Issues bonding with your own rabbit?

[Finn.The.Mini.Lop.Bun]

This is a bit of a weird question - but has anyone ever had issues bonding with their own rabbit?

I have 3 that have now been bonded. However my original doe (Myrtle) I have had the longest, I have just never got along with. The only reason I feel it could be is her personality. It is one of the reasons that I have a group of bunnies, is because she hates people (she isn't aggressive).

Its hard to pin point the reason - she gets the same care as the others. However because of her personality I have never really been able to get to know her. She is one of these rabbits that come across as 'rude', very avoidant, never really seems loving, overly dramatic over everything, is a bit of a loner, but will at the same time push your buttons in a very naughty sense. I am not talking about your regular skittish bunny, its different to that. Despite my efforts to work on her confidents, she doesn't want to know. So I have over the years just let her get on with it and don't interact with her which she is happy about.

However I do feel my dislike is more focused towards her then the others. The truth is - her attitude stinks and has been enough to put me off Lionheads, but at the same time she stresses me out because of her behavior. I am not sure if you can get autism in rabbits or any other behavior issues - but she's defiantly not 'normal'. I have had many bunnies and she is defiantly unique!

[Graciee]

This is a bit of a weird question - but has anyone ever had issues bonding with their own rabbit?

I have 3 that have now been bonded. However my original doe (Myrtle) I have had the longest, I have just never got along with. The only reason I feel it could be is her personality. It is one of the reasons that I have a group of bunnies, is because she hates people (she isn't aggressive).

Its hard to pin point the reason - she gets the same care as the others. However because of her personality I have never really been able to get to know her. She is one of these rabbits that come across as 'rude', very avoidant, never really seems loving, overly dramatic over everything, is a bit of a loner, but will at the same time push your buttons in a very naughty sense. I am not talking about your regular skittish bunny, its different to that. Despite my efforts to work on her confidents, she doesn't want to know. So I have over the years just let her get on with it and don't interact with her which she is happy about.

However I do feel my dislike is more focused towards her then the others. The truth is - her attitude stinks and has been enough to put me off Lionheads, but at the same time she stresses me out because of her behavior. I am not sure if you can get autism in rabbits or any other behavior issues - but she's defiantly not 'normal'. I have had many bunnies and she is defiantly unique!

Sounds like a rabbit to me they're all different, my first female bun was not really a people bun..

I've never personally had trouble bonding with an animal myself.. The only thing I can liken it too is maybe our hamster Pepper, she was mistreated and rehomed over and over and hates people basically, screams at them.. So obviously we aren't close (altho made some progress, she doesn't attack me anymore, and tolerates a single finger touching her sometimes, and will take a certain food out of my hand before zooming away ) but I love watching her and love her to pieces even though we aren't exactly close and never will be. My rabbit Penelope isn't super keen on humans either. And Atticus can be outright vicious sometimes...randomly.. I guess I've bonded to all 6 of my animals but its all a unique bond with that individual animal, none are the same, they all like different treatment, and tolerate /like different stuff and I've just learnt that and have found ways to accept them and love them for who they are as individuals. Idk if that's helpful really

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[Finn.The.Mini.Lop.Bun]

Sounds like a rabbit to me they're all different, my first female bun was not really a people bun..

I've never personally had trouble bonding with an animal myself.. The only thing I can liken it too is maybe our hamster Pepper, she was mistreated and rehomed over and over and hates people basically, screams at them.. So obviously we aren't close (altho made some progress, she doesn't attack me anymore, and tolerates a single finger touching her sometimes, and will take a certain food out of my hand before zooming away ) but I love watching her and love her to pieces even though we aren't exactly close and never will be. My rabbit Penelope isn't super keen on humans either. And Atticus can be outright vicious sometimes...randomly.. I guess I've bonded to all 6 of my animals but its all a unique bond with that individual animal, none are the same, they all like different treatment, and tolerate /like different stuff and I've just learnt that and have found ways to accept them and love them for who they are as individuals. Idk if that's helpful really

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Defiantly not the same as other bunnies I have ever had . She just very slow, she spends all her time alone.

Again, its very difficult to explain - but other people that have had her have picked up on her behavior. Its weird and very unsocial for a rabbit.

I have tried accepting her but I am struggling - so I allow her to come near me in the very rare times she does, but otherwise I just don't interact with her. She has just made it to difficult. She's a dream to handle and hasn't got an aggressive bone in her body. But its her social abilities.
She wasn't rehomed and from a good breeder so she hasn't got a history at all.

[TheBee]

Yes, I have had a few bunnies like this. Two of which I have at the moment - surely they don’t have to be interactive and friendly to be loved though?! I love all my buns equally, regardless of their personality

[TheBee]

Also she sounds like she may be unhappy?

[Graciee]

Also she sounds like she may be unhappy?

I'm wondering this, does she live indoors? Some rabbits seem happier outdoors ime, others more so indoors, some don't seem to mind either way.

Does she zoom and binky about much?

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[a reader of books]

I wonder if it would help if you adjusted your expectations of her? Instead of seeing her as a bunny who fails to be like your other bunnies, you could just enjoy watching her, like Graciee does with her hamster? It's sad to me that you can say you dislike her when she's not even doing anything wrong, when she's just being her own bunny self, even if she's not as physically loving and social like your others, and does things you consider naughty.

I am not sure if you can get autism in rabbits or any other behavior issues - but she's defiantly not 'normal'. I have had many bunnies and she is defiantly unique!

Autism isn't a behaviour issue, by the way. We just experience the world differently; there's nothing wrong with the way we naturally behave. It doesn't sound like Myrtle has a behaviour issue to me, either, to be honest. A lot of the things people consider to be naughty is just rabbits being rabbits, and some rabbits are just not as social as others.

[InspectorMorse]

Is her eyesight OK ?

[Orenoko]

Lilac is like this, I've had her almost 3 years and she just 8snt a dan of people. She doesn't particularly like being stroked or touched at all. My other half thinks she "just has to get used to it" but she's about 6 and I think she's happier left alone so that's what I do unless she comes over to me! They just have different personalities.

[Liz47]

Does she interact ok with your other rabbits? As a previous member said perhaps check her eyesight, make sure she is comfortable around the other rabbits etc. Does she engage in enrichment etc?

I have loved all my rabbits the same regardless of whether they seem to like me I've had a really aggressive rabbit (my first actually) and although she did mellow when was older she did still regularly bite etc but tbh I'd be concerned if she didn't and enjoyed her character. I have one with behaviour problems atm being investigated, she is spayed but she sprays, regularly does scent poo's everywhere, fights with my other two which resulted in her being separated, has caused a lot of damage to my house and lunges and bites but again that's just who she is! She has had hundreds spent (from insurance luckily!) to test for medical reasons and none found, we've actually moved her from upstairs with my other two to downstairs free range in our kitchen and she's recently mellowed loads, stopped a lot of her 'angry' behaviours, tries to socialise with my dog (always separated!) and binkies and flops I hand reared her so perhaps she didn't learn correct social things etc as had no mum/was split from her siblings early because they were males who began to hump her a lot.

My older pair enjoy being stroked, but one is very skittish due to poor eyesight (blue eyes) and the other seems to dislike me and actively avoid me but loves my partner

Although not 'loving' I get enjoyment through just watching them be bunnies.