Rabbits are often seen as gentle, fluffy, cuddly animals. For the most part they are
very gentle, sociable creature, and if handled properly from young, can be the cuddly
companion you're looking for. What people tend to forget is that
rabbits are at the lower end of the food chain, so they're also shy, startle easily and often
don't take kindly to a larger creature swooping down on them.
When you approach your rabbit do so in a quiet manner. Get down to their level and let them make the first appoaches. If you just dive your arm into their area and start grabbing, they'll run away, get scared and possibly bite or claw you. I know the last scenario doesn't sound much like our image of bunnies, but trust me, an angry, frightened rabbit is not pleasant for either of you.
Rabbits also like their feet firmly on the ground, so if you must pick them up, get down low yourself first. Squat down beside them, put one hand under their chest/stomach and wrap the other around the side of their body, with your hand curling around the front of their chest. Lift them up to to you and hold them firmly against you, then stand up. This way your rabbit won't struggle and should feel secure. It's important that the rabbit feel safe in your arms, as they've been know to break their back while struggling to get back down to firmer ground.
So what do you do?
Take time. Find a nice open area, such as your lounge room, shut the doors and let the rabbit
out. Get down on the floor and wait. Thankfully, rabbits are also very curious, so eventually he will
come to you. Move slowly and don't try to rush things. It may take some time, but if you
are patient and gentle you will be allowed to pat him and things like grooming,
health checks and nail clips won't be quite so traumatic.
One page that I have found invaluable is The Language of the Lagomorphs. It gives a lot of detail on rabbit body language, which can be extremely helpful when you're trying to make friends. If you really want to get to know your rabbit, this page is a must.
So, keep these points in mind when first making friends with your rabbit.
Remember though, rabbits are individuals and each has their own likes and dislikes,
just like we do. While some will love being cuddled, others will never like being handled and
will only tolerate it if they trust you. Sophie is a good example of this. She doesn't like
being picked up, isn't keen on being touched, but is quite happy to climb on me if I'm sitting
in their area. If your rabbit is like this, don't be dissappointed, it makes the times they do
make approaches all the more special.
It is possible, in fact preferable, for your rabbit to have a companion. The bonding process isn't difficult, just time consuming and requires patience. The House Rabbit Society has a wonderful scheme where your rabbit can go on 'dates' to find a suitable friend. You can read about that here. Before you start the face-to-face introduction, it's helpful if you can put the two rabbits in adjoining cages so they can see and sniff each other. You may find during this period that they end up laying next to each other in their respective cages. If so, great! They like each other and a face-to face probably won't cause any problems. Other reactions include ignoring each other, or outright aggression. The latter is more likely if you have two rabbits with dominant personalities or two of the same sex. Neither means you have a lost cause on your hands.
All personal introductions should take place in a neutral area. Putting one rabbit in anothers personal
space is asking for trouble! Find an area where you can shut the doors and put the rabbits down, preferable with space between them, so one or the
other can make approaches or alternatively, run away. You may see them chase each other, one may try to mount the other, they may
ignore each other or they may fight. If they do fight, you need to intervene quickly, otherwise
leave them alone. Don't use bare hands to separate fighting bunnies.. trust me on this, I have the scars as proof.
Some people use oven gloves on their hands or a plastic plate to put between the warring parties. You really are best off to stop
anything before it starts. If it seems to be going well, then leave them together for a while
(Sophie and Sultan sorted themselves out within about 15 minutes), if they continue fighting, put them back into their cages, and do the
same thing the next day.
It really is a good idea to add things of interest to the introduction area. Boxes, towels, toys and nibbles all help to keep the buns busy. Think about it.. would you invite a group of people over and throw them all in an empty room together? You plan for social 'people' events and you need to do the same for bunnies. You also need a basic grasp of body language so that you can intervene before fights start. As soon as you see the tail go up, the head drop, the ears go back you need to distract the pair. I find stroking the buns really helps. I've managed to nudge two buns together so they're nose to nose while I've stroked them. This way they associate the others smell with pleasant feelings.
If I'm bonding a group I tend to take the dominant bun to meet the new arrival first. This is after a week or so of side by side living. I use the above techniques of stroking and intervention to keep things as calm as possible. Once they are getting along well I introduce the rest of the group. If all goes well, you're ready to try them on home ground.
One technique that I have found useful is a controlled move. All my buns live in condo's with attached runs. For new arrivals I construct a smaller run and attach it to the prospective group. After the face to face introduction on neutral territory are progressing well I turn one of the ajoining panels into a gate. This is opened for a few hours to allow the buns to intermingle and check things out. If fights start, the gate is closed immediately and it's never left open over night initially. The beauty of this is if tensions mount a rabbit will usually run to a 'safe' place ie his home turf. So while they are getting used to each other on personal territory, each group has a spot they can feel comfortable in. As time goes on and the relationship progresses, I will leave the gate open all day, moving to night as well. I tend to leave the fence up and litter trays in place for a while and dinners are served on separate plates as I feel this helps to avoid territorial conflicts. Apache and Sultan couldn't seem to get past the fighting, so I moved their meetings to a bathtub. I only had to do this once. There was a scuffle, till they both realised that it was hard work on a cold, slippery surface. Ten minutes later, they where both back in the main area together, and they've been that way since. I won't say that Sultan doesn't give the occassional nip to make sure everyone remembers their place, (I've also seen a lot of grooming too) but since rabbit society is based on a distinct heirachy, that's to be expected.
As a last resort you could always try putting them in the same box or carrier and taking them both for a drive in the car.
The idea being that the discomfort makes them look to each other for reassurance. I have never tried this method but
I have heard it can be the turning point in a difficult bonding situation.