HELP needed for taming rabbits

[LouLou07]

One of my three rabbits is scared of people being touched by people(well anything really). We think its because her and Hollie's old owner didn't fuss with them, they were left alone. We got them from a rabbit rescue centre, there were two other rabbits from the same owner there and they were also timid. Hollie is fine now but Rosie will only come to you when food is involved lol. I have only managed to stroke her back twice in the 5-10 weeks that we have had her and her face when sh is eating. We can't catch her and fuss over her on her own because she is very hard to catch and gets terrified (it doesn't help that they live in my conservatory which is quite big). Has anyone got any tips on making her braver??

At the moment Herbie(my other bunny) is running around my room lol

[Chef33]

Hopefully i will be able to help... so ill give it my best shot.

i've trained 2/3 of my rabbits to perform certain 'movements' in order to make looking after them a lot easier for the family.

just a few questions:

do your bunnies have separate hutches or are they indoor rabbits?
do you have any other animals that can come into contact or intimidate them?
do you hold the other two regulally (spell?)?

those questions are just so that i have a better understanding

[LouLou07]

They all live in my conservatory together without a cage, which could provoke her to be scared as it has a glass roof. I do have a cat but she is terrified of them lol so won't go anywhere near them. I only hold Herbie as Hollie is a pain to keep hold of. I hold Herbie at least 3 times a week, used to be everyday but then he started to associate me with being the person who catches him. Although he wasn't that bad today and enjoyed his free time in my room.

[Chef33]

ok thats good that the cat is scared of them.lol. as that could of been one of the reasons that was causing the bunny to be frightened.

is there enough room in your conservatory where you would be able to sit in the middle of the floor?

because i had to gain my rabbits trust and to do so i sat in the middle of my garden and wait until it came to me, so it knew i wasn't a threat. but every time they came up to me i didn't stroke them i just held out my hand to them so once again they could see that i wasn't a threat.

i also when i went to pick them up went down to their level and crouched in the same place for a minute then held out my hand to them for a minute or so and then finally stroked them and picked them up.


its a good sign if the rabbit shows interest in your hand e.g. sniffs it etc.

[LouLou07]

She will sniff my hand when i sit with them, there is plenty of room. But she goes up to me cautiously then when she realises there isn't any food will run off. She is scared of rain though which when in a conservatory is quite bad as its louder. I used to sit with Herbie and my old bunny Barney like that, which helped a lot but I don't have as much time at the moment with GSCEs and stuff. I will try that out when I have done my exams in January.

[Elf]

hello..hi im chef33 lil' sis and she has just gone out to feed our rabbits. she told me to reply and say that we have a little bunny who is 1 year old and she doesn't like being picked up so we gently put a towel over her head when we need to check her and it calms her down as they like the dark. we then pick her up and losely hold her in the towel so that she feels safe and then stroke her ears and head.


(sorry this took so long im not that quick at typing)

[LouLou07]

I will try that as she needs to be spayed soon when the rescue centre's vet is back. We don't actually own them yet as they need to be spayed first. The problem is that we would have to be quick to get the towel on her had as i we arn't she will be at the other side of the room banging her foot.

That reminds me that mine are due for their supper now lol.

[Elf]

yup they bang their hind feet because either a) they are scared of a predator or b) If your doe is thumping and she isn't spayed yet she may be telling you that she wants to be bred.

so when you have her spayed she should settle down.

also given that you have good aim you can throw the towel from a distance so that you dont scare her away the towel landing on her doesn't do any damage, is she a lionhead?

[LouLou07]

Yeah, all three are lol.

I suppose I could practise aiming lol. I have just managed to stroke her on her head and back a few times while she was eating, although she didn't look to pleased. I would have thought my other female would want to be bred as she built a nest(well it looked like some bits of wood and hay). But today she was under one of the rugs so maybe she does want to be bred.

[Elf]

aww thats sweet, my sis said that it is good that you stroked her a few times when she ate as you are being related to food, with horses that not such a good thing as i got bit by my friends one.

[LouLou07]

Yeah she associates me with food and treats. Especially papaya tablets she can't resist them lol. I think she's just too cautious and even spooks the other two for no reaon. They all know their names and come when called. Herbie even knows no.

There's a horse at my riding school who likes eating whips lol, he won't let go of mine after the lesson. My brother got bit by a horse once but I'm a bit more careful around one's which look like they will bite.

[Amara]

[Chef33]

[LouLou07]

Herbie and Barney came from a breeder and were friendly. Well Barney was to me and my brother but hated my mum. They were brave and didn't run away from me.

Rosie and Hollie came from an unsuatable(sp) home to the rescue centre so are timid for thee reason that they were not handled that much.

[Chef33]

awwww well its nice that you have been able to give them a stable home, i like it when people rescue animals