Bonding with me

[Stufi]

Hi guys,

I was unsure where to put this, I just wanted to know how you guys managed to get your bunny to sit on your lap? or to a point you can pick them up with out having your eyes taken out?? Womble managed to jump on to a ledge 70cm high(just over twice her height :shock: this morning and i had to put her back in her cage. i picked her up and she took half my arm skin with her! I read about ppl giving their rabbits hugs and kisses and i feel i bit jealous...I think my rabbits are to excited to sit still. They do trust me to an extent i think, they will flopp and i can give them a stroke and of course and they have never bit me and they know the rattle of the food bag and pinky wil give me licks :lol: Womble will not move for anyone if she is lying on the floor and the thought of someone standing on her...well to her is unheard of so if you walk up to her to get something above her she will not move!

I would like to be able to pick my bunnies up and have them sit on my lap for some cuddles, but they wont even sit still! I swear, they have raided my fridge and eaten all the E numbers! :roll:

Is there an age which they get to that they become more docile? I fear that because they were in a shop window for 2 weeks, and may not have been handled much when they were babies that they do not like the idea (i got them at approx 10-11weeks old) and they are about 4 1/2 months now.

Any help or guidence you guys have would be much appreciated!

Thanks!

Fi x

 

[SuzieBlue]

Sounds like some bunnies need some neutering/spaying....... Is it two girls you've got?

Sometimes bunnies are just really quite happy with their own company and are not particularly affectionate, but hormones can get in the way as well. If they've always been together then they might just be content with each other - when I got a girl for my neutered boy he was certainly much less needy with me- I miss it actually!

When picking up, I grab under the bum and chest in a kind of scooping motion, and immediately hold them close to my body so they feel secure - you probably know this already but I find this way stops any potential for struggling or scratching.

 

[Muppet2]

Most rabbits dont like being picked up, held or cuddled so, sorry, you may just have to get used to it.

Muppet loves me but only tolerates being picked up to be put somewhere (eg, in his basket). He loves to be stroked but he insists on keeping all four paws on the floor and I have to come down to his level. He will happily climb all over me but he wont sit still. I've learned to do as I'm told

 

[mistyrabbit]

Misty has always fought fiercely when I've tried to pick her up. I rarely do so now unless it's really necessary. She doesn't do laps but does come and nudge me for petting when she feels like it - under her terms, though.
I'd have loved a cuddly bun too but that's not what I got: I got a feisty miss and I admire her independence - and an honoured when she deigns to let me pet her!

 

[areia]

yup as others have said you have to work around the bun, not bun around you, out of my 5 only one likes snuggles and cuddles the rest well all characters of their own but deffinatly not cuddle buns

 

[LilVicky]

i agree with the others.

most bunnies dont like being picked up, cuddled etc.

My 3 dont like it.
but once picked up, apart from toffee the girls are fine with it.
they snuggle into my shoulder for security.

But because i know they dont like being picked up, i leave them to it unless i need to pick them up, for example i have to pick up Fuzzums to give her a brush.

Brushing/Grooming your buns can help you 'bond' as they groom each other, making their bond stronger. you could give this a try?

When you get them out, maybe sit with them for a while? sit on the floor and let them come to you, explore you, smell you etc, but dont go to pick them up if they come to you. :wave: just enjoy their company, and when they are more confident, then try and pet them, etc etc

 

[Coineanach]

Agreeing with everyone else, Vin won't sit on my lap. Not a lot of bunnies do. You might find that they're happy enough to sit next to you and have a good cuddle but not actually sit on you. Vin likes it when I lie on the floor next to her and give her a good stroke as I'm on her level. Don't take it personally, buns are just picky animals :lol:

 

[Stufi]

phew, i thought i was the only one with a pair of feisty missies!

I have tried brushing pinky and esp. womble, as she has long hair in places but shes more interested in chewing the bristles! :roll:

im not sure if womble is trying to groom me but i have short tufty hair in places on my fringe where womble has eaten it! :?

Im hopefully going to get them spayed this weekend, does anyone know how much this roughly costs? just so i know im not being ripped off oh and has anyone got insurance on their bunnies?

Fi x

 

[LilVicky]

The costing of neutering varies depending on the vets you go to.

i only had rabbit insurance when Toffee had to have one of his eyes removed, which cost alot of money!
And then my parents got rid of the insurance after a little while

 

[areia]

average is around 45 for a boy,earliest 12 weeks, check for plumbs if there, they can go . girls anything from 55 to 120 pounds, earliest really 5 months pending on breed and weight really small breeds vets like to do bit later do to really small parts

id ring round asking fee, experience, if they keep them overnight, and if they offer a painkiller and antibiotic just before they go home too,

 

[Stufi]

Thanks for the replies guys

well i have only checked out the rspca as there is one really close and they do boys for £37 and girls for £45 which sounds like a really good price. I was thinking on getting them vaccinated also at the same time and see if they can clip their nails too...Wombles is very sharp...the evidence is on my arms and legs :roll:

As long as the rspca sounds like a good place to get it done then i'l probably get them done there. The people who worked there seemed really friendly when i picked their brains about how to keep a rabbit

 

[Jess1]

I have been trying to find the same thing as you! Our 3 (we have two girls and a boy, all neutered / spayed) don’t like being picked up much either, but we’ve tried a few things with our young buns that seem to work to get them used to being fussed, and happily climbing on us:-

1) Grooming them - Ours try to nibble the brush too, but they seem to like a soft brush with a baby brush, we sit in the pen with them (doors open so they can go out if they wish). They like to eat hay at the same time *lol*
2) We sit next to the food bowl for evening meal, and stroke them whilst they are eating! They soon got used to this, and seem to enjoy it.
3) We tempt them to our laps with tasty bits of their supper – such as parsley. This works really well, and all three happily clamour all over us - Caern has no holds barred and now just leaps on to our laps after herbs (whether we have some or not, she comes anyway), and the other two put front paws on our arms / knees and nuzzle for treats. We can happily fuss them then!
4) We always get down to their level, or at least closer to it when handling them – e.g sit on the floor. Less intimidating (even if ours are hugggeee giants!). We sit somewhere they like to explore, so they jump over us / duck behind us etc – use us like an activity centre in other words

 

[Stufi]

thanks again, regarding the picking up, Ive only picked them up when i had to, i didnt want to force them and resulting in them being scared of me!

Glad to know that i havnt done anything wrong and that rabbits are more independent than i first thought. I thought that it might be a time thing

 

[Hanlou]

Well we've only had Jack with us for about 4 weeks and I can honestly say that he's bonded to me very strongly (I think he views me as his wifebun'! He's been neutered!) - and is bonding well with John too. However; he's only gradually getting used to me stroking him every now and then. He won't just sit and 'be stroked'. I don't pick him up unless I have to.

Jack follows me round everywhere - it fascinates John lol - I can actually tap my leg as you would with a dog and Jack will come! :lol:

I sit on the floor with him all the time and he often rolls and flops next to me. He obviously loves being around me and if both me *and* John are there he's even happier. But he's only getting used to the idea of being stroked and that's fine. All in his own time.

When he's been tired in the afternoon I've been able to just sit and stroke him and give him some nose-rubs which he's gone all gooey over but as he's a young bun' and probably not handled before he went into rescue I have to let things take Jack's pace. If he never becomes a 'cuddle bun' I don't really care.

Watching him binky about all the time just 'cos he's so happy ...... well that's enough!

I do stroke him every now and then to get him used to it - when he's eating his veggies and his pellets he'll let me stroke him as much as I want to lol - he's very greedy!

I bet your girls will settle down once they've been spayed but when they're young I think you have to expect that they'd rather just be zooming about. You might find though, that like Jack, they're quieter in the afternoon and you may be able to stroke them then. x