Help making my bunny trust me?

I know I've only had Phoebe a few days but I'm so worried I'm doing everything wrong :shock:

I can't avoid picking her up because I have to bring her upstairs from the cellar so she can have her free time running around but once she's up I put out a couple of toys (though she seems to prefer the carpet :roll for her to play with and lie on the floor reading my book so that I don't scare her.

We've only done this twice and she hasn't approached me yet, usually she runs around for about forty five minutes then just sits near me, but not too near me and twitches her nose. I held my hand out to her and she sniffed it but as soon as I tried to stroke her she hopped off to go chew the carpet.

Then obviously I have to catch her again to take her back downstairs.

Am I doing everything right? Should I just keep doing what I''m doing? She'll let me stroke her when she''s in her hutch

:wave: hi, reading a book whilst she is free ranging is a good idea, she can come to you then without feeling threatened. 2 of my buns came from the rspca and were pretty wild when I got them, one of the things that has helped them to trust me is food, they love fenugreek crunchies, and they are now much tamer, I can actually stroke them now!

Most buns hate being picked up, if you need to move her from your cellar to upstairs you could try using a carrier to transport her, you can tempt her in there with some food, and then carry her upstairs in it, and do the reverse to take her back.

Does she have access to a run area downstairs in the cellar? It's amazing how active buns are throughout the night, and RWAF guidelines are a hutch area of 6ftx2ftx2ft with an attached run of at least 8ftx4ft giving a total area of 44sq ft to be available 24/7. Mine are outside buns, they have a shed and aviary run, but lots of people with indoor buns either bunny proof a whole room and let them have that, or use puppy pens attached to a hutch or dog crate.

I'm sure Phoebe will settle in and become tamer in time :thumb:

Ps we like to see bunny photos on here too :thumb:

We have had our little bunny Lucy for over a week now And she does the same. She sniffs me but as soon as I try to stroke her she runs off. I've started reading my book on the floor and only have a area to run around in (as she's a house bunny and doesn't have a cornered off area) so she can't hide from me. She's actually smelling my feet and then runs away and then comes back again. So I'm hoping she will be the same as my other rabbit who falls asleep when I stroke him- so if you find something works for you please me let me know as I'm worried she won't like us


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