Miracle - Giant Rew Bun - Just Call Me The Rabbit Whisperer!!!

A lady I know has asked for help with her giant REW, she is thinking of rehoming him as her children are scared of him, he is not friendly and thumps all the time, appears threatening and will not be picked up, groomed or cuddled. He has been neutered, is 18 months old, apparently no health problems (teeth), lives indoors and came from a breeder. Can anyone offer advice or show me a thread/site - I have offered to visit her tomorrow to see the bun for myself to see if i can help

Bun is like this for a reason, me thinks??
It takes time,patience,peace and love to make a tame, loving bunny.
Best of luck.Hope you can help him.xxx

i would suggest maybe he has a "hidden" health problem.....and is in pain for a start.
sadly small children are not always nice to pets..or maybe people in general have upset him.

how long was he with the breeder before coming to your friend?

negative experiences with humans..children or adults....and other pets can seriously damage a bunny and sadly isnt an easy fix...it takes time love and trust to even get any semblance of a relationship.

Bunnies do not like to be picked up or cuddled or hugged.....especially big ones let alone giant ones:shock: giants..contis...frenchies..etc are all TOO BIG to pick up...can be seriously injured as their weight goes against them

id advise your friend to go back and ask about his history....ask the vet if its hidden pain......give him his space and very very slowly reintroduce themselves to him.
hes obvioulsy feeling scared/threatened.....time is all your friend can give him.

bertie loves you to get on the floor and cuddle him and hug him...BUT only when he wants it...but hes not the norm. Hes a law unto himself:lol:

i am lucky if bluebell so much as lets me give her a nose rub and she bites when scared etc....but shes had a traumatic time since nov with losing her sister etc...and she sometimes is very sweet but other times..RUN!!
shes only bitten me once and it wasnt too bad..but she got nikki very badly...the inside of her arm is stil sore and lumpy a few months on. But we know its not becasue shes a nasty bun...understanding and patience is all we can give her too.

house rabbits can sometimes feel threatened if they dont have a "hide"

but cooping them up even in a big playpen can also drive em nuts.

i hope you will be able to help her and her bunny.:wave:

Firstly I would advise getting him vet checked including his teeth to eliminate any pain that may be upsetting him

Then I would explain that rabbits do not like being picked up, they are , mostly, very insecure with their feet off the ground as the only time traditionally this would happen is when a predator grabs them.
Also giants are difficult to pick up due to size..so when they do need lifting to check bum etc..it needs to be done by a confident adult

But mainly as he is a REW I would check his eyesight..red eyed buns are often shortsighted and this can make them more nervous/defensive/aggressive..only TLC and time will help with that

I can't think of any of my buns who would like to be cuddled and they are only picked up for daily checks etc. I agree that his eyesight is probably poor - he would perhaps be happer living outside with another bun for company - not all rabbits enjoy life inside particularly with children.

Thank you everyone for your comments so far, everything you have said is right and is also what I have been thinking as well - I have only learned all this valuable info from joining this site as well as reading and researching. I am looking forward to seeing this bunny later this morning and if you like will let you know how the visit went. I too, have some very snuggly buns but also some who don't want to know! It will be interesting to see what it's all about and I will (if I can) check the bunny out myself with some basic health checks though it will be scary as mine are mini lops and dwarf nethies so this bun might even EAT me!!!:lol::lol:

I have a New Zealand White who is the biggest rabbit we have ever had. The kids were a little nervous at first about him because of his size and I admit I was a little to begin with too. He grunts a lot, thumps now and then but he is the most gentle bun. He's actually my sons favourite. He acts like he doesn't like to be picked up but has worked out to be the easiest to be picked up although the heaviest. He loves a cuddle once he feels safe in your arms.
Are you sure it's not just the size that's making them nervous? Just because buns grunt, it doesn't mean they are going to bite or be aggressive.

Looking forward to an update after you visit. :wave:

Just returned from my BIG BUN visit. He was an adorable lad! Possibly a NZW and a little overweight as he had a dewlap. He seems very well cared for though, has plenty of room indoors to run around, is fed correctly if a little too much which i mentioned kindly. He came to me and my daughter who is 13 and we gave him fenugreeks which he took nicely, he was all over my daughter sniffing her as she had her 'rabbit' cuddling top on which he could smell, he even sat on her chest as she lay on the floor! I was able to carefully stroke his back but he didn't like anyone touching his head and would 'grunt' and jump forward at you - though he hasn't actually bitten anyone, it is a bit scary. The family have a lot on their plate with 3 tinies including a little lad with disabilities who requires a lot of time and 2 other children. They really are a lovely family who have tried their best but are worried about his 'aggressive' manner. I think he is just happy to be left alone and do his own thing without little people hassling him. They have decided that it would be best for him to go to a new home, he is neutered and I think would be really happy with a companion. What can we do to help???

Thanks for the update. This sounds just like my NZW. It's so scarey because of the size, grunts and sudden movements. He sounds gorgeous, I wish I could take him but I want to just stick with my two right now.
Whoever does take him, I think will be rewarded with a lovely bun just like my Bobby.

He does look just like your sig pic - so maybe he is NZW - breeders told the family they should leave him alone and not fuss with him when he was little and he will come around - quite the opposite of what I know - the more a little one is handled the friendlier it will be when older (well sometimes) have PM'd the moderator for permission to list him on here

He sounds really lovely.

He is a love - and deserves a home where he will be happy here's hoping!! He's quite the opposite of what i have, all mine are outdoors and are mini lops or dwarf nethies - he's a big lad but oh soooo cuddly!!

suzibunbun said:

He does look just like your sig pic - so maybe he is NZW - breeders told the family they should leave him alone and not fuss with him when he was little and he will come around - quite the opposite of what I know - the more a little one is handled the friendlier it will be when older (well sometimes) have PM'd the moderator for permission to list him on here

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Obviously all buns need to be socialised when growing up otherwise they will be nervous. I agree with other posters as well about the eyesight. Bobbys eyesight is a little weaker than my other bun so that makes him a little more nervous of sudden movements.

I too agree - I have a little mini lop REW who is also deaf - she's an absolute sweetie but is also very nervous and sticks with her pals for security

Justine said:

Obviously all buns need to be socialised when growing up otherwise they will be nervous. I agree with other posters as well about the eyesight. Bobbys eyesight is a little weaker than my other bun so that makes him a little more nervous of sudden movements.

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REWs can be very nervous due to the poor eyesight as people have said.

I actually have a large lop REW (so mostly deaf as well as out of focus:roll::roll who I was offerred from a very similar situation from the one 'yours' is in (ie your friends). Exactly same info had been given to family and the poor bun had started to lunge at the children as he was scared.

He is now a real softy - though still hates being picked up at all. I suspect the children in his old family had dropped him a few times before I took him.

Hoping with a new (child free??) family and a nice bunwife will help him enormously

I can't stop thinking about this bun but I don't want to have another trio after my last trio didn't work out.

you posted this thread and no piccies??:lol: ideally he should of been handled from young so that he knew humans arent scary.he sounds

pic on its way i hope

Not again - i am sooo rubbish at putting photos on - will try again