Help with really nervous bunny please?

Hiya can anyone help?

I bought a female lionhead as a companion for my blind bunny this didn't go according to plan and has now been abandoned. But this new one is just not settling she's so nervous all the time and difficult to catch and pick up. She gets really stressed when held, i have done everything so slowly and she started to get better and even came up to me but since I went on holiday for a week i'm back to square one. Any ideas?
One of my other does that i rehomed was really nervous to begin with but soon learnt to trust me and now she's such a softie. She's so trusting she has allowed me to look and touch her babies from day one not caring at all.
She's such a pretty thing it'll be a shame if she remains shy.
This is pippa by new very shy and nervous bunny(16 wks).

Hey!

When I get my Dutch show rabbits ready for the show, I have to make sure that I get them EXTRA calmed down. So, what I do is take them and spend fifteen minutes with them making them sit still while I dampen my hands and run them over my rabbit. I also use the slicker and bristle brush at this time, as well. This gets them settled down and, in the mean time, makes them look super great!

--Kiya--

I think its just a case of persevering and letting her trust you. As with humans all bunnies are different and have very different personalities don't they. I guess they all learn to trust in their own time. Maybe just sit with her and let her come to you, don't touch her just let her explore you gradually?

I found that with my rabbit, Imogen, she is soooo nervous and terrified. Every morning I go to the cage to feed them, and she would run away and hide, stamp her foot and refuse to eat until I was gone! It was a real effort to try and catch her to pick her up - more foot stamping!
BUT this morning she didn't run away when I went to feed them - instead she did what benjamin does and sat waiting for her food!! I was well pleased. She even let me stroke her face as she munched it.
I've been making an extra big effort with her for weeks - bringing her in to sit with us, and grooming her, and it finally seems to be paying off. I think you just have to persevere and keep giving them plenty of attention, so that they eventually realise you're not going to hurt them, and they can trsut you.

I agree - my two are notoriously untrusting. I get them to the stage where they come up to me for nose scrubs and will let me stroke them without having scared eyes, and then I have to take them to the vet for their jabs, and I am back to square one!!!

It will take time - just keep doing what you are doing and one day it will all be worth it. Maybe just sit there and ignore her - she will then come to you.

Good luck

I would sit by her hutch/cage and just talk gently to her, hand feeding her treats with your hand,

Sitting on the floor in a small room and just read a book or something, she will no doubt after some come over for a sniff, let her check you out before stroking.

Try and only pick her up when absolutely necessary. Holly hates being picked up and only picked her up when necessary and now she is so much better as she knows it is only for a short time.

lastly - be patient. Getting a tame rabbit takes time for shy buns, spend as much time as poss with her and have a routine as bunnies like routine.

good luck!

One of my bunnies, Wallace, was incredibly nervous at first. (I posted on here about it). She wouldn't be touched, wouldn't let you go near her and used to growl!! (She still growls, but not at me!)

What my partner and I did was take her veggies to her room and put them on the floor and then lie on our fronts on the floor - eventually she started sniffing us, putting feet on us and climbing on us.

The next step after this (after a month or so) was kneeling and just putting our heads on the ground and she'd come and investigate and we'd offer little strokes (if she would tolerate it).

Then i started offering her bunny treats from my hand and then from between my teeth (so she'd come near my face) while kneeling on the floor and she started taking them from me.

Wallace now kisses, comes for strokes and will (after a bit of chasing and careful persuasion) let me pick her up.

Thanks it's good to know i'm doing everything right . I will continue to do what I have been she'll be a lovely rabbit i'm sure .

Thanks again all.

You can tell by the look on the photo that she's nervous. You can't pick her up during the beginning stage. Pick her up only when it's necessary, say you need to carry her to the backyard.

whenever she comes to you, rub somewhat firmly on her forehead, they really like that. Once you develop some trust between you and the bunny, you can start sitting besides her side by side on the sofa and see how things go.