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Are rabbits a one person pet?

tabithakat64

Mama Doe
Can rabbits be a true family pet or do they always 'prefer' one person?

One of my quad will pretend she won't eat if she's seen or heard me but I'm not the one giving dinner, breakfast etc. Step daughter and OH find this very stressful as they know she needs to eat and not eating is a sign of illness. They yell for me and she's fine and starts eating as soon as I offer her food. It's starting to get OH down as he feels the rabbits all dislike him especially when Katniss won't eat for him.

Unfortunately the situation isn't helped as he does travel with work so often there is only me spending time with them and caring for them on a daily basis. Other than encouraging OH to spend time with them when he is around and be the one who 'treats' them what else can I do to encourage them to bond with him and step daughter?

Or do we need to accept that they are just one person animals
 
Although I live with my mum and brother, the rabbits all VERY much prefer me. Not to the extent that they won't eat for anyone else, but if I'm there, it's me they'll seek out. Elphie and Galinda are okay with my brother as he often cleans them out. Athena likes Mum, but prefers me. When I'm away, Elphie and Galinda throw huge sulks - Elphie even nipped Mum once or twice last time I was away because I wasn't there to feed her. :shock:

I think, like other rabbits, they can have a preference for one person but be tolerant of others. That's what it feels like with my girls. However, the bond can always be strengthened by as you said, treats, new toys, fuss, etc. so that they are definitely a regular aspect of the rabbits' lives. Part of me thinks rabbits very much like routine too: Athena scratches at the door to get our attention if she thinks I'm late with breakfast! :lol:
 
Mine I would say are closest bonded to me (I'm around them most) but get most excited to see my mam (she likes feeding them) but they like cuddles best off my OH (who they barely even see. I'm not even allowed to stroke Milly but OH is :roll: )

All in all I just think rabbits will do what they can to be awkward!
 
I don't believe that Molly is a one person rabbit. She does prefer me for cuddles and would not let OH do her medicine but she loves us all. She is particularly fond of Ella and Jacob, my children. They never feed her but will spend lots of time with her and Molly loves it proving that it cannot be cupboard love alone. In fact last year when I tried bonding Molly with Basil it failed because they fought over attention from the children, no food involved, molly just did not want to share HER children!
 
i do feel like they prefer a certain person, even if they like all of them. bisc is very much bonded to me and always has been. he likes my o/h (more so since matt passed) but he prefers me. matt loved me alot, i know that, but my o/h was his 'special person' and they seemed to connect more on a soul level, as bisc and i do. :love:

the piggies have all preferred me to be honest, especially the boys. but i think that is because i do pretty much all their care. :love:
 
I think it depends on the bunny. Snowy would connect to anyone, as long as they gave her loves. Badger was the same, as was Summer (Summer was also food motivated). Sky was absolutely, 100% rigidly mine- no ifs buts or maybes- everyone else was scum. The others are somewhere more in between, some liking people, some liking some people, some only trusting one.
 
I'd love to say mine are most closely bonded to me but really they love my OH just as much (or a complete stranger if they are the one with the treats). To be honest Boo loves everyone indiscriminately. I have had bunnies whose bond has definitely been very strong with just me. As with practically anything to do with rabbits I think they are probably all different.
 
being honest, I am very close to both my bunnies, but I would say they are pretty much the same with my partner, both follow him round the house and will nudge him for nose rubs! Although Harvey has pretty much been through it all, is a complete mummy's boy and will jump up me to cuddle into my neck :love:

Also, whenever we have other people round, both rabbits are very unsettled and don't like it at all - hiding in whatever they can then as soon as people leave, they will jump out and flop on the floor next to us!!
 
I think it depends on the bunny. Snowy would connect to anyone, as long as they gave her loves. Badger was the same, as was Summer (Summer was also food motivated). Sky was absolutely, 100% rigidly mine- no ifs buts or maybes- everyone else was scum. The others are somewhere more in between, some liking people, some liking some people, some only trusting one.

bisc used to think this about my o/h, but since matt passed, he has realised o/h can be tolerated and even liked, especially when he needs feeding and mummy is asleep! :lol: he still seems to look down his nose at most people, but seems to like the vet :love:
 
Lopsy agrees with Hugo's There, I think: I see him most often but I don't always bring the best food, whereas he'll let Matt stroke him a lot more when he's delivered forage. He seems to get on well with everyone who's looked after him :) Matt also doesn't give as good headrubs as me because Matt doesn't want to hurt him and Lopsy likes it rough XD Matt's supergentle :)
 
Boris was very much my rabbit, I was the only person he trusted and he wouldn't even let anyone else touch him. Bella liked everyone as she loved attention, but she would only ever groom me...so we definitely had a special connection as well. They both saw me as that special person they could always trust :love: Probably because I spent so much time with them.
 
I am not an experienced bunny owner so only going by my experience with my 2.
Gypsy a french Lop, Doe is extremely laid back and I get the impression she likes everyone in the household however she will show certain behaviours to me only such as following me and licking me, she has even done a cheeky nip to me but not to everyone else. She gets very excitable around my 4 year old daughter and I think Gypsy see's her as a fellow subordinate Rabbit.
Burberry our baby(9weeks) continental and a Buck seems a bit more flighty and picky a complete contrast in personality to the Lop. He is very much for me only but we haven't had him long so it may change. He has decided to trust me and me alone at the moment and tends to stay near my feet.

So i think it really depends on the Rabbit and his/her personality and breed. I think they will possibly see one human in the family as the boss but unsure wether that is because they attach to one family member only or not.
I do try to get my kids involved with the Rabbits such as feeding, grooming and petting in the hope that our Rabbits don't choose one particular person to trust.
xx
 
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Interesting. My rabbits have always been *my* rabbits, though they spent time with everyone. Amy loves me most, she's so affectionate and cuddly with me, licking my hands and face, but she was also quite fond of my brother when he still lived here, often jumping on him and giving him kisses. She also rather likes my uncle, giving him kisses after only his second visit. She isn't too keen on his girlfriend, though. She is strangely curious about my father, even though he smells bad and barely acknowledges her, and is completely indifferent to my mother, despite the fact that she feeds her breakfast and always talks to her. I think it's because she smokes. Amy loves attention, but only if she wants it. And will tolerate small children and drunk women petting her for food.
 
Interesting. My rabbits have always been *my* rabbits, though they spent time with everyone. Amy loves me most, she's so affectionate and cuddly with me, licking my hands and face, but she was also quite fond of my brother when he still lived here, often jumping on him and giving him kisses. She also rather likes my uncle, giving him kisses after only his second visit. She isn't too keen on his girlfriend, though. She is strangely curious about my father, even though he smells bad and barely acknowledges her, and is completely indifferent to my mother, despite the fact that she feeds her breakfast and always talks to her. I think it's because she smokes. Amy loves attention, but only if she wants it. And will tolerate small children and drunk women petting her for food.

Haha I like the fact she likes Drunk woman. I like a glass of wine or two in the evenings and a few beers on the weekend and my Rabbits certainly like me better when merry as i get all smooshy with them and I tend to offer more treats ;)
 
Mine respond to both me and my husband, but they're very much mummies bunnies... if I'm not there, they just wander round looking for me and aren't themselves (apparently) and are generally a bit off.
When hubby isn't there, they run round like loonies, and Rupert starts being really naughty (he loves getting chased by hubby) so I think they do realise he's not there and his naughtiness is a way to get him back?
 
Mabel is well socialised so she gets on with any human that she laps up attention :lol: , rosie my netherland dwarf however was a mummies girl
 
Poppet is a daddy's girl; I barely get a look in (although she'll demand nose rubs as soon as she sees me - I'm clearly subservient).

Cookie is mummy's girl, and I think that's because I spent soo much time with her when she was a baby. I used to lay on the sofa, watching TV, with her on my chest. She was so tiny, OH was worried about handling her.

Ricky Bun was definitely a mummy's boy.

Our new bunnies, Bella & Bertie; Bella is showing a clear preference for me, whilst Bertie is undecided - he seems to prefer strokes from OH.
 
I never thought so but I'm feeling quite rejected by Toby. Whenever we bring him inside for cuddles he always wees on my side so has caught me a couple of times. He never does this to my OH and will let him cuddle him more than me. I hope this all changes when he's neutered.
 
My girls are the same with both of us I think. Scarlett tends to follow my fiancé round more than me, but I think it's because she knows she is more likely to get treats out of him! Binky won't go near anyone apart from us, but that most likely has more to do with the way she has been treated in the past rather than not being interested

One of my bridge bunnies, Buu, was very much like that though. She didn't really pay much attention to anyone else and could be quite aggressive towards other people. If anyone else was feeding her for example she would lunge before they had even opened the hutch door :shock: yet I used to stick my head in and give her a kiss every day and she was absolutely fine
 
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