the rabbit firmly. Not "Elmyra" firmly (for you "Tiny Toons" fans
), obviously, but snuggle the bunny tightly enough that they feel secure (and as JenGibs said, 'wrapped up'). Let their little body get pressed up against your chest where they can feel your heartbeat.
Now that our rabbits are accustomed to being snuggled, I can move my arm (the one wrapped around them) away after a few minutes so that they're free to leave and they nearly always stay anyway.
~ Woo them: talk softly and pet their favorite spots - bridge of nose, ears (and the super soft part right behind/between the ears), cheeks, etc. Give the occasional treat or hand-fed pellet.
~ Speak their language once in a while. I periodically 'chin' our rabbits, especially when trying to strengthen a bond. They know darn well exactly what it means if you gently rub the bottom of your chin over them. In rabbit speak, it means "I like you. You belong to me now."
All four of our rabbits are happy for a chance to snuggle up with 'mommy' and watch some TV. Layne (RIP) used to lick the heck out of my pillow for some reason. Alice always 'grooms' me by licking my arm. Barnaby closes his eyes and melts into my arms. Nala loves it sometimes; other times she wants to run around the bed... but when I let her have her way, she always periodically comes back and nose-bonks me to say "what's up, mom?" Harley Quinn was the most resistant to the cuddling concept and it took a while (and a bit of pain from the times she decided to furiously 'dig' at my arm) to convince her that snuggles were fun, but now she gives up the love with the best of 'em.
Basically, if you want the cuddles bad enough, make 'em do it your way! The rest of the time (ie most of the time), respect their fuzzy independent streak and let them do what they want (which is often to use you as a jungle gym). To this day, our rabbits won't actually *ask* for snuggles, yet they seem to greatly appreciate being cuddled most of the time. I would say I let them do what they want like 90% of the time and maybe 10% of the time, I initiate a snuggle session.
My husband and I have had 7 rabbits over the years and I've managed to turn every single one of them into a cuddle-bunn. Here's my advice if you want to teach a rabbit to enjoy cuddling with you:
~ Don't wait for him to come to you, because he'll happily do his own thing indefinitely. If you want cuddles, scoop him up and take him to the cuddle area.
~ Lay down with him. The vast majority of rabbits do NOT enjoy being held in your arms or your lap for cuddles - like JenGibs said, rabbits like their feet on the floor (or mattress/sofa). When I want snuggles, I take a rabbit to our bed and lounge in front of the TV with them.
~ Hold the rabbit firmly. Not "Elmyra" firmly (for you "Tiny Toons" fans
), obviously, but snuggle the bunny tightly enough that they feel secure (and as JenGibs said, 'wrapped up'). Let their little body get pressed up against your chest where they can feel your heartbeat.Now that our rabbits are accustomed to being snuggled, I can move my arm (the one wrapped around them) away after a few minutes so that they're free to leave and they nearly always stay anyway.
~ Woo them: talk softly and pet their favorite spots - bridge of nose, ears (and the super soft part right behind/between the ears), cheeks, etc. Give the occasional treat or hand-fed pellet.
~ Speak their language once in a while. I periodically 'chin' our rabbits, especially when trying to strengthen a bond. They know darn well exactly what it means if you gently rub the bottom of your chin over them. In rabbit speak, it means "I like you. You belong to me now."
All four of our rabbits are happy for a chance to snuggle up with 'mommy' and watch some TV. Layne (RIP) used to lick the heck out of my pillow for some reason. Alice always 'grooms' me by licking my arm. Barnaby closes his eyes and melts into my arms. Nala loves it sometimes; other times she wants to run around the bed... but when I let her have her way, she always periodically comes back and nose-bonks me to say "what's up, mom?" Harley Quinn was the most resistant to the cuddling concept and it took a while (and a bit of pain from the times she decided to furiously 'dig' at my arm) to convince her that snuggles were fun, but now she gives up the love with the best of 'em.
Basically, if you want the cuddles bad enough, make 'em do it your way! The rest of the time (ie most of the time), respect their fuzzy independent streak and let them do what they want (which is often to use you as a jungle gym). To this day, our rabbits won't actually *ask* for snuggles, yet they seem to greatly appreciate being cuddled most of the time. I would say I let them do what they want like 90% of the time and maybe 10% of the time, I initiate a snuggle session.
