# are your bunnies friendly/cuddly?



## Wobbles (Jun 2, 2011)

............


----------



## Guest (Mar 13, 2012)

Every rabbit is different, some like cuddles and fuss, some don't. 
I have 2 nethie girls and they are completely different from each other, Rebo can be a cuddle bun on her terms:










But Zooty would rather be left alone, she is much happier with bunny company so I accept that, she will come over for treats and I am allowed to give her an occasional nose rub but thats about it.
I just enjoy seeing my rabbits be rabbits so if they want a fuss then great, if not I'm happy enough so long as they're happy.

With any breed of rabbit you get back what you put in so spending lots and lots of time with them at their level and not expecting anything in return, just sit their read a book or play on your phone, they will soon start to come over to see what all the fuss is about. When they do come over offer them a treat, this way they will start to associate you with good things.

We are predators to them so it is very natural for them to be wary of us.


----------



## happysaz133 (Jun 5, 2008)

Mine don't like me at all, and sometimes, I wish I had never got them. I have spent SO much money on them and get nothing in return. But they are happy with each others company, and I know they have a better life than they did before I got them.


----------



## hazyreality (Jan 11, 2009)

Jana, Gypsy and Marley make me wild sometimes, when I walk into the shed and I have 4 begging for food and 3 legging it out of the dog flap like I am going to kill them. I have just learnt that I hand treats out to the ones who are inside, and sometimes the other 3 come in, if they do I hand them a treat (if they will let me) if they dont, I put a couple out through the flap (teaching them wrong I guess but I dont want them left out!). It doesnt make me wonder why I have them, and pay out etc for them but its just upsetting that they dont trust me.
And it does mean that end up with favourites because they are the ones who wil actually choose to come to me.
I have been known(and I know its naughty) to get so pee'd that I end up saying "for god's sake, I am not going to kill you, I've never tried before!" 
Its even more peeving when Dad or the OH walk in and they dont panic like they do with me!!!

*Heidi*


----------



## labyrinth001 (Aug 6, 2011)

I always tell people they shouldn't get a rabbit if they want a cuddly animal--I adore my rabbit, but he's very independent (and has those days when he feels like destroying everything). Honey has definitely gotten more sociable with me since he was neutered and now that he's out of his baby bunny "I want to just explore everything!" stage. I spent a lot of time with him on the floor, just reading and such to get him used to me. He will NOT let me hold him, hates to be picked up, but he'll sit next to me forever while I pet him and will tug on my clothes if I stop. Sometimes when I come in the room he'll do a binky and run over to me for attention and pets, but cuddling/holding is a big no-no. I've learned everything is on his terms and I like knowing I'm giving him a better life than he'd have otherwise. 

Whenever I want cuddles, I just take out the rats and let them climb all over me


----------



## HoneyFern (Aug 27, 2009)

My buns are fine to cuddle when I can catch them so I don't tend to try too often. They get under my feet and like to chew my jeans but they run off after a couple of strokes. They instantly run off if anyone else goes in unless said person has some dandelion for them . I still love them loads and spoil them rotten though.


----------



## JordanRose (Mar 10, 2012)

Mine don't like being picked up at all but are very friendly all the same. They're house buns and like to come and sit with me and watch TV, and groom me quite a lot (mainly Gaga, but Flixi's getting more affectionate all the time). 

They get very excited when I walk into their room, and they don't react like this to anyone else- part of me knows that this is probably because I feed them but I definitely get the sense that they love me. This was confirmed when they came back from boarding after 2 weeks and were so happy to see me- they followed me everywhere :001_wub:

I think single buns are more likely to be 'cuddly', as they save their affections for their humans. My two tend to save the snuggles for eachother. I would like to have cuddles with them, but they're just not that way inclined  

I don't know if yours are indoors or outdoors but with my bunnies, I like to lay on the floor with them and let them climb on me. It's like a half cuddle :lol:


----------



## bewitched (Jun 9, 2010)

Amy hates to be picked up and cuddled and will occasionally let you give her a nose rub but thats only if you're very lucky. Dooey on the other hand is the cuddliest bun I have ever known. He practically crawls up your leg until you pick him up, give him a kiss and a cuddle and then off he'll go on his merry way.


----------



## Sarah+Hammies (Jul 20, 2009)

2 of mine are house buns with free range of the whole house 24/7 (Stewie and Billy) and 2 of mine live outside (Jessie and Dora) and out of the 4 of them Jessie my rex is the cuddliest but she sticks to me like glue which is a tad frustrating at times :lol: although she acts like a wild bun if you try to pick her up :laugh: 

Stewie my dwarf lop is the oldest and is so used to me he doesn't mind me picking him up and checking him over etc but I wouldn't say he particularly wants cuddles at that time he likes to sit in his tray of hay and chill and I think that's where he'd be all day if I left him to it. He nudges me when he wants food and he'll persistently nudge me every 2-3 minutes until I get up to feed him 

Dora (is an English spot X *I think) is my biggest bun she is adorable and soft and loves doing her own thing but she will happily nudge me to stroke her and happily sit in front of me for 20 minutes + sometimes with me just stroking and talking to her.

Billy my dutch is my smallest bun, he is so chilled its unreal unless you pick him up but he will sit and be stroked for hours. He definitely would never instigate it though.

I never wish that I didn't have them, I knew what I was getting myself into when I got them and I love them for what they are and their own individual needs, wants and personalities.


----------



## Wobbles (Jun 2, 2011)

..............


----------



## kate_7590 (Feb 28, 2009)

I have 4 rabbits , only 1 of which will enjoy a fuss. The 3 others won't let me stroke them but will eat from my hand.
I used to have a lovely harlequin boy [Bramble R.I.P] and he was amazing, he would run towards the from of his cage and hold himself up for my to pick up. I also had a nethie and he was great, would jump onto my lap and demand chin tickles.

The 4 I have now haven't had the amount of attention my old rabbits did, and that is my fault. I think if they had the same attention the others did they would be very different.


----------



## Minion (Jan 11, 2012)

Up until recently I've only ever had nethies. All have mine have been quite sociable despite being outdoor rabbits. In all fairness my grandad used to breed them based on personality... not sure whether it was entirely down to genetics but they always made great pets. 

Minion will only let me pick him up, anyone else gets scratched hands and wrists. He was a lot more cuddlier when he was a single rabbit but has found his independence now we have Storm. He seems to have got to the point where cuddles are a reward for brushing him or playing with him for an hour. He also responds to the kitchen draw opening as him getting a treat or will try and climb up your leg until you get him one. Then you are allowed 2 strokes before he runs off 

Storm is a nutter but again will only let me pick her up. (I have no idea how everyone else is picking my rabbits up so wrong!... or whether they just love me more ). If you pick your rabbits up while they are facing you they may become less scared of being picked up as they focus on you and not the ground getting lower and lower. 

My partner found that if you lie on the floor they come over to have a nosey and use you as a climbing frame. Although minion bit him on the bottom the other day for lying in his way . Sometimes you just can't win, you just need to be able to judge your rabbits mood


----------



## MrRustyRead (Mar 14, 2011)

Mine have days where they don't like it and days where they do. I thought exactly the same until bobz went to the vets and he didn't like it so he rushed across the table and huddled up against my stomach, then when a stranger did a behaviour test on him for a study and he didn't like her one bit. It showed how much he loves me. The other three like it but only on their terms, bobz used to be a nightmare so I'm used to feisty rabbits but I always knew deep down he loves me really.


----------



## Wobbles (Jun 2, 2011)

.............


----------



## Hel_79 (Jun 14, 2011)

Similar here, really. I 'rescued' Buddy so didn't know what to expect. He's never been a cuddly rabbit. On the day Buddy moved in, my stepdaughter (his previous owner) told me he was cuddly and picked him up to prove it. All she proved was that he hated it; she was mistaking his stillness for complacency when he was in fact frozen with fear.

I've spent a lot of time at Buddy's level building up trust and respect, by hand-feeding him treats and resisting the urge to fuss him. He is now a much happier and more confident bunny....he is inquisitive and enjoys interacting with me and coming to see what I'm doing when I'm in his run, but it's all on his own terms. He could be as friendly and confident as anything but I know if I then try to pick him up he'd freak out and bolt. He doesn't mind a little rub though, and will happily put his paws up on my lap if I sit down to hand-feed him. That's enough for me. I'm happy that he's happy (and I get my cuddles from my cat, who loves them and needs lots of reassurance as he's jealous of the rabbit!!!).

Combination of natural instinct (they are prey animals after all) and different experiences/personalities, I think.


----------



## emzybabe (Jun 30, 2009)

both of my bunnies come when they are called. 

When I had Miffy as a house rabbit she would snuggle with you on the sofa but only if you'd been there a few hours, she even used to groom my house mates neck from the back of the sofa (he was a late night xbox gamer so they developed quite a relationship)

George loves a cuddle and a brush and purrs the whole time, he hates slippery floors and will sit on your feet or climb up your leg to get off the floor or jump on you to get off the vets table. 

I brush both my bunnies on a daily basis and this has really built up a good bond, they are also rewarded with a veggie treat which helps!

I think its important that people understand all bunnies are different and this is why picking a rescue bunny based on how compatible their personality is with what your looking for is such a good idea


----------



## kcmd02 (Feb 3, 2012)

Lola is extremely friendly - she always runs to your feet to greet you and runs circles around them . She'd lick you for hours and has never nipped, bit or grunted at me. 

However, she is not at all cuddly. She just has too many things to do and explore to sit still for 5 minutes  If I try to cuddle her while she is lying down she will stay there for a few minutes, but not because she likes to cuddle, because she needs a rest, lol. She'll lie down next to me and relax, but she isn't much of a cuddler.


----------

