Scaredy bunny - Please help

[Mrs Ord]

You've all heard about Carlisle by now (if not you must be blind because I haven't stopped banging on about him! )

Trouble is he's vary scared of me Apart from the vet visit i've never done anything to frighten him, no loud noises or sudden movements only picking him up when I have to force him outside for exercise and sunshine which must be awful might I add :roll: I've still not bushed all his tufty bits because I don't want to make him worse. When I do stroke him he really relaxes and almost falls asleep so I can't be that bad :shock:

He's now wedged himself in a small gap between the shed wall and a cupboard. Its not really a problem but I don't know if I should get him out and block the gap. He's been out because his food was low and he's done some pretty hefty pooing as well (in the litter tray woop woop good boy!!) but i've not seen or interacted with him for two days now and i'm worried that of I let him continue i'm not going to manage to forge a bond with him. I want him to trust me so I dont want to take the hidey hole away and force him out but at the same time i don't want him to become a reclusive bunny.

What should I do? Anyone had a similar scared bunny and managed to bring them round? Treats don't really work as untill now he never knew what they were so he's not recognising that it is a treat. Please help me.

 

[prettylupin]

Hiya, one of our rescue buns was terrified of people when we first adopted her a couple of years ago and it has taken a great deal of time, patience and consistency to gain her trust - but we still have a way to go. All I can say is that with some buns it can take a very long time. Is your bun a rescue? If so, you don't know what early experiences he has had and if they were very traumatic very early on they can become so ingrained in bunny's response that even with the best will in the world all you can do is make progress - not necessarily heal them emotionally completely. I think the first thing we found to be helpful was to be realistic about and lower our expectations of our bunny. When she makes the tiniest little steps (which she is still making) we are over the moon.

I'd say the key things are to give him time and patience but most importantly a good routine - I feel this is crucial for a nervous bun. When you do the same things every day at the same time bunny learns what to expect and when and stops fearing the unexpected - it worked wonders for our girl.
I would also avoid removing anything that makes him feel safe - this means no, I would not block off his hidey hole. If bun feels safe in their environment they will begin to feel a bit more secure internally and then more confident in taking steps. I would focus on not doing anything to him whilst he is in his 'safe' place - so that it remains 'safe' to him in his eyes. We found adding safe things really helped - so putting a tunnel near a litter tray or moving a litter tray close to a bolt hole helps bunny to feel more secure at a vulnerable time. I do appreciate that bun needs to be picked up daily for health checks and for handling really. We only pick Poppy up once a day, at the same time every day and combine this with her daily groom. She actually really enjoys her brush and you can begin to work on his tufts - he really should not be ingesting big clumps of fur, you don't have to spend too long at first, introduce him to it slowly, but I would brush him on your lap sat on a chair so he can't jump down and hold him securely. When you are finished crouch down and put him back on the ground and step away - he will learn in time nothing bad happens. We use the same spot to pick Poppy up from. In summer this is the little house in the run, and in winter the bottom of the stairs in front of the closed corridor door. We don't grab or chase her, we herd her gently using consistent voice commands and wait for her to hop in her house - they learn very quickly to repeat after you do the same thing for a few weeks. She used to get very upset but now she will sit and wait to be picked up from the picking up place and doesn't struggle at all.
Every time you chase or grab a bun you will undo a little bit of trust gained. Consistency and routine really does work wonders.

Remember it just takes time - yesterday Poppy let me stroke her all down her back in the middle of the lawn in the garden for the first time, this is progress from letting me just touch her nose out there. But at night time in the hutch she puts her head in my OH's hand and lies down flat ready for her stroke as soon as she sees him coming, she demands a long stroke every bedtime now! This is a rabbit who was terrified of people two years ago and used to dribble and wet herself in fear.

Finally, an outgoing companion bun can also work wonders... buns copy each other. Good luck.

 

[Mrs Ord]

I agree about letting him have the safe place but we can't access him at all when he's in there. Its a long narrow gap and we can't reach him to groom or check on him. The only time he seems to be scared is when he's in his shed. Could the space be a bit overwhelming? (he was in a tiny box at the pet shop) As far as I know nothing bad has ever happend to him at the hands of humans. The pet shop although not the best is definately not cruel and i'm certain they don't mistreat their animals. Maybe the breeder was not so nive though. He has other hidey places so I think we'll get him out of this one and block it off. I feel bad but at this time of year (fly strike time) we really need to be able to check on him. He's being bonded with Lilly (in for spay next fri)who is very human friendly and not really scared of anything so hopefully she will help in the long run. I'm just needing help in the short term.