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​Getting To Know Your New Bunny

House Rabbit Society
Miami
 , FL
(305) 666- BUNN
Picture
Getting to know your new bunny
  1. Imagine what the world looks like to this bunny.  She is surrounded by a new environment, and there is a big, strange-smelling animal that is always looming over her. She has no idea you are trying to be friendly.  Her “hard wiring” says:  “AAAAAAAA!!!”  It is going to EAT MEEEE!!!!” Imagine yourself in her bunny slippers:  No one speaks her language, she has been taken from her family and perhaps the only home she has ever known.  She has no idea whether you plan to love her, cage her forever, or eat her!  You must gradually and patiently win her trust.  It can take an hour, a day or even weeks or months.  It depends on the personality of the individual rabbit, and on your willingness to be patient and loving.
  2. You and bunny should be together in a private, quite room.  No other pets.  No distractions.
  3. Have a little treat, such as a bit of carrot, apple or banana or a little pinch of oats in your hand.
  4. Lie on your tummy on the floor and let the bunny out of her hutch.  (IMPORTANT:  The hutch door should be at ground level. So that bunny can come and go as she pleases.  Having to grab the bunny every time you want to play can undo hours of patient trust building!   If the hutch door swings down to from a ramp, be sure to cover it with a towel or cotton mat so that bunny doesn’t catch her foot in the wire and break a leg!
  5. Don’t expect her to approach you right away.  Remain quiet and patient, even it if takes an hour or more.  Rabbits are naturally curious, and eventually, she will come over to sniff you.
  6. Resist the temptation to reach out and pet the bunny.  Instead, let her sniff you, hop on you and just get to know your smell.  This will teach her that you are not a threat. 
  7. If the bunny finds the treat, hold it while she nibbles.  Resist the urge to pet if she is shy!
  8. Do this every day.  Gradually, you can start to pet the bunny by giving her a gentle “scratch” on the forehead or behind the eyes (bunnies love this!).  Never force anything, and never chase the bunny.  This, too, will only undo all the patient sitting you have done to gain her trust.  Eventually you and your bunny will be doing mutual, ground level snuzzling and cuddling that is as close to Nirvana as one can get on earth.  (Bunny kisses are a sign of affection:  it’s not the salt!)
  9. Once the bunny learns that you are a friend, she will bond very strongly to you.  It is important to have him neutered or her spayed once he or she reaches sexual maturity, because otherwise she or he will want to make love to everything.  (See our other handouts for more information.) 
Picture
Rabbits and Children

In most cases, children and rabbits are not ideal companions.  A rabbit’s delicate skeleton and prey-species nature predisposes him or her to be fearful of the attentions of an active, happy child, however well meaning.  It takes a very special, mature child, who is willing to follow all of the above steps, to make a good companion for a rabbit.

Some people are disappointed that the rabbit is “not turning out to be the sort of pet we wanted for our kids.” Rather that being disappointed that the rabbit is not what you expected (a few rabbits enjoy being held; most don’t), take this opportunity to teach children respect for a new kind of animal and its natural personality.  If the kids really want something to carry around, they need a stuffed toy—not a live rabbit.

An adult should always be the primary caretaker of the rabbit.  Most young children do not have the patience and sense of responsibility necessary to properly care for a rabbit:  parents should be willing to step in and provide proper care if the child forgets to do so.  A well cared for rabbit can live 10 years or more, so parents should be ready to take over the care giving duties of the teenager who goes off to college, leaving Thumper at home with the family. 

She’s a Sentient Being – Not a Toy

Now look at your rabbit with learned eyes.  She is not a stuffed toy, nor is she an overgrown hamster.  She is a highly intelligent creature who will become a loving, loyal member of the family if you allow her to be what she is – a rabbit!  If you can do that, you are in for the most delightful companionship of a lifetime.  Welcome to the Family of the Rabbit! 

If you have any NON-EMERGENT questions, please feel free to call us at 847-329-8709
​sEE OUR lINKS PAGE TO FIND A VET NEAR YOU

  • Home
  • Emergency Care
  • Care Sheets
    • General Care >
      • Dilated Cardiomyopathy (DCM)
      • Heating Reptile Enclosures
      • Health Veggie Shopping for Reptiles
      • Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy
      • Metabolic Bone Disease Care
      • Vaccines in Exotic Animals
    • Birds >
      • Amazon Care
      • Avian Influenza Fact Sheet
      • Avian Influenza for Poultry Fact Sheet
      • Avian Bornavirus Testing
      • Budgie Care
      • Canaries
      • Chicken Care
      • Chronic Egg Laying
      • Cleaning and Disinfecting
      • Cockatiels (and other small Psittacines)
      • Cockatoo Care
      • ​Converting Your Bird to a Pelleted Diet
      • Feather Picking
      • General Parrot Care
      • Handfeeding Baby Parrots
      • Healthy Shopping for your Birds
      • Infectious Diseases of Parrots
      • Instructions for Physical Therapy in Birds
      • Lead Poisoning
      • McWatters Diet (Homemade Mash)
      • Macaw Care
      • Parrot Precautions
      • Polyoma Virus
      • Psittacine Beak and Feather Disease
      • Proventricular Dilatation Disease
      • Spiroform Pharangitis (Spirochetes)
      • Baby Starling and Sparrow guidelines
      • Territorial Aggression
      • Unsafe Plants for Birds
      • Weaning Baby Birds
      • What to Feed Your Pet Bird
      • Wing Injury and Rehabilitation
      • Wing Trims
      • Your Overly Reproductive Female Bird
      • Zinc Toxicity
    • Caiman Care
    • Ferret and Fox Care >
      • Your Ferret’s First Visit to the Vet
      • An Overview of Ferret Adrenal Disease
      • Chronic Diarrhea in Ferrets
      • Ferret Dentistry
      • Heart Disease in Ferrets
      • Heartworm Disease in Ferrets
      • Insulinoma in Ferrets
      • Lymphoma In Ferrets
      • Bob’s Chicken Gravy
      • Fennec Foxes
      • Red Foxes
    • Fish >
      • Algae in your Freshwater Aquarium
      • Eel Care
      • Freshwater Tropical Fish Care
      • Beginning a Freshwater Aquarium
      • Cleaning your Freshwater Aquarium
      • How to Feed your Fish
      • Aquarium Corals
      • Koi Care
      • General Goldfish Care
      • Hermit Crab Care
    • Invertebrate Care
    • Frogs, Toads, and Other Amphibians >
      • Argentine Horned Frogs
      • Bullfrog Care
      • Dart Frog Care
      • Feeding Pet Frogs and Toads
      • Fire Bellied Toad Care
      • Pixie Frog Care
      • Red Eyed Tree Frog Care
      • Short Tongue Syndrome
      • Tiger Salamander Care
      • Axolotl Care
      • White Lipped Tree Frog Care
      • White's Tree Frog Care
      • Ranavirus
    • Guinea Pigs and Rodents >
      • Chinchilla Care
      • Cuy Criollo (Giant Guinea Pig)
      • Health Problems with Guinea Pigs
      • Degu Care
      • Gerbil Care
      • Guinea Pig Care
      • Hamster Care
      • Diabetic Hamster Diet
      • Mice Care
      • Rat Care
      • Health Problems with Rats
      • Prairie Dog Care
      • Odontoma
      • Veggies For Guinea Pigs
      • Visible Tumors in Rodents
      • Vitamin C Deficiency In Guinea Pigs
    • Hedgehog Care >
      • Baby Hedgehog (Hoglet) Care
    • Kinkajoos and Armadillos >
      • Kinkajou Care
      • Nine Banded Armadillo Care
    • Lizards >
      • Anole Care
      • Bearded Dragon Care
      • Blue Tongued Skink Care
      • Crested Gecko Care
      • Geckos of New Caledonia
      • Crocodile Monitor Care
      • Frilled Lizard Care
      • Green Iguana Care
      • Jackson's Chameleon Care
      • Leopard Gecko Care
      • Nile Monitor Care
      • Old World Chameleon Care
      • Panther Chameleon Care
      • Red-Eyed Crocodile Skink Care
      • Savannah Monitor Care
      • Tegu Care
      • Thai Water Dragon Care
      • Uromastyx Care
      • Veiled Chameleon Care
    • Potbellied Pigs >
      • Pot Belly Pigs
      • Diamond Skin Disease
    • Rabbits >
      • Bonding Rabbits Bullet Point Checklist
      • Healthy Shopping for Rabbits
      • Complete Rabbit Care
      • Getting To Know Your New Bunny
      • Training Your Bunny
      • What To Feed Your Rabbit
      • Learning to Use the Litter Box
      • What To Expect From Your New Rabbit
      • Dental Disease in Rabbits
      • Heart Disease in Rabbits
      • Healthy Stool in Rabbits
      • Gastrointestinal Stasis in Rabbits
      • RHDV2 Fact Sheet
      • Parasites of Rabbits
      • Sore Hocks in Rabbits
      • Pasteurella in Rabbits
      • Medicating Your Rabbit or Guinea Pig
    • Snakes >
      • Amazon Tree Boa Care
      • Ball Python Care
      • Black Rat Snake Care
      • Boa Constrictor Care
      • Brazilian Rainbow Boa Care
      • Burmese Python Care
      • California Kingsnake Care
      • Cornsnake Care
      • Dumeril's Boa Care
      • Eastern Kingsnake Care
      • Emerald Tree Boa Care
      • Garter Snake Care
      • Green Tree Python Care
      • Western Hognose Care
      • Mexican Black Kingsnake Care
      • Rosy Boa Care
      • Sand Boa Care
      • Western Fox Snake Care
      • Inclusion Body Disease
    • Sugar Gliders and Marsupials
    • Turtles and Tortoises >
      • Alligator Snapping Turtle Care
      • Bell's Hingeback Care
      • Box Turtle Care
      • Chinese Box Turtle Care
      • Common Snapping Turtle Care
      • General Tortoise Husbandry
      • Leopard Tortoise Care
      • Mud Turtle Care
      • Musk Turtle Care
      • Painted Turtle Care
      • Red Eared Slider Care
      • Russian Tortoise Care
      • Soft Shelled Turtle Care
      • Sulcata Care >
        • Diet For Sulcata Tortoises
      • Common Health Problems
      • General Care of Aquatic Turtles
      • Redfoot tortoise Care
  • Contact
    • Referrals
  • Vets, Externs & Shelters
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      • Avian Hemotology
    • Shelters
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  • Products
  • Links
  • About Us
  • Chicago Exotics Blog
    • About Us April Fools Page
  • Happy Turtle Stories
  • Tour
  • ADV Testing Information
  • Lacy Act Summary