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How affectionate are your rabbits

Squishybunny

Warren Scout
Ok, I'm starting to feel really left out. Everyone seems to get some major love:love: and affection from their rabbits:rabbit2: .

My two will come up for some treats and grub, but don't want to be petted or really have anything to do with me:cry: . If I sit with them they come and sniff me and maybe put their front paws on me to get a better look, but thats it. I'm not allowed to touch them. I have tried giving little strokes, but they just run away and return when there is food but no touching involved.

I am probably still building trust with them, so I suppose them being timid with me is to be expected. Has anyone else had any success making friends with rabbits like this. I'm just talking about being allowed to stroke and fuss a little, not the whole following you round the garden milaky.

I'm quite happy to accept that they really don't want any human friends as they are rabbits after all, but so many rabbits really like their human friends I wonder if I just have really anti-social buns.
 
Bilbo hates being touched, Mina can just about bear it. All the others are affectionate, Molly loves his snuggles. :)

Just depends on their personality I guess.
 
Sounds a lot like Piper! They only time she'll really let me pet her is when she's been running around for hours and is too tired to run away!
She'll come up and give me kisses if I'm lying on the floor but she doesn't like to be cuddled at all.

I think some of it with Piper is trust, she's a lot more friendly now than she used to be so maybe someday she'll enjoy cuddles. Also cause she's young and is just much more interested in exploring than hanging out with me!
 
Well jelly is a little moo, and doesnt like being picked up at all, she lunges at me sometimes but she is currently unspayed

Peanut, loves roserubs and if i keep doing it he flops down on my lap

domino - the same thing (peanuts son lol) and grooms me

Pebbles - very shy, will come over for a peice of food and thats it
 
Alvin is as anti-social as they come..... only time i see him is when hes locked in his cage....lol

were still building a bond i think, he tolerates stroking now so in about a year he could be all cuddly.....
 
Liquorice wont tolerate being picked up - he struggles like mad and im so scared that i'll hurt him that i let go.

He occasionally lets us stroke him if he's lying down (thats getting more frequent now - think he's getting used to it) or maybe he's just too tired to move??

Not affectionate in answer to your question - but we love him to bits - he's his own man!!:D
 
My two are getting better with being stroked. They'll stand still for about three body strokes and then off to eat grass. If I even tighten my hand for a sec, they're off. I'm training them at the moment to touch a red square. When they touch it, they get a treat. It's brought them closer to me and I think since I've started doing that, they will stand for longer for strokes. Try training them to touch a colour item and give a command, like Touch, while they're touching it, and then give a treat. I give them pellets before their dinner. And that also makes them more willing to come over. :lol:
 
My two dont like to be touched at all. Nunzeo might sometimes let me stroke him very lightly while he is eating but thats it. Abbey wont even allow that, but does hop all over me at night time, sometimes she'll sleep on the pillow beside me (Nunzeo likes the foot of the bed) and she'll lick my hair or the pillow. They are the cutest non cuddley bunnies ever!
 
Sooty - Got at 8 weeks. Very shy to begin with. After 2 week would allow stroking if food was there & took about a month for him to hop onto my lap for food & another month to enjoy his first nose rubs & strokes. About 5 months for bunny kisses. After 7 months he loves his nose rubs & settled on my lap for the first time for one yesterday :)

Honey - Former rescue, very sweet bunny and very well tempered. Took a couple of weeks to settle close by me to eat food & take it from my hand. Took about a month to allow any sort of touching at all & only if there was food nearby. After nearly 2 months she still does not like being stroked yet unless she is pooped or has food but getting better........

It take a lot of time. Mine are house buns so see me and OH all the time & I spend probably an hour a day in very close contact in their room. Even then its took months for sooty to really trust and love me.
 
I've had my bunnies for about 5 months now. I got them when they were 6 months old - it's probably harder to bond with them the older they get, depending on whether they've had a loving owner before.
At first they wouldnt let me touch them even when they were eating, but they're much better now and still improving. Pippin will sometimes jump on my lap and will almost always stop for a stroke. Frodo and Merry will both put their paws on me now and Frodo has just recently got to the point where he'll let me stroke him, but Merry still runs away unless he's eating!

I'd say the best thing to start with is giving their heads a quick stroke while they're eating.
 
:cry: my bunny wabbit is not talking to me ...she thumping a lot at me tho and growling...all i did was go to say hello down at her level in the garden :roll:
 
Both Rubix and Sophie have issues, they haven't had a good life so far and so don't like humans much. I've had them about 10 months now and although they still don't like nose rubs or being picked up, they are so much better. Rubix no longer freezes when you go in the room and will occasionally let you nose rub him but really he's happiest when you're just sitting next to him hand feeding him or just sitting there. He'll also help clean out the hutch now as well where before he'd just sit there and didn't want to come near me. Sophie's pretty much the same just a lot bolder and will tell you where to go if you're annoying her :lol: I'm so proud of how far they've come and it's really great seeing them, especially Rubix, getting braver and generally more confident. I love them :love: :D

Piglet is my baby :love: She loves nose rubs and if you sit down will come and sit on your lap :D She gives me a kiss every morning when I leave and in the evening when I come home. She hates being picked up and will grunt at you and everything :shock: but on the floor she's lovely. Eeyore's pretty much the same, will let you nose rub him and is slightly better when you pick him up, no kisses from this little man though :(

Tufty is my little girl :love: She's so affectionate, will sit on you for ages while you nose rub her and closes her eyes while you do :love: We became close while she was a single house bunny and I love her so much :D
now
 
Lionel is not cuddly at all he will let me stroke him about 3 times then shakes me off! He will not be picked up at all, he will run up to us though especially if we have food and he will sniff around me then run off. Its still not been long though and i'm hoping it will get better :)
 
I've had the boys for a few weeks now, they are 6 months old.

Ernie will sit on my lap and lick my nose. He lets me stroke his head and likes nose rubs. He's easy to pick up but hard to keep hold of, wriggles a lot.

Eric is less willing to be stroked but is easy to get hold of and be held.

Both come running up to me (wanting treats no doubt :lol: ) and fuss around me when I sit with them. I'm starting to think they might actually like me as even when tucking into their pellets they still make time to come and say goodnight, aah.
 
thumper will let you stroke his head once then runs off but charlie totally loves kisses n cuddles.grunts at you if you dont give him a fuss!so sweet!x
 
My rabbit Clover didn't like being touched much, whereas Georgie is the total opposite. She loves a fuss and a cuddle. She also likes jumping onto me when in the kitchen :lol: But, hey, all rabbits are different and I'm sure with lots of love and affection and patience on your part, they'll come round ;)

Esther x
 
I've had my two 9 days now, and I'm amazed how fast they'll let me and O/H touch them. I think it comes from being rescue buns and having been fostered by quite a few people :) Jill and Faye warned me that Muffin is a bit skittish, and the first couple of days she stomped her feet a few times, but she' not done that for a few days now :D They climb all over me when I've got food, or even when they think I might have food, and Gilbert will let me stroke him a few times,and was originally okay about being picked up, but isn't so keen since I tried to look at his bum! Muffin will only let me stroke her when I've got food, and even then only once or twice! But it's early days, so I hope one day they'll like snuggling upto me on the floor for a noserub!
 
Flopsy is 6 months and I have had him since he was 9 weeks. He is very nervous but gradually came around to a nose rub, grooming with his comb and being stroked on the back.:D Definately does not like being picked up.:evil:

Felt like I was getting somewhere with him then hormones kicked in and he won't come near me except for twice when he nipped me. He gets very excited when he sees me and then as soon as I put my hand in the hutch he is off!:shock:

Let me groom him in the garden last night for a little while till o/h looked through the kitchen window and he was off - not very keen on men!!!:lol:

Hopefully week Monday when he is neutered he will settle again - if not I am not worried as he is still adorable and funny to watch:lol:
 
Benny is easy to handle, but doesn't look very happy with it so I leave him be - he goes all 'pointy' when stroked, and looks really really submissive, so again I don't imagine he's enjoying it too much. He seems to like a little stroke on his nose/head while eating though :)

Of the 5 girls, only Maa is tame - she loves having a stroke with 4 paws on the ground - hates being picked up! She settles down and munches her teeth together but I never have time to stroke her long :(

I've managed to touch Primrose on the head - but the 4 sisters are not really approachable - and even after 2yrs Victoria runs a mile if I come near :roll: They don't seem to mind me crouching on the floor next to them for a chat, while they munch their pellets though - it's about as companionable as we get :)
 
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