bunny problem. taming.

Hi everyone,

So my 4 bunnies are 3 weeks old now. They are still with the mommy. I did my research and every single article says, i should let them stay with the mom until they are 8 weeks old.

I have this problem here. My 4 bunnies are scared of me. I have been handling them since they were a day old. Even couple of hours old. They will come and sniff me , climb on my leg but they won't let me touch them. I can catch them. But i don't want to do that , i don't want to make them get more scared from me. When i hold them, they kick and freak out. they won't sit still, when i lay them on my hand. What should i do?


i know that bunnies won't like to picked up. But they don't even like me petting their foreheads. I thought I had them since they are babies, they would be get used to me. Their mom is really friendly when she is in the cage, but when she is out roam in the house, she will not come to me.

Unless i have food in my hand, mom and the babies would come, and let me pet them.

The basic temperament of your kits affect how easy they are to train. Sounds like their mama is a friendly rabbit, but independent.

Food is a great way to get them used to you. "The way to a man's heart is through his stomach," is true for rabbits as well. :lol:

Do your cage doors swing inwards or outwards? One thing I found was when I had my two ornery does in a large cage with swing-in doors, they were more scared and aggressive. Once I moved them to a smaller cage with doors that swing out, they come up to the front of the cage more.

kedish":nra77sgt said:

Hi everyone,

I have this problem here. My 4 bunnies are scared of me. I have been handling them since they were a day old. Even couple of hours old. They will come and sniff me , climb on my leg but they won't let me touch them. I can catch them. But i don't want to do that , i don't want to make them get more scared from me. When i hold them, they kick and freak out. they won't sit still, when i lay them on my hand. What should i do?

Click to expand...

I would start out with holding them on your lap, give them treats and pet them. If they try to avoid your hands, hold them down gently and try rubbing your fingers along their jaw. One of my very independent and sometimes nippy does will stay still and let me pet her if I do that. Then, when they are comfortable in your lap and in your presence, hold them up under your neck and talk quietly. I have read that rabbits like the vibrations, and I believe they feel more secure when they have 3 sides pretty much enclosed around them.

Good luck!

It will be interesting to hear what other people say. I've got a litter right now and I go through a ritual like this- while they are sitting in the cage I pet their heads and then rub softly around their ears and cheeks and tell them what good good rabbits they are- I do this while they are in the cage until they seem to be relaxed and look like they are liking it- then I slowly pick them up and hold them close to my body and pet them and tell them they are good good rabbits and pet some more- then I put them back in the cage and do the whole thing over again so they get used to me picking them up out of the cage and putting them back in the cage. Then when they get a little older I put a big blanket on my bed and let them run around on the bed and I pick them up pet them and give them treats. Some of them tame up better than others. Some have, I think, just a strong instinct to be afraid and may never grow out of it. Boys seem to get friendlier- more likely to come up to me wanting to be petted. They are all different- I've got one in the litter that nips my hand and I've never had that before- she isn't aggressive its more like she has learned if the hand is in the way- and restraining you- if you nip it it moves so you can go- she doesn't draw blood but I'm worried about her going to her new home. None of the others have ever done that.