I have a 4 month old french lop(him in the pic š) that always turns away when I try to pet him on the head, even tho I always do it when he approaches me. He lets me do it and seems to like it though when I do it when he sleeps (he does that teeth shattering thing that ive heard people say is a sort of purring?) If ive woken him up and hes frightened he seems to calm down a little if I pet him too…
Is it just a bond/young rabbit thing? Ive heard younger rabbits are more hyperactive and arent good cuddle buddies yet. How long does it usually take for them to warm up to you? I do a few hours of bonding a day where I hang out with him/he can roam freely in my apartement
by malonxa
32 Comments
for mine pets are ok but cuddling is a big no..
Is your bunny free roaming? I found out that free roaming buns if they don’t get locked, first explore the territory for several days/week, then start to warm up quickly to their human. If they have their own territory, not shared with human, then they tend to ignore human more since they spend their freedom time exploring and enjoying the space.
Also, time really helps. Sit down on the floor more, do your hobbies, read/use your phone, and give them time.
Quin has always loved pets and attention, Henrietta hates any kind of affection and is only content being admired from a reasonable distance away.
I had my rabbit for around 2 months before she let me touch her and the biggest change occured after I stopped closing her in the cage completely and let her run around. Before, I tried petting her while she was distracted with food (she would bite me if I touched her when she wasn’t eating) or just briefly touching her head while giving her treats to get her used to the feeling and at the same time rewarding her for not running away/biting me.
Now she comes BEGGING for pets and cuddles like a hundred times a day. I think it just takes time and shared space so your bunny gets used to you being around and might eventually come for pets. If not, try it with treats and don’t rush, these things take time.
Best of luck!
Mine are free roam, both 3 now. My Netherland Dwarf (got when he was a baby) isn’t that hyperactive, so he likes pets and just to lay near me. My mixed rabbit (got when she was 2) is more hyperactive and for several months only wanted pets when I was petting the other rabbit as a sort of “don’t leave me out” behavior; otherwise if she came near and I pet her, she’d run off to explore. Only recently has she been more receptive to pets. Neither of them like cuddling, but both will lay near-ish to me and accept many pets.
I got mine just a week ago, and we bonded pretty quickly. She’s about 3 months old according to the previous owner. Whenever I would start petting her, she would stop whatever she is doing to relax/focus on getting pets from me.
mirror mirror on the wall, who’s the fairest bun of them all
the bun in the photo has such beautiful dreamy colouring. 
We’ve had buns that were skittish, those tended to be the ones with ears upwards. The ones with floppy ears were much calmer and enjoyed a good scritch and didn’t mind cuddling, like lying on the floor with them.
I agree with the free-roaming some here mentioned. Our bunnies would come to ask for pets on their own free will. Maybe it’s easier to relax for them when they’re not cornered somewhere. I guess your bunny will get cuddlier over time, too. You could try not initiating and see if he comes to you while roaming. Or just lie down on the floor, they are very curious after all!
I got one of my bunnies at 2 years old and he liked pets pretty much right away. I got my other one at 7 months and she didn’t want pets until she was about a year old. I think she was too busy doing bunny things. Now she’s 2.5 and loves pets.
My rabbits will sit next to me, follow me around and take food out my hand but I cannot pet them.
Never happened with mine unfortunately I give her unconditional love treats play time but the second u try stoke her or pick her up or even go near her you’ll get bit and attacked lol
My dwarf-mix is a bit over 3 years old and I’ve had her since she was 4 months. She’ll let me pet her but doesn’t seek out pets. And she most certainly doesn’t seek out cuddles
OP, keep at it!! The rewards will be a hundred fold. Little guy is still very young and has tons of energy; however, it is not going unnoticed that his human always gets down on the floor to spend time with him. Rabbits are so funny, they donāt show affection like traditional pets, cats and dogs, do. But in time, youāll have a rabbit who will come racing up to you when he sees you, who will come sit next to you to spend time together and get some good head scratches. I had the same experience with my rabbit, and one day, all that time I spent trying to connect paid off.
ETA: He is beautiful!! Those ears. They kill me every time, I love those French lops.
I honestly thought āhow long ā¦ā was going to be about ears. Long, glorious ears. Answer: loooooooooong
My girl is extremely cuddly but Iām honestly not sure why. She pretty much always initiates in the morning or at night by coming over to me and staring at my very intently. Sheās definitely most cuddly when sheās hungry or first thing in the morning or middle of the night. I think this started after having her for a few months.
Oh the beauty of your bun! He looks magical!
I was really lucky to find my bunny. Sheās a former emotional support animal from an elementary school, so she was friendly right away.
Both of my bunnies free roam, they are locked in a very large room at night. Once we had let them free roam the entire house, they became the biggest cuddle bunnies ever. We have a 11 pound French lop and he will lay with me for hours.
Beautiful bun šš°
Weāve have our boy and girl for about three years, and they still donāt like being touched. We tried for a little while, but in the end, we decided not to force it too much. Theyāll still let us climb in the floor with them, and we still talk to them. Some bunnies are just like that. Iām hoping that, once they get older, they might calm down a little and not be so jumpy.
Mine let’s me pet him occasionally. But no to cuddling
I moved in with my partner about 6 months after he got our first rabbit, and before I moved in he was down for being pet by me but didnāt really want to cuddle. He was free-roaming and neutered by that point so all of our interactions were 100% on his terms and initiated by him. Iād say it took around 3-4 months for him to start actually being cuddly.
Our second rabbit literally put her head on my lap and cuddled up when we met her for the first time at the Humane Society. So Iād say itās partially a personality thing and partially a patience thing. I know people who have had rabbits for 7+ years who still arenāt super cuddly.
My rabbit lets my wife pet him on the head, but I’m only allowed to pet his butt (which usually initiates his self-grooming instinct). I feel like he only let us really start doing this after like 2 years (he’s going on 6 now).
I have 3 rabbits with wildly different personalities when it comes to that stuff. They are pray animals and some never do warm up to it.
My 4y/o let me pet her for long periods of time from day one. Doesn’t like being picked up though.
My 8y/o took a long time to warm up and he still only likes head pats/behind the ears.. picking him up is a strong no.
My 7y/o never really warmed up to human touch. She’s a bit sassy.. likes our precence in the room but nothing else. She will occassionally allow her nose to be rubbed on her terms lol.
My two tiny hollands only want pets with snacks or food time. Or while cleaning their x pen. My New Zealand 7 months is quite different she was way more snuggly before her spay. She is grumpy in the mornings when I go to let her out evening and night sheāll cuddle and watch shows with me on the sofa. Sheās out all day the hollands have a massive pen so they have no interest except their husbun/bunwife. So maybe just once they settle youāll get to see more of your beautiful bunās personality with time. š©¶š¤
My second bun, who I adopted at 4.5 months old, was super skittish and turned or ran away when I tried to pet her on the head.
She started to settle in a bit and let me pet her some of the time around 4-6 weeks after her adoption.
We’re at 11 months now, and even though she’s still noticeably more shy and skittish than my other rabbit, she’s really chilled out. I wouldn’t say she’s cuddly, but I find her lounging all the time, and she’ll give me little tooth clicks when I pet her. She’ll even let me pet the whole length of her body, mush her face a little, and sometimes pet her tail!
Patience is key. Sometimes I still have to remind myself of that.
its been a year and im still waiting š
When COVID hit, I was home all day plus Bunbun was about 9 years old at that point. Then she became a snuggle bunny and would follow me around the house all day
Of my current two: Lady Big-Business will come up and nudge for pets, but not a fan of being picked up. And the other is my little paranoid void baby who doesn’t mind being near, but is very a “no touchy” guy. His name is Tinfoil and I love him all the same.
Edit: and I’ve had them both for a year and a half and this is a huge improvement. They were both Extremely skittish when they first arrived.
Fucking hell, that rabbit was born from royalty. I almost kneeled to it
Mines only come to me when their hungry š„²
My lop has let me cuddle him since he was a baby, my nethie is only now at the age of 4 letting me pet her regularly
Unfortunately, some buns never enjoy pets/cuddles. My boy Darrell embraced social distancing with enthusiasm. He just didn’t want to be touched.
My girl Benny was the first to approach me and demand my attention at the pet store. She ran up to me and gave me a little lick then a nip. She is more outgoing than Darrell ever was.
Different buns like people just need time to get to know you and feel comfortable around you.