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Belle not very social :(

Tinkabella

Young Bun
Hi :wave: I am really at my wits end. We have had belle for 2 years but she still doesn't like being picked up and when we are home she has the full run of the house but prefers to sit under the dinning table and only come over if the fridge is opened or we go into the kitchen. My living room, dinning and kitchen are all open plan. The only time she will come and jump on ur knee is if you have a treat then she jumps right off under the table? We have no other pets and have lots of toys for her. How can I encourage her to be a more sociable bunny. She loves having her cheeks rubbed an her ears :).
 
That's is about as social as a bunny will get with us hoomins. Accepting your nose rubs is her being sociable. To bunnies we are food machines, which is why she comes when you're at the fridge and you have a treat.

They don't tend to like being picked up, some will tolerate it but some won't. They aren't cuddly animals after all :wave: she's not being unsociable, she is just being a rabbit :)
 
A rabbit that jumps up on your knee (even if it is for food only) and loves having her head and cheeks rubbed is a very sociable rabbit! Sounds like she's happy bunny :) rabbits rarely like being picked up because it's what predators would do to them, so I doubt you'll ever get her to like that!

Best ways to socialise with a bunny are to lay on the floor and let them come to you for fusses, or use food! Sounds like she responds well to food (typical bunny :p) so maybe use the food you already give her to play games with her and get her socialising :) my Lilly runs off with big pieces of veg to hide and eat them (I assume she does this just in case I take it back off her :lol:) whereas if I break up her veg into small pieces she'll sit with me and eat each little bit and do tricks for her treats! I play with the teach and treat toy with Lilly and she runs over to me when I get it out :D she loves her food!

Could you get her a friend? I've found that when I have two bunnies they run around the room and explore together a lot more, Lilly was very shy when her and Harvey first became indoor bunnies and she got more confident seeing his confidence and following him around! It's lovely having two, I'll be fussing one and the other will run over all jealous and want fusses too :lol: I think if she had a partner she might gain some confidence and she'd have some bunny company for when you're not there which might make her more chilled out too :D
 
Sounds like a happy normal bunny to me too! I do get a bit put ou that my bunnies are only interested in me when I have food :lol: But they can be sooo funny to watch when they are in pairs. I think it can take a long time before buns will come to you specifically for a stoke or nose rub, as only my two eldest buns do that and Bugsy is nearly 8 years old and jumps on my bed when he wants to be stroked. However all buns are different...my bridge bun pebbles followed me everywhere like a puppy and nudged my ankles for attention and a stroke.

None of mine love to be picked up, but the older ones don't struggle like the younger ones do, as they trust me I guess.....they should do after nearly 8 years!
 
I would love to get Belle a play mate but when we asked the vet she said because she's unsociable it would not be a good idea �� but having heard your wonderful thoughts I think I might just get another yippee but the question is do I get a boy or girl belle has been done �� so I know no bunnies lol but what would make a better play mate and how can I introduce them to each other. We bought Belle from pets at home and have her registered at their vet in store. Thanks guys ☺️
 
A neutered male would be the best option - you shouldn't have too much trouble finding a suitable bun in rescue. You might want to meet a few and see which personality you like. It's much easier to tell personalities with adults so I'd tend to go for 6-12 months+ rather than baby.

Have you tried sitting on the floor with her? Scamp isn't a sit next to you on the sofa sort of bunny - he'll hop up for a treat but not sit there. Instead I sit on the floor next to sofa with him and he'll nap/flop on my feet or next to me and get some nose rubs in. She's probably wondering why you are being so unsocial and not joining her for snuggles under the table - which is obviously a prime napping spot.
 
She sounds like a normal rabbit to me. Two of mine will tolerate being picked up and cuddled and a third is ok once he's up, but my other three hate it, so I only pick those up when I have no other choice.

Also, if your vet is saying that she's better off without a friend as she's unsociable, I'd question the rabbit savvy-ness of the vet tbh.

I do agree that checking at your local rescue for a neutered male would be your best bet. They may even bond them for you too.
 
She sounds like a happy, friendly little bunny to me :) Lying down on the floor with them is great too, they love human bouncy castles! :lol:

Also, if your vet is saying that she's better off without a friend as she's unsociable, I'd question the rabbit savvy-ness of the vet tbh.
This was my first thought too. It's highly unlikely that any vet who's experienced with rabbits would say that.

Oh and also, with regards to finding a husbun for Belle, a lot of rescues will let you take your bunny to them for dates and keep her there for bonding once you've found a mate for her. MUCH less stressful than doing it yourself!
 
Didn't know that does anyone know of a rescue near Liverpool that might let me try this sounds too good to be true :)
 
I'm not familiar with the Liverpool area unfortunately, so can't help with the names of any small/private rescues. I know some RSPCA branches do bonding though (when I volunteered at my local branch they constantly had buns in for bonding) so it might be worth seeing if your local branch offers bonding services.

Hopefully someone else might be able to point you to some other rescues as well. :)
 
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