Change in Personality - Handling

Hi, hoping someone can help - I've had Coco (a mini lop) since she was 8 weeks old (she's now 7.5 months old) and got her half brother Fudge Bunny 4 weeks later (he is 4 weeks younger than her). After being neutered they are now bonded successfully. She's definitely the shyer nervier rabbit, but was good with being handled, so much so that she used to sit on me (held in my arms) for up to an hour and even feel asleep on me. He's always been great with being held standing up and very friendly - will bounce all over me but won't sit still and be cuddled (he did however for a bit sit on me and be stroked as long as Coco was there - they don't do that now as we moved another chair int he lounge and has now been adopted as their chair!). I know rabbits don't generally like being held but she used to seek it out and would spend most of the evening on the couch with me. Things started changing when she was 4/5 months old (fast like over the space of 1/2 weeks) and now she visibly flinches when I go to touch her to pick her up - she runs and hides - I have to tempt her with food to bring her out, putting her away for tea/bed sometimes ends up in a chase to catch her as she runs away. Once I pick her up she is fine but once near the floor she struggles to get down. She won't sit on the couch and chill out with me now, she has her own chair. Whilst she is fine with stroking if it doesn't seem like I am going to pick her up but doesn't seem to enjoy it like she used to. The only thing that I noticed around the time things changed was she was on her second course of baytril as she's had two water infections in a short space of time (the vets now are sure if its just behavioural as its happened since), but the baytril seemed to clear it up and it now seems like she hates me. I did originally try and syringe feed her it and panacur which perhaps affected her - she hated it - luckily I found she'd eat food covered in baytril.

Is there anything I can do to try and make her friendly again? I don't need her snuggled up to me for hours like she used to do, but I'd like her nor to seem like she hates me. I give her food as a reward whilst I am holding her but that doesn't seem to make a difference. I've been hand feeding her (suspected water infection again, which now seems ok) to get the baytril down her, which seems to have helped as she has hopped up to the couch (where I was giving her the food), which she doesn't do often now. But don't really know what else I can do. Any ideas please? Whilst reading this I've noticed their chair hasn't helped things - debating whether to move it into their pen, but they look so happy cuddled up on it I wouldn't want to deprive her of that.

Take it back to basics, stop trying to pick her up etc and get her used to you again. Sit in the room and ignore them and let them come to you so you can earn their trust again and they'll learn you're not a threat who is constantly going to take them to the vet :roll:

I'm actually quite jealous as mine are outside so it takes me AGES to get their trust back sometimes if I've had to pick them up to put them in their carrier when they outright refuse to do what's needed! :lol:

Part of the change is probably down to her growing up. There is no reason why she can't be friendly though, even if she's too busy having fun to sit still for long.

I agree, you need to go right back to basics and spend time on the floor with her, just being part of the group. Hand feeding her at dinner time is a good idea too, or take part of her pellet ration and feed it by hand throughout the day.

Try not to pick her up for the moment and just work on her enjoying sharing space with you.

Thanks, I've been hand feeding them which seems to be helping (he is fine with being held but not into cuddling), getting them to sit on our legs whilst doing it. I lay in their pen with them at the weekend (its made of NIC cubes so quite large) and Fudge bunny was bouncing around me and trying to eat my hair (he's a bit nuts!!) and she came over and was interested. She's hand with me stroking her if she's on her chair and knows I'm not going to pick her up, it seems to be getting her out of her pen to take her to the lounge (mainly this) or when its time to go in at night. I have took on a manager job at work for maternity cover and have found that I'm not getting home til later which is affecting the amount of time I spend with them lately, so hopefully trying to interact with them more will help.

It's good she's making progress If she doesn't like being moved from pen you could use a pet carrier - use a treat to tempt her to hop in and transport her with that instead of carrying.

Here is an article I wrote on picking up that might help too: http://www.therabbithouse.com/behaviour/problem-picking-rabbit-up.asp

My bunny Bea was cuddly little thing when she was a baby, she used to flop down on me and lay for hours. Now, at about 9 months, she isn't really bothered about fuss at all and does her own thing. She will come up and show interest when I enter the room but I'm sure it's only because I provide food. Picking up rabbits for me has always been "grab securely and quickly as possible and move to desire location before they have time to realise what you've done" and never an enjoyable experience for either of us. She's still a nice rabbit, but age always makes them less affectionate with humans in my experience.

Getting down on the floor and not forcing the issue helps. Sometimes I wonder where Bea has gone and I find that she's flopped down behind my feet while I'm on the sofa. They like to be near to you on their own terms as adults. My other rabbit Jasper is more cuddly but only because he thinks I'm submissive to him :roll:.