How to cure a skittish rabbit...

[RabbitLover11]

I have a NZW doe that I got when she was a few months old. It's been nearly a year since then and she's always been skittish and unpersonable. I try to hold her once in a while to get her used to it, but the more I try to hold her the more she freaks out and tries to jump out of my arms. So, I haven't been too keen about getting her out lately (She's an outside hutch bunny).

My buck, on the other hand, who I got when he was a few months old a couple years ago, is very personable and doesn't jump away when I put my hand out to pet him.

So... will my doe always be like this? Does this trait get passed down to her kits? What should I do to make her more personable? Here's a picture of her (see how her position is defensive):

 

[Mea]

Most likely she will always be skittish. sad to say. Possibly the kits will learn that You mean no harm if you consistantly more slowly and gently around them. You might also want to pick the calmest to keep to possibly replace the older doe.

Good Luck.

 

[MiniRexGirl]

I have a doe that is skittish as well, but not that bad. She will sometimes come do the cage door and others has to be caught. However her biggest "fault" if you want to put it that way is she is usually stiff in our arms when we hold her. But with time, and a lot of stroking in the right place, (we learned her favorite places to be stroked) she eventually will calm down and loosen up. I suggest that you keep trying to work with it. Using treats or something that your rabbit really likes to eat see if you can lure her towards you and then try to pet her. Use a treat she wouldn't get that often (mine like strawberries and banana) and only let her have some if she lets you pet her. Rabbits are Smart and she may learn to associate being touched with GOOD things! Once she becomes completely content with you touching her then try the same process with holding her and so on. Good Luck!

 

[tortoise]

If she was my rabbit she would go directly into the freezer. Do not pass Go, do not collect $200.

 

[shelly_tn]

tortoise - you are funny. Unfortunately if we all didn't want our rabbits for pets it would be much easier, as we would try so hard to bond with them.

My 2yearold Doe is very skittish, I have only had her 3 weeks and she is still trying to 'box' me when I put me hand in her cage to give her more feed. When I hold her she 'shakes' like she is scared to death. I hope she does get use to me. I'd hate for her to be so stressed out all the time.

 

[AlaskanShepherdess]

You can make her not skittish. She tries to jump out of your arms because she doesn't trust you. So you need to teach her to trust you.

She needs an area that is her territory. Meaning, if she is in that spot (box inside the cage) then she will not be picked up by you unless you have to. This is the first step to getting her to trust you.

Next step, how are you holding her? Are her back and front feet always supported? Try holding her with her head up near yours and her bottom supported by your arm, or put her rear in your elbow and make sure her feet are supported. Pick her up with one hand on her bottom/in between her legs and one hand on her chest.

If she doesn't like something your doing, stop. She'll start relaxing once she realizes your not going to make her do something that she doesn't like.

I had a very skittish rabbit that I trained this way. After about a month she was very sweet, although not a sit in your lap for hours rabbit.

 

[Cuttlefishherder]

We have a skittish NZ girl too, we can pet her if shes eating but she hates having her head and ears touched, she scrunches up and runs away, but shes easy to catch though, when we get a hold of her she goes pretty much limp. She was a rescue girl and looked like her talons had never been trimmed, so we were grateful when she just turned in to a blob of bunny when we went to trim her nails.

 

[Ms. Research]

Thank you MiniRexGirl and definitely AlaskanShepherdess for your advise. I am new to all this and have been kind of tripping my way a little until I found this site. I did make my bunnies a little bit skittish, being naive, but I have been doing some of what you advised. Now with this, I can give my bunnies less unneeded stress due to my clumsy ways.

Thanks for helping me with a way to build my trust with my bunnies.

 

[M.R. Lops]

I had a Holland Lop doe who isn't that friendly. i got her at 4 months old and she never liked being held or petted. I thought about getting rid of her, but then I got the idea to breed her. So, that's how my rabbitry started. Her first litter she had 7 kits but was a first time mother and they all died. Her next litter she successfully raised 3 kits, next litter she raised 8 kits. She's actually became friendlier. And I never really handled her that much, especially when she's pregnant or has babies. But, I actually think that her having babies made her nicer...or I could just be crazy and she just got used to me. Either way she's getting better. She'll let me hold her occasionally but some times she decides she doesn't want to be held and will just keep biting your shirt or pants. I don't know why, but she'll just bite you until you put her back in her cage. She actually bit a hole in my shirt before and a hole in my mom's shorts. But, she'll let me pet her now. So, I think it is possible for her to get nicer over time. Just sit around her cage a lot and maybe offer her some kind of treat. Let her get use to your presence and then try to pet her. Reward her when she lets you hold her.
Good Luck!