very skittish 4 month old bunny

Question
Dear Lee,

I have recently brought home a gorgeous bunny who, because of lack of knowledge from the pet store owner, i deduce is a cross between a dwarf hotot and a satin. The trouble is she is four months old already and from what I saw the pet store owner was not at all attentative to the needs of the bunnies and this has resulted in this bunny being unapproachable to say the least. The few times I have taken her out of her hutch she has run to the nearest corner and backed herself into it and she skits off whenever I try and pick her up. It has become challenging indeed to bond with her and I was hoping you could offer some much needed advice on how to comfort and gain the trust on this already quite grown bunny. Is it too late to gain her trust after what, I suspect, has been a traumatic four months living in the pet store? In dire need of help and would love as much advice as possible!

Thank you very much,

Stacey

Answer
Hi Stacey,

as she is only 4 months old I woudl say she is hardly past being able to gain trust of a person.  I would say you have your work cut out for you.  You need to have a lot of patience and realize you may be on a really long timetable here.

If she is able to have good experiences with you she will most likely forget the first 4 months and be just fine.

Also, some of this behavior is just normal bunny behavior.  Most rabbits do not want to be picked up regardless of good or bad treatment.  

You will need to exhibit a lot of patience and time to have her bond to you.  Basically you'll need hours of time around her when she's out.  YOu need to stick around and praise her to explore and investigate the room, hopefully a room that has some nice things in it a bunny may like to hop onto or play with.  Lots of people will just sit in the room with them and read a book (ignore them).  Eventually they will explore the room and get curious as to why you are not paying attention to them.  They will start coming to you.  You may want to offer them a piece of parsley, or a few timothy pellets and praise them for coming over.

But it will take time.  However, she is also dealing with a new house, a new cage, all new surroundings, and a new caretaker.  PArt of what she is going through is dealing with this as well, and ALL rabbits have to deal with this.  If on top of it she is shy, it will take her longer.  Just realize it and accept it.  Once she is more comfortable and confident she will start exploring and coming to you.  Resist the urge to pet or pick her up.  She will associate if she comes to you that is what will happen, and you don't want her to learn that.

When you do have to pick her up to put her back in, give her a small treat to teach her picking up isn't a bad thing and there is a positive at the end.  It can even be a part of a hay cube or a fresh little piece of lettuce.

Also check the House Rabbit Society web site (www.rabbit.org) and search their extensive articles on bunny behavior and bonding.

Lee