My rabbit hates me! How can i make it more friendly?

Question

It's true. She's so suspicious of me, never letting me pick her up or pet her willingly. How can i make her like me more? I keep my rabbit outdoors, and I have heard that you will never have a happy bunny that loves you and is friendly if you don't keep it indoors. Is this true? I am willing to spend hours a day outside with her, if it will make her happier. Sadly, keeping her inside is not an option right now - I would if I could, but I can't. So...help?

Answer 1

Food and treats really help with any animal.  If you give her a treat, and pet her while she's eating and talk to her, she'll slowly start to trust you.

Answer 2

No, of course not! Whoever told you that is full of themselves!

My bunny lives outdoors, and she's honestly the sweetest baby EVER!

Yes, you will need to spend several hours with her, whether you bring her in, or go out to her, I spend an average of 1-2 hours with my bun, I got last Friday, but, every time I go outside, I go to check on her and play with her.

She'll come right up to the cage door, and hop on my hand, wanting to be pet and held.

It's quite possible, that it's the breed of your bunny, Netherland Dwarfs, Hotots, And many other breeds are aggressive.

Try spending more quality time with her, and feed her the same ammount of food at the same time every day.

I feed my Dutch, 1/4 Cup Pellets, usually first thing once I'm dressed, and ready i nthe morning, I go out, fill up her food, clean her water bottle, remove soield areas from hutch, then weekly I go out and clean out the whole box, Monthly, I'm going to sanitize it.

Answer 3

Try treats!

Answer 4

it would probably help ALOT if you got your bunny around more people. Even if it hates you i would try to pick it up and cuddle it. && im sure bunny treats would help to lol.

Answer 5

Having an outdoor rabbit is a distinct disadvantage when it comes to bonding. When rabbits live inside, they are more likely to express their true personalities and feel at ease with their owners. Still, having a loving outdoor rabbit is possible.

For starters, picking up your rabbit is probably the last way to earn her affection. Rabbits, by instinct, hate to be lifted from the ground (think about a hawk flying off with a bunny), and they are not normally the cuddly creatures everyone thinks they are. Hold off on the holding until your bunny really trusts you. Even then it's a challenge.

For now, just try to pet her. Let her smell your hand and mark you with her chin if she feels like it. Once she has approached you and gotten comfortable with the idea of hand-face contact, scratch her head. If she's backed into a corner with her ears forward and her eyes bugging out of her skull, you may just need to be patient.

It sounds like you really want to do the best you can for your rabbit, so good luck. With a little time, you two should be good friends.