Newbie , please go easy on me :)

Hi Everyone !

I recently rescued my lola-bun , an 18 month old lop (not sure on specific breed)
Advertised as £10 NEED GONE ASAP on a facebook site.
I have not owned buns before , but i have two guinea pigs (i know its an entirely different kettle of fish ?? but im just showing my love for the small furries here :lol: )
Turns out the woman needed to separate her from her hutch mate who she was getting very frisky with and stressing out.
When i went to pick up i was a bit shocked ....

One small hutch with small run attached, thin layer of hemp bedding, and a dog food bowl full of rabbit food.
No hay , no toys

Well i took her home, into a large indoor cage in the shed she went, and settled down.

But shes turned into a bit of an enigma, not really interested in my company, and cannot be picked up or handled. TAMING NEEDED.

We are getting there slowly i think , but any tips greatly appreciated

Welcome Jordan! Well done on taking her out of that situation, so frustrating the lack of bunny education in the general public

We can definitely help with winning her over. Have you had her spayed?

hi and welcome to the forum, how lovely you gave her a home, I would suggest getting her spayed if not already by sounds of behaviour, as this will help calm her hormones down as well as prevent uterine cancer
most bunnies prefer for you to interact on ground level rather then being picked up and hugged, being a prey species

catxx said:

Welcome Jordan! Well done on taking her out of that situation, so frustrating the lack of bunny education in the general public

We can definitely help with winning her over. Have you had her spayed?

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Thanks for both replies

I only pick her up when i need to e.g to get her in and out of the run when shes being difficult ( We have been using a carrier for her, we let her get in it in her own time but shes even stopped doing that ! and she was doing so well with it :roll: )

We are planning on getting her spayed , just trying to pluck up the courage to !

I usually sit in the shed with her and let her run around me, and i just talk to her , i put my hand down and she just bonks it then runs away
She was doing so well at one point that i was petting her while she sat in her cage , and got so comfy she did a flop and just led there asleep ( i googled it afterwards because i thought it was something bad like trancing :shock but since then shes going backwards, she just doesnt seem interested in me at all !

I dont mind that shes not, i just want her to be a happy bun and im worried that shes just bored

trying to add a pic of her , but cant :roll:

I reckon you are doing brilliant x
New bunnies take a lot of time to truly trust you, sometimes it can take a lifetime, but the journey and progression of that trust is amazing. You have done so well to rescue her, and now, when you are ready, making sure that she is spayed would be a first step

As to you sitting on the floor of her shed and simply 'being' with her, whether she seems to appreciate it or not, it is good for her and you. Bun friends often sit in the same territory, without touching or making noises, just simply watching each other's eyes , ears, hands, listening to the breathing of their companion. Turning their backs on each other, to look out, trusting that the other is also watching and keeping guard.

This is how I bonded with my, very nervous female, it can take along time, but the rewards are great, and the relationship you develop over the years will be very different from the one you both started with

best wishes too you...keep posting :wave:

Thankyou so much bunny magics , made me feel a bit more confident , ill just have to keep trying with her
Hopefully i can book her in for her spay soon ! ill give the vets a call this week, i know its best for her

Jordanaimee said:

Thanks for both replies

I only pick her up when i need to e.g to get her in and out of the run when shes being difficult ( We have been using a carrier for her, we let her get in it in her own time but shes even stopped doing that ! and she was doing so well with it :roll: )

We are planning on getting her spayed , just trying to pluck up the courage to !

I usually sit in the shed with her and let her run around me, and i just talk to her , i put my hand down and she just bonks it then runs away
She was doing so well at one point that i was petting her while she sat in her cage , and got so comfy she did a flop and just led there asleep ( i googled it afterwards because i thought it was something bad like trancing :shock but since then shes going backwards, she just doesnt seem interested in me at all !

I dont mind that shes not, i just want her to be a happy bun and im worried that shes just bored

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Welcome to the Forum :wave:

I'm glad you're going to get her spayed. It may make a difference to her behaviour but will certainly make a difference to her health status!

If she's not been vaccinated yet, why not shop around for a good rabbit vet (if you don't already have one) and use the vaccination appointment to 'interview' the vet about their skills in spaying female rabbits. I guess that's what you mean by needing courage - to put her through the operation?

It sounds like she's settling in and making herself at home with you. It was kind of you to take her on, whatever temperament she has. Give her time. Imagine if you were suddenly uprooted and found yourself somewhere completely different :shock: Forming a bond with her on her terms is a great idea. She may also decide she quite likes a bond on your terms, but it may take a while and a bit of persuasion!

Good luck xx

I just read through your post again, jordanaimee..
You mentioned that you are only picking her up to place her in and out of her run.. could you re-arrange your set-up, so that the shed is directly attached to the run..so no human hands would be involved?
That way, you wouldn't have to pick her up, she could just move between shed and run at her own free will.
Buns like to do things for themselves

MightyMax said:

Welcome to the Forum :wave:

I'm glad you're going to get her spayed. It may make a difference to her behaviour but will certainly make a difference to her health status!

If she's not been vaccinated yet, why not shop around for a good rabbit vet (if you don't already have one) and use the vaccination appointment to 'interview' the vet about their skills in spaying female rabbits. I guess that's what you mean by needing courage - to put her through the operation?

It sounds like she's settling in and making herself at home with you. It was kind of you to take her on, whatever temperament she has. Give her time. Imagine if you were suddenly uprooted and found yourself somewhere completely different :shock: Forming a bond with her on her terms is a great idea. She may also decide she quite likes a bond on your terms, but it may take a while and a bit of persuasion!

Good luck xx

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That is exactly what i mean , we are thinking of using our usual vets for routine things like vaccines because they do a great healthcare plan for £6 a months (annual vaccs and health check and flystrike protection) and i will quiz them on their rabbit savvyness.
I have tried to google a good rabbit vet in my area and there is a few around so if i dont feel comfortable then i can always go elsewhere

Hello and welcome to the forums! :wave:

Hi! It sounds like you're doing fab. I have a bunny who is just a nervous bun. When we first got him, he wouldn't come anywhere near you even at feeding time - he'd hide at the opposite end of the run. If we had to handle him for any reason he would freeze in fear.
Now, he will come at feeding time and it's the only time we might be able to stroke him, if we're lucky. If we go outside and he thinks we might have food, he will come to investigate, but he just does the bonking thing too and then runs away - still that's a massive improvement for him as previously he wouldn't have approached us at all. And now when we have to handle him he is more relaxed, but still hates it.
We've had him nearly 3 years now!

I think with rabbits it's just REALLY slow progress, but when they do do something new, it's so rewarding. I absolutely love watching Tully - he does a lot of crazy whizzing around and binkying, and he's so snuggly with his friend Kyla. I'm happy just watching him be happy even if he'll never be a cuddle-bun.

I think you're making excellent progress well done for getting her out of that situation.

Bunny Magics said:

I just read through your post again, jordanaimee..
You mentioned that you are only picking her up to place her in and out of her run.. could you re-arrange your set-up, so that the shed is directly attached to the run..so no human hands would be involved?
That way, you wouldn't have to pick her up, she could just move between shed and run at her own free will.
Buns like to do things for themselves

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unfortunately not yet, weve got a good system now though were she goes into her carrier to be moved so i dont have to pick her up

and thankyou all for your replies, im much more hopeful for me and lola-bun

Hello and welcome to RU.:wave: You aren't that far away from me.....20 miles or so.:thumb: