Biting rabbits which hate me!

Question
Hi, I feel like a really bad rabbit owner at the moment because my rabbits basicaly hate me. Ive tried offering them carrots in my hand, stroking them, handeling them daily, letting them roam the garden. My female rabbit, Holly, doesn't bite but will try jump out of my arms back into her hutch when i pick her up. My other rabbit, Biffy, will bite, scratch, and sometimes growl at me. When he growls i just leave him but i have no idea how to get him to like me. Most books ive read say to sit in the cage and wit till they come to you but ive tried and they wont come near me. When they do aproach me if i move they run away again.
My rabbit also nibbles my clothing putting large holes in all my jumpers. My mum was not impressed! Please help me, as I really want my rabbits to have the best life they could. Any advise is mch apreciated
Joanna

Answer
Dear Joanna,

Your rabbits are lucky to have such a patient "mom."

Are they spayed/neutered?  If not, that is definitely the first step, as an intact rabbit will very often be moody and aggressive, not to mention destructive.  You can find a good rabbit vet to help you here:

www.rabbit.org/vets

Once the operations are done, they will need a few weeks to heal and calm down.  Then you can start the socialization process with the tips here:

www.bio.miami.edu/hare/shybun.html

Once you're at that stage, please write back if you need more help.  But spay/neuter is definitely what you need to have done now, and the sooner the better.

I hope this helps.

Dana