Rabbit always scared of me

I have two rabbits. The younger one, a dwarf lop always runs away from me and is hard to pick up. I try not to pick him up unnecessarily though. He will come near me to have a nose at what I'm doing but as soon as I go to pick him up or hold me, ie. to flee him or groom him, he stumps his back foot and runs away.

Can I get him to trust me?

I got him neutered about a month ago but his behaviour hasn't changed other than he doesn't try and hump the other rabbit anymore.

My Bramble's like this. She's a bit stampy.

What I did was sit down on the kitchen floor, quietly, reading, playing around on my phone etc and just left them to wander around me. Eventually they came and hopped on my knee, I started gently stroking Bramble and she just sat there.

It does get better.

Bramble still isn't 100% on being picked up, it's hardwired into their DNA that only predators pick them up, so it's just an instint. Handle your bun as often as possible and it will get used to you.

Like I say though, Bramble is still not 100% with it. She is a little madam though :lol:

One of my rabbits (Toshi) hates to be picked up and will do whatever he can to get down. However my other two (Joshua and Paige) love to be held and will sit in my arms for hours, contentedly grinding their teeth. Some bunnies will never like to be held, just like some cats. But Toshi loves to sit next to me on the ground and cuddle. For more practical purposes (such as transportation) I either let him run from his out room to the stairs or (depending on if Joshua is out in my room) put him in a carrier.

At the weekend I will sit in Basil's play area and let him come and have a nose at me and get used to me. I've had him about a year now so would of thought he was used to me by now. But like you say it's in their nature. The other rabbit Billy was picked up from 2 months old so he is used to it more.

It might be worth having a look at this http://flashsplace.webs.com/handling.htm and also http://flashsplace.webs.com/bondingwithyourbunny.htm

Good luck

Great links Sky-O thanks :thumb: really interesting read actually

Some rabbits are more confident character wise than others, but many don't enjoy being picked up. In these cases we work around the rabbit's needs and use a carrier and minimal handling to gain trust.

It sounds like perfectly normal rabbit behavior. If his behavior has always been like this- that would be considered normal, but if there are any sudden changes in behavior- it's wise to consult a vet to check if there may be any underlying health issues such a sight/hearing problems etc.

All the best
~Jane