How do I get my rabbit to like me?

Question

We had an unused room so we let the rabbit have the whole room. One day we decided to clean it up and put the rabbit into it's cage. Now it bites and slaps me when I go near it. I've been trying to play with it but he just runs away. How do I regain his trust?

Answer 1

well you have to let him trust you again. you have to let him know that you are trying to regain his trust like before. start giveing him carrots or special treats that you think he will like. start leaving his cage door open so he knows he's allowed to come out and wonder the room. he needs to know that you love him. i hope this helped!

Answer 2

Imagine if you were given free reign and then placed back into a small confined cage, how would you feel? I'm betting the rabbit is very resentful and probably confused. I don't know how long you let it run freely in the room, but it's going to take time. First, make sure you give it free time to run outside the cage a few times per day. Offering treats and things it really enjoys is another thing you could try. And make sure even if it slaps you and trys to bite that you take time to soothe and pet it. Trust is something every animal needs, including humans. In a few weeks your bunny should be alright, he just needs time to adjust. And if he doesn't start coming around after 3 or 4 weeks, call a vet and ask for some advice.

Answer 3

I have 25 years of experience raising rabbits. My opinion differs with all of the advice you've been given so far, but I know the answer to the question based on experience rather than feelings like the rest.

If you had kept your rabbit penned and not given it free reign, you probably would not be experiencing the aggressive behavior you are now encountering.

My suggestion, don't let the rabbit run free like that anymore. All you are going to do if you do that is make it more mean and aggessive. Rabbits when they are allowed to run loose like that are not use to getting petted and handled and they become more wild in nature. They also feel like they have room and a place to escape. When you grab them up you become like a predator instead of the person that feeds them. Probably when you picked your rabbit up to put it in the pen after leaving it out for that long it probably squealed and went on and made a big fuss when you picked it up. That's typically normal for rabbits. Your rabbit wasn't in pain, it was just scared and squealing.

My advice for getting your rabbit to become nice again is to be VERY patient. It's not the easiest feat in the world to get a rabbit to go from mean to nice. What you described is common rabbit attack posture, bite, trying to claw you withe the front claws, sometimes grunting and slightly opening it's mouth.

Here's what you do to get your rabbit to be nice again over time:

You need to pet it a bunch. But don't pet it in it's pen at least not at first. Take your rabbit out of it's pen and set it on a table with a small carpet pad on it. The cage is the rabbit's territory. Take the rabbit out of the cage and put it in neutral territory. Don't let it run around. Just set it on the pad and pet it on the forehead between the eyes. Always pet it so that it can see your hand coming towards it. Never from behind and on the back. That will scare it.

To get your rabbit out of the cage, you need to be quick and distract it. Basically think of your rabbit almost like a rattlesnake charmer would think of a rattlesnake. Use one hand to get the rabbit's attention and hold it. While you get the rabbit's attention with one hand, use the other hand to grab it and control it's head. Then remove the rabbit out of the cage. I know comparing your rabbit to a rattlesnake sounds bad, but that's about the best comparison. You have to be quick and fast and know how to distract and grab it or you are going to get bitten.

Once you have the rabbit out on the pad you should notice that it behaves much better and will sit for you without attacking you.

If you do this on a regular basis, like every day or every other day, it will very slowly start becoming nicer.

NEVER EVER hit or discipline your rabbit. Rabbits are unlike dogs or cats. Disciplining a rabbit will only make it meaner.

Answer 4

I hope you are letting the bunny out to play in a rabbit proof space? Rabbits need at least 2 hours of exercise outside the cage/day - more is even better. Maybe you can forget the cage and buy a dog exercise pen (at least 30" high) - that would give your bunny more space and still leave you with most of the room for your use.
To regain trust, take it slowly. Open the cage door and let him come out on his terms and then just sit quietly by and let him explore the room and you. don't reach into his cage when he is there and try not to put him back in his cage. We stick to a routine and give ours pellets at the same time morning and night and they go running back to their room when they hear the pellet bowl.
This article helped us bond with our bunnies:
http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/shybun.html

Answer 5

It's being cage aggressive. Rabbits are very food motivated. If you're trying to pick it up each time you go near there then its associating you with bad things. If you go near it give it a small treat. Try spending time just sitting next to the cage reading so that it can get used to your smell and presence. http://www.rabbit.org

Answer 6

He is scared of his surroundings because its different.
A rabbit can become very territorial of his belongings, including his cage. I have a 9 yr old female rabbit who still gets territorial + tries to pounce on my hand lol. She is handled frequently too. I noticed this with females especially.
Biting : this could also be because he is no longer let loose to run in the other room.
* He's penned up more + doesn;' enjoy it.
* If he isn't handled much he will also bite. He will bite you if he was neglected or abused by a previous owner.
* He will bite you if you are doing something he doesn't like, like him wanting you to put him down instead of carrying him.
* also bite because they are scared.
* Runs Away instead of Playing with you : Rabbits don't play really with people. They do in their own way. He is also running away because he wants to enjoy his freedom. : )
I put things down on the floor for my rabbits to play with. Ever watch a rabbit playing with a small or medium brown cardbd box ? its hilarious, so is watching them do their binkies. Mine never come to me to get played with. They do their own thing + are very different than playing with a cat or dog.

Sit yourself on the floor + let him come to you. In time he will trust you. Let him out of the cage so you can pet him once he's out, picking him up may make him think he's going back in the cage. Let him go when he wants to + he won't be so leary to come to you. : )
Rabbits are high on the prey list, nearly every animal would kill them, making them very easily stressed. This makes them easy candidates for high blood pressure, strokes, + heart problems. Try to be relaxed when around them so not to stress them : ) >! !<

Answer 7

try leaving the cage entry open and he will go in him self when he wants to.he slaps you cos you are in his territory and obviously he doesnt like it......i have had friend whos bunnies scratch and slaps them when they try to take the bunny out of their cage.try using his fave vegie or food to gain his trust..if you have to sit in the middle of the room let him do his business / run around and put his fave food in your hand.curiousity will eventually take over.it might take a while or instantly depends on every bunnies.

Answer 8

slaps you?? well it's normal for rabbits to behave like that after moving to a new environment. give it treats and attention. don't yell loudly or do sudden movements.

Answer 9

http://rabbit.org this is a great website for info on behavior, health, diet and many other things rabbit owner should know. good luck to you and your rabbit.

Answer 10

ITS NOT MY MACCC I have a normal laptop this is a family PC


I know how to get it to like you take the mask off

HAHA XD sorry had to