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My new girl is petrified

Rexripley

Mama Doe
My last three bunnies were 8/10 weeks when I got them, my new girl is roughly four months and I've never seen a bunny so scared, when I've picked her up she just sits still and let's me stroke her but her heart is racing, then when I leave her she'll run under the bed and stomp, never experienced this with the other three :(
I hope she'll be a happy bunny one day for Alfie.
 
Im sure she will.... Tonic used to constantly thump and grunt when he moved in. Hes mellow now x
 
I for the main take on very scared, badly traumatised bunnies, and can I just recommend that you initially just take it a day at a time, and don't make any plans for spaying or bonding until your bun is a lot happier and more established in her new home. I really wouldn't attempt to pick her up, just get her used to you being about and spending time with her. I've had really good results with all of my buns through sitting and reading to them, and actually letting them come to me, and then you could attempt a little stroke on the side of her face and gradually do more with her, as she accepts and is happy with what you have been doing. Really do hope she settles and is feeling happier soon.
 
I for the main take on very scared, badly traumatised bunnies, and can I just recommend that you initially just take it a day at a time, and don't make any plans for spaying or bonding until your bun is a lot happier and more established in her new home. I really wouldn't attempt to pick her up, just get her used to you being about and spending time with her. I've had really good results with all of my buns through sitting and reading to them, and actually letting them come to me, and then you could attempt a little stroke on the side of her face and gradually do more with her, as she accepts and is happy with what you have been doing. Really do hope she settles and is feeling happier soon.

Couldn't agree more. :thumb:
 
This
:thumb:
I for the main take on very scared, badly traumatised bunnies, and can I just recommend that you initially just take it a day at a time, and don't make any plans for spaying or bonding until your bun is a lot happier and more established in her new home. I really wouldn't attempt to pick her up, just get her used to you being about and spending time with her. I've had really good results with all of my buns through sitting and reading to them, and actually letting them come to me, and then you could attempt a little stroke on the side of her face and gradually do more with her, as she accepts and is happy with what you have been doing. Really do hope she settles and is feeling happier soon.
 
Bunnies are either terrified for a reason, or the reason may be that they just aren't used to people and don't know how to interact with them. You need to give her space and time, but still spend as much time as you can on a daily basis with her, so that her confidence grows and she comes to see you as something positive and good in her life, not something to be scared of and a threat to her. Some time and space now, will no doubt ensure a happy, confident bunny in the future, but constantly trying to pick her up, and scaring her could mean that you end up with a bunny who is forever fearful of you. I don't personally think the 'hands on' approach is a good approach, and that it will make her get used to being picked up etc. All it will do is reinforce that she is indeed right, and that you are something to be very scared off, and she will find ways to retreat more and more into herself.

One of my bunnies had become so traumatised that he ended up spending 5 months:shock: in the darkest corner of his hutch, totally terrified of anything and everything, and his outlook seemed to be, that he wasn't even sure life was for him, and it just broke my heart this little bun, and I literally cried when I went to meet him for the first time. He didn't eat in front of people or take food from people, and gradually just got into the habit of biting and attacking people on a daily basis, so as to avoid any interaction, but it was all fear based.

Fortunately, your bunny does not appear to be in such a bad place as this bunny was, but very frightened, scared bunnies can be pushed if you like, into such extreme behaviour if not managed appropriately. My tactics for him were to completely challenge his way of thinking, and in some ways even confuse him a little, which sounds unkind, but at least provoked some thought and tactics for himself instead of just being terrified and hiding. As previously an outdoors bun he was bought indoors, he didn't have a hutch to hide in, but he did have lots of hidey places, bunny tent, boxes, pop-up toy sacks laid on their sides, and you have to work on their natural curiosity and hope that it will overcome their fear, which fortunately for me it did. I wore a couple of jumpers I wasn't overly bothered about keeping, and then put them in his fav places to hang out, so he got used to my smell in a non-threatening way, and each day I placed favourite things he liked to eat on them, thereby enforcing that myself, my smell was a good thing and meant good, yummy things. It was only a matter of days before I was able to go into him, say his name, and he would run up to me, ok, it was only to get something nice to eat, but it was still his choice to come to me, not me chasing him, and it was already a massive improvement that suddenly this bunny was an 'out and about' bunny, he did things, investigated things, not only took food from me, but ate it in front of me, he had a life, he seemed to be starting to enjoy his life, and do you know, bunnies like this are often the most challenging but rewarding bunnies ever. In some respects, anyone can go and buy if they want a really cute baby bunny that everyone loves, but that person hasn't actually done anything for that bunny, but when I watch my bunny now 7 months later, binky like mad most days, throw himself down in a dead bunny flop, get madly excited when I go into his room, and he is just alive with happiness at seeing me, and right at the front of his enclosure dancing about, and he lets me pick him up, and sometimes dozes of in my arms and chatters his teeth with contentment, that is just an amazing feeling, because you have done that for that bunny and turned his thinking around and helped him become the happy bunny he is now.
 
What a lovely story :love:

Bunnies are either terrified for a reason, or the reason may be that they just aren't used to people and don't know how to interact with them. You need to give her space and time, but still spend as much time as you can on a daily basis with her, so that her confidence grows and she comes to see you as something positive and good in her life, not something to be scared of and a threat to her. Some time and space now, will no doubt ensure a happy, confident bunny in the future, but constantly trying to pick her up, and scaring her could mean that you end up with a bunny who is forever fearful of you. I don't personally think the 'hands on' approach is a good approach, and that it will make her get used to being picked up etc. All it will do is reinforce that she is indeed right, and that you are something to be very scared off, and she will find ways to retreat more and more into herself.

One of my bunnies had become so traumatised that he ended up spending 5 months:shock: in the darkest corner of his hutch, totally terrified of anything and everything, and his outlook seemed to be, that he wasn't even sure life was for him, and it just broke my heart this little bun, and I literally cried when I went to meet him for the first time. He didn't eat in front of people or take food from people, and gradually just got into the habit of biting and attacking people on a daily basis, so as to avoid any interaction, but it was all fear based.

Fortunately, your bunny does not appear to be in such a bad place as this bunny was, but very frightened, scared bunnies can be pushed if you like, into such extreme behaviour if not managed appropriately. My tactics for him were to completely challenge his way of thinking, and in some ways even confuse him a little, which sounds unkind, but at least provoked some thought and tactics for himself instead of just being terrified and hiding. As previously an outdoors bun he was bought indoors, he didn't have a hutch to hide in, but he did have lots of hidey places, bunny tent, boxes, pop-up toy sacks laid on their sides, and you have to work on their natural curiosity and hope that it will overcome their fear, which fortunately for me it did. I wore a couple of jumpers I wasn't overly bothered about keeping, and then put them in his fav places to hang out, so he got used to my smell in a non-threatening way, and each day I placed favourite things he liked to eat on them, thereby enforcing that myself, my smell was a good thing and meant good, yummy things. It was only a matter of days before I was able to go into him, say his name, and he would run up to me, ok, it was only to get something nice to eat, but it was still his choice to come to me, not me chasing him, and it was already a massive improvement that suddenly this bunny was an 'out and about' bunny, he did things, investigated things, not only took food from me, but ate it in front of me, he had a life, he seemed to be starting to enjoy his life, and do you know, bunnies like this are often the most challenging but rewarding bunnies ever. In some respects, anyone can go and buy if they want a really cute baby bunny that everyone loves, but that person hasn't actually done anything for that bunny, but when I watch my bunny now 7 months later, binky like mad most days, throw himself down in a dead bunny flop, get madly excited when I go into his room, and he is just alive with happiness at seeing me, and right at the front of his enclosure dancing about, and he lets me pick him up, and sometimes dozes of in my arms and chatters his teeth with contentment, that is just an amazing feeling, because you have done that for that bunny and turned his thinking around and helped him become the happy bunny he is now.
 
Thank you :D I will have to post some pics. I know it sounds ridiculous and something that others just take for granted, but last week I actually saw Bodger sleep properly for the first time in the day. Do you know I had never previously seen him let his defences down and go to sleep like my other bunnies, and just assumed he only slept at night when I did, but now every day he is sleeping with his eyes closed and everything and his legs all stretched right out. He also did his first DBF in front of me last week, which was just amazing to see, even though because it was Bodger I did initially think he had just had a cardiac or something :lol: and you will never believe this, but for the first time ever he went to sleep in my arms :shock::shock: My daughter took a photo because it was such a momentous occasion. Not very exciting to others I know, but means the world to me that Bodger feels secure enough to do such things :love:
 
Bunnies are either terrified for a reason, or the reason may be that they just aren't used to people and don't know how to interact with them. You need to give her space and time, but still spend as much time as you can on a daily basis with her, so that her confidence grows and she comes to see you as something positive and good in her life, not something to be scared of and a threat to her. Some time and space now, will no doubt ensure a happy, confident bunny in the future, but constantly trying to pick her up, and scaring her could mean that you end up with a bunny who is forever fearful of you. I don't personally think the 'hands on' approach is a good approach, and that it will make her get used to being picked up etc. All it will do is reinforce that she is indeed right, and that you are something to be very scared off, and she will find ways to retreat more and more into herself.

One of my bunnies had become so traumatised that he ended up spending 5 months:shock: in the darkest corner of his hutch, totally terrified of anything and everything, and his outlook seemed to be, that he wasn't even sure life was for him, and it just broke my heart this little bun, and I literally cried when I went to meet him for the first time. He didn't eat in front of people or take food from people, and gradually just got into the habit of biting and attacking people on a daily basis, so as to avoid any interaction, but it was all fear based.

Fortunately, your bunny does not appear to be in such a bad place as this bunny was, but very frightened, scared bunnies can be pushed if you like, into such extreme behaviour if not managed appropriately. My tactics for him were to completely challenge his way of thinking, and in some ways even confuse him a little, which sounds unkind, but at least provoked some thought and tactics for himself instead of just being terrified and hiding. As previously an outdoors bun he was bought indoors, he didn't have a hutch to hide in, but he did have lots of hidey places, bunny tent, boxes, pop-up toy sacks laid on their sides, and you have to work on their natural curiosity and hope that it will overcome their fear, which fortunately for me it did. I wore a couple of jumpers I wasn't overly bothered about keeping, and then put them in his fav places to hang out, so he got used to my smell in a non-threatening way, and each day I placed favourite things he liked to eat on them, thereby enforcing that myself, my smell was a good thing and meant good, yummy things. It was only a matter of days before I was able to go into him, say his name, and he would run up to me, ok, it was only to get something nice to eat, but it was still his choice to come to me, not me chasing him, and it was already a massive improvement that suddenly this bunny was an 'out and about' bunny, he did things, investigated things, not only took food from me, but ate it in front of me, he had a life, he seemed to be starting to enjoy his life, and do you know, bunnies like this are often the most challenging but rewarding bunnies ever. In some respects, anyone can go and buy if they want a really cute baby bunny that everyone loves, but that person hasn't actually done anything for that bunny, but when I watch my bunny now 7 months later, binky like mad most days, throw himself down in a dead bunny flop, get madly excited when I go into his room, and he is just alive with happiness at seeing me, and right at the front of his enclosure dancing about, and he lets me pick him up, and sometimes dozes of in my arms and chatters his teeth with contentment, that is just an amazing feeling, because you have done that for that bunny and turned his thinking around and helped him become the happy bunny he is now.

:love: :love: :love:
 
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