Hysteria/Fear

Question
Hello , just wanted to ask a question on how to improve a situation with my bunny's fear.I have a really calm and tamed bunny , she is used to being handled , and she is not scared of me or anyone else in my family.But , just recently I noticed that my bunny becomes really frightened and hysteric while the dish washer is running.She starts running from one hiding spot to another , and occasionally thumping her foot to the ground(I am familiar that this is her way of indicating danger)Is there any way to get her to calm down , or to help her stop being scared of the sounds coming from the dishwasher?

Answer
Dear Nikola,

Rabbits react this way to fear of the unknown.  The sound of the dishwasher makes her afraid because she doesn't know what it is, and the loud, unfamiliar sound frightens her.

You might try this, but be *very* careful:  

Bring her into the kitchen, and stroke and play with her.  Make sure she is very comfortable.  Make sure she *sees* you handling the dishwasher, and perhaps put some cushions or other sound-dampening items in front of it when you first start it up.  Sometimes when a rabbit can *see* the source of a scary sound, she will realize it's not a threat and relax.

But if the sound terrifies her again, be prepared for her to run to safety.  Don't stop her.  Let her deal with this in her own way.  

Is this a new behavior?  Does she continue to stay freaked out while the dishwasher is running, or does she calm down?  Eventually, as she becomes more accustomed to the sound, she will probably start to treat it as part of the normal surroundings.  But it may take time.

Hope this helps.

Dana