Bonding

How can we bond with Alfie, 8 week old lionhead, what we are doing at the moment is picking him up every so often and getting him used to us. He is quite nervous in the cage but not when he is being held. When he is running around he does a bit of both. :bunny:

Time.....Just keep on doing wot u r doing, Alfie is still quite young...You should notice an improvement as he gets older......We have noticed a improvement with our 2, they are slowly getting used to us....We spend several hours each evening with them running about the kitchen/dining room......

thanks

Just had a mid-afternoon thought, He could be acting scared in the Hutch, due to the fact he is lonely, which is why he is ok when u hold him. Have u thought about a partner for Alfie.

I got my mini lop Ludo when he was eights weeks also. He was very timid first off. He's now two & a half & you can literally do ANYTHING with him! He's a proper softy who loves the fuss.

I'm sure the way I bonded him to me wasn't the "by the book" method but it sure worked a treat!

I had his cage in my bedroom & would give him the run of the room while I was in there. That way he got used to my movements & smells. If I had to go to the loo or to the kitchen I would carry him around with me & set him down at my feet if I had to so he could get used to each room with it's different lay out, smells, noises etc. & also my habits. I would carry him around with me most of the time when I was at home like you would a Chihuahua, with his bum in the crook of my arm & the length of my arm from the elbow to my hand as a ledge to hold & support him.

When I'd watch a film or tv I'd put him on a towel next to me or on my lap so we could chill out together. The towel was very handy as he was like a lil' baby human with all the pee pees & currants in the beginning! Also he liked to snuggle into it.

This constant attention may have bewildered him for a few days but it's resulted in a very friendly little boy who is easy to brush, clip his claws & check over, or see to if he's ill. Plus nothing phases him & he isn't scared by ANYTHING in his environment because he got used to it ALL! When they realise that sounds or certain objects etc. won't hurt them & that you're not phased by them they carry on as usual. His cage became the place where he would rest, eat & drink, instead of a place to hide from people.

....Just had a thought, this probably is pretty useless to you if your bunny is an outdoor livin' chap!! :roll:

xSarahx

not at all Alfie is a house bunny, we did watch star wars together this afternoon. I think he is a big fan of Yoda :lol: We dont really want 2 buns but we have put a toy in the cage for him, we carry him around everywhere with us at the moment. Not so shy tonight as he has pd on me!

careful - once word escapes about the love of star wars i think my hubby might just want to borrow him!

bump (and departed wicket) love to sit and watch movies with us although their spot is under the coffee table. they like most the same movies as we do although we watched "the decent" last night and bump got spooked.

wicket was named after the ewok :roll:

the only trouble i sometimes have with mine is if i need to get up in the middle of the night (if we dont tell them we are coming downstairs) it can sometimes result in a skit. i think sometimes bump gets so relaxed that she falls into too much of a deep sleep she gets startled.

my prevous house rabbit (scribble) would sit on the back of the sofa to watch movies, it was cute until i discovered she was using my hair as a popcorn snack!

Not a big fan of Eastenders fortunately, decided he would rather explore under the sofa. He was definately NOT named after the man from the daz advert! Im on leave this week so Im bunny sitting. He did watch Jeremy Kyle yesterday wasnt impressed. Batman Begins tomorrow. :lol:

Seriously for a minute he seems to be settling in fine, setting boundaries not allowed behind the tv or under the sofas. He is very calm when we hold him starting to get used to us and his surroundings.

Aww that's great!

Ludo's fav movie is The Holy Grail, just for the killer bunny I reckon!!!
He's also a bit of a fan of the Cure! Bless his whiskers!

xSarahx

He kicked his back legs out this afternoon, seems a lot more settled, still hides when we first come down in the morning, eating more during the day. Last night was exploring night, going to let him loose in the kitchen tonight

progress, he is coming towards me now, sniffing my hands and did lick them earlier on, let me smooth him through the cage as well

Try lying down on the floor with him and let him explore you.
Hermione loves doing this, she's all over my back and has been known to sit on my head.

Let him come to you, and build up his confidence slowly. Hermione has bags of confidence and follows me around like a shadow, although she does get frustrated when she can't climb the stairs to follow me to the toilet :lol: :lol: .

Alfie has definately bonded with us, he is with us all the time and not scared at all. We are beginning to think that Alfie is a girl but not sure yet. He has even managed to climb the stairs. :lol: