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Bunny trust

Zigzag

Alpha Buck
Hi all 🙂

I was hoping to get a bit of advice on bunny trust. We've had our bunnies for just over 3 months; they are 6 years old, from a rabbit rescue and previously lived in 3 different homes.

One of our rabbits is very timid, and the other is a bit more confident. Our difficulty is that we gain their trust, then lose it (for quite a while) because we need to groom them/ clip their nails / or for some other reason.

We seem to be going round this gaining and losing trust cycle all the time. Does anyone have any advice? I'm sure this is normal, and I am aware that 3 months is a short time to own a pair of rabbits 🤗

Thank you!
 
Hi there, how kind of you to offer a home to a pair of older buns :)

Yes, it can be difficult to build a solid bond with rabbits - especially when they've had multiple homes. How do you tend to go about grooming and claw trimming? Different rabbits prefer different techniques, however I found this tutorial extremely useful when I looked after a very shy bun, it's quite long and chatty but worth a watch! : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W9KemnaTGIs&t=286s

It often proves less stressful to put a carrier in their cage, lure them in with some food, then move them to where you want to trim their claws as opposed to picking them up straight away.

Have you tried hand feeding them food (veggies, pellets, fresh grass, etc)? Even just sitting on the floor near them and ignoring them helps rabbits to realise that you're not a threat, and eventually their natural curiosity comes into play! Once they're comfortable enough to come over to you and allow you to stroke them, they should tolerate a gentle brush too. :)
 
During nail clipping if you doing yourself and not vets, have you tried offering them treats halfway or when done, mine now can't wait as knows at end there are tasty treats after sometimes begs for me to hurry up and groom etc so can have treats also lol
 
Hi both
Thank you for your responses, and apologies for the delay- I've had a crisis with one of my bunnies, he hasn't been eating and has been sneezing non stop. He most likely has snuffles, and will be going under GA tonight.

Your suggestions are very helpful, I'll be giving them treats when I groom and clip their nails. I also like the carrier idea :)

Thanks again

Rumaana
 
Sorry to hear that your rabbit is poorly :( What's he having done under GA? Sending lots of vibes for him.
 
Hi both
Thank you for your responses, and apologies for the delay- I've had a crisis with one of my bunnies, he hasn't been eating and has been sneezing non stop. He most likely has snuffles, and will be going under GA tonight.

Your suggestions are very helpful, I'll be giving them treats when I groom and clip their nails. I also like the carrier idea :)

Thanks again

Rumaana


Hi there Zigzag :)

Vibes for you bunny tonight x
 
Sorry he hasn't been well, are they also checking his teeth while under sneezing can also indicate dental issues any updates on how he is xx
 
Hi all,

Thanks for your well wishes 😀. We've only had them for 3 months, so this illness has been a bit of a shock. We went to a rabbit specialist, and he thinks Harrison (rabbit number 1) has snuffles :(. He went under GA today, so the vet could check his teeth and other things. (I can't really remember what the vet said, as I was stressed!)

They found a 3.5cm piece of hay in Harrison's throat. I'm picking them both up tomorrow, and will find out what's happening. The vet's very good - one of the only rabbit specialists in London! But he is on the pricey side...

I am a bit worried about the snuffles diagnosis, but we'll have to deal with it.

I miss my bunnies, and we're looking forward to having them back.

Xx
 
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