zayna1
Warren Scout
Last july I bought a little lionhead bunny from a petshop because i went there for cat toys, and I saw him and he was all alone in the cage, and when i picked him up and held him he was so affectionate and sweet. However, ever since that day I brought him home, he has been mean/scared of me. I never man-handle him at all. He was an outdoor bun with daytime access to a fenced area of the garden and I would spend as much time as I could with him after school and he would (and still does) take food from my hand. However he will never approach me, he will run at every strange sound, and will never EVER let me stroke him and he never has since we got him home! :'( (he has been living indoors since october) I tried my best, I tried the softly softly approach just sitting in his area quietly etc, and the furthest we got was taking food from me. Then my dad told me to just grab him, and hold him on my lap for a while to get used to me. He panics to death, and he has even grunted at me and thumps alot. He is terrified of his carrier after being neutered, so when I have to move him like when cleaning his cage, he gets really scared and I end up getting scratched even if i'm wearing long sleeves/gloves.
Now my new bunny, is a baby still, at 9 and a half weeks old. I have had her since 7 weeks of age. When I got her she was really friendly, the people I got her from had obviously tamed her well. She loved to be stroked, and wouldn't panic when being picked up. I spend from around 4:30 until around 9:30 each day (obviously longer on weekends) playing with the bunnies. For some reason she has stopped liking being stroked, when I put my hand near her, she wont run like my other bunny, she just thinks I have food and she doesnt want to be stroked at all! I really don't know what i'm doing wrong here. I dont want her to be scared of me, and I want them to both be happy. For some reason my dad is annoyed, because I promised I would look after them (I love animals, and my cat is spoilt rotten, i would never neglect one!), and that if a bunny was bought from a home/shelter rather than a petshop it would be tamer from the start as they have been handled more etc. I really need some advice here. My dad is threatening to get rid of them. I will get her neutered when old enough, but my dad isnt too keen on the thought it will calm them down, as it hasnt made any difference with my older bun. She will come over to me for a sniff, doesn't run away from me, jump up on my lap to eat a treat. But she doesn't want me to touch her like before, wheather it be stroking her, of lifting her up when neccisary to move her. She is now starting to scratch and panic like my older bun does! I know rabbits dont like being picked up, but I only do it when I have to. Argh! What am I doing wrong?! How can I turn two rabbits mean am i really that bad an owner?
Now my new bunny, is a baby still, at 9 and a half weeks old. I have had her since 7 weeks of age. When I got her she was really friendly, the people I got her from had obviously tamed her well. She loved to be stroked, and wouldn't panic when being picked up. I spend from around 4:30 until around 9:30 each day (obviously longer on weekends) playing with the bunnies. For some reason she has stopped liking being stroked, when I put my hand near her, she wont run like my other bunny, she just thinks I have food and she doesnt want to be stroked at all! I really don't know what i'm doing wrong here. I dont want her to be scared of me, and I want them to both be happy. For some reason my dad is annoyed, because I promised I would look after them (I love animals, and my cat is spoilt rotten, i would never neglect one!), and that if a bunny was bought from a home/shelter rather than a petshop it would be tamer from the start as they have been handled more etc. I really need some advice here. My dad is threatening to get rid of them. I will get her neutered when old enough, but my dad isnt too keen on the thought it will calm them down, as it hasnt made any difference with my older bun. She will come over to me for a sniff, doesn't run away from me, jump up on my lap to eat a treat. But she doesn't want me to touch her like before, wheather it be stroking her, of lifting her up when neccisary to move her. She is now starting to scratch and panic like my older bun does! I know rabbits dont like being picked up, but I only do it when I have to. Argh! What am I doing wrong?! How can I turn two rabbits mean am i really that bad an owner?