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How long to gain trust?

stranger23

Mama Doe
I rescued 2 male rabbits from someone who couldnt be bothered to look after them anymore, the hutches they came in were horrible they were rotting and had loads of holes in so i have brought them new hutches which they seem to really like, they had not had their nails cut for about a year the girl said when i took them to have them done, they were on food from wilkos that was awful and ive now got them eating rabbit pellets and given them things to chew as one of them there teeth are getting a bit long i have booked him into the vets for just after xmas to have them looked at, ive spent so much time and effort on them to get them into a healthier state but they just dont trust me, when i have had to grab them to put them into a box while cleaning out or taking them to get nails done i have had to chase them around the hutch until i manage to corner them and get hold of them, i try so hard to not upset them to much but i just dont know what else i can do to help them trust me when i put their food in i hold my hand out for them to sniff but they just run into their beds and wait for me to leave i offer them bits of carrot etc but they just wont take anything from me any ideas? i feel very sorry for them as they are both kept separately and i think they might be a bit depressed after xmas im going to get them neutered and try and bond them together and if i cant bond them together will look into getting them a bunny friend
 
Aww poor buns, well done for rescuing them and getting them back to health :wave:

Whilst theres lots of vets visits and medical stuff going on it will be hard to gain their trust unfortunately :(
However once the initial stuff is sorted and they are neutered, bonded and settled THEN is the best time to start gaining their trust.
My Mimi was mistreated in her previous home :evil: and as a result is very nervous of humans :( For the first few months after she was bonded with Timmy I just let her be, didnt try to handle her or even touch her unless necessary. She gradually learnt that I wasnt a threat and would take food from my hand. She also started hanging around in the living room with us alot more (theyre free range house buns) instead of hiding away and stamping her foot when she saw us. I alwaus speak very gently and quietly to her, never approach her from behind and give treats from my hand.
Nearly a year on and although she still doesnt like to be stroked, shes very sociable, will flop next to me and has even been known to crawl onto me when shes scared :shock::)
She may never fully trust a human hand, same as your boys may never, but I never force it and as a result shes a very happy relaxed bunny :D Its difficult for me coz I mostly have to love her from afar but I have just come to accept that that is who she is :love:
Hope that helps a little :wave:
 
Yes thank you, i will just keep doing what im doing then until they have been neutered, i hope that they can learn to trust me as they are such lovely boys and i want them to be very happy, were going to be moving soon so hopefully i can find a house big enough for all my bunnies to be indoors i have 4 indoor rabbits already but didnt have space inside for they boys so they ended up in the garage
 
I can sympathise with the trust problem. My bunny was well cared for before he came to me, but his owner had poor health and wanted him to be rehomed with an owner who had more time and energy for him. He's been with me since April, and although he likes an audience he still resists any attempt at handling. He will accept strokes and treats in his hutch, but not in the house. I have to bring him in (our conservatory is not much warmer than outside in winter) for exercise, which is fine until it his time for him to go back to the hutch. Good luck with your buns. Neutering should help - I suspect not being neutered is one of the reasons Spenser is so nervous when I try to pick him up. Spending time with your buns without trying to pick them up will help them to get use to you, but I appreciate that's difficult to do with outside buns in winter.
 
spending time with them isnt to bad as they are in the garage so its sheltered when ever i have to go in the garage i always speak to them and apart from when i have to clean them out or take them somewhere i dont pick them up i did try cleaning them out without taking them out of the hutch but they didnt like the brush and started nipping at it so i thought it would be easier to just take them out and clean the hutch quickly
 
Is there room for you to sit and read a book or paper in the garage? This might help them get used to you as a non-threatening presence. Most unneutered buns are territorial about their hutches (mine certainly is - tried to bite me when I was sorting out his litter bowl yesterday). This will probably be less of a problem after neutering. I should have Spenser done ages ago, but put it off and now I have to wait until spring because he lives outside.
 
Yes i am often just in the garage as i have a fish tank in there so they get to see me while i am sorting out and feeding the axolotl also the tumble dryer is in there ( the hose goes to the outside so there is no fumes in the garage) so while im doing all the washing they can see me
 
You've had some very good advice on this thread. May I just add, that nervous buns are less frightened when we get down to their level on the floor. They don't seem to mind how long we are, it's to do with height. I reckon you'll need loads of blankets or an airbed or you'll get freezing.
They may well be frightened of your hand. Coming towards them from the side is less frightening - they've a large blindspot at the front. Coming towards them from front & above can be misinterpreted as aggressive predator.

(My bun is the gentlest possible & loves humans but on 2 occasions when a stranger has tried to stroke him from above & in front, he's periscoped & pawed at them - an aggressive response to a potential predator)
 
Oh yes I forgot to mention that, thanks Thumps :wave:
With Mimi I found that lying on the floor and completely ignoring her worked in that eventually her curiosity would get the better of her and she'd come and sniff around me and climb on me. Bunnys are very nosy so use it to your advantage :lol:
 
Thank you for all the advice, i do tend to come at them from the side as i did know they had a blind spot at the front and to try and minimise the stress thought if they could see me they might not freak out as much, i always bend down to their height i didnt know they preferred that i just found it easier to do what i need to do at the same height as they are which isnt to bad as the hutches are off the floor and i just have to squat down to be on their level.
 
we took on a french lop that had been a house bun but the couple were afraid of her:? and used a broom on her:shock::cry:
it took a few months to bring her round to us.. but she did mellow after time:love: just spending time at her level...sitting near him, talking quietly to her, hand feeding him....:love:
 
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