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Even though I have cared for my rabbits since they where a day old they run away from me all of the time. I heard stories about how close people are to there animals but when my rabbits are running around the place they run away if I go near them. I know it's not because of me personally I think it's just because they are rabbits. Luckily my cats don't do that.:)
Casper and Kitty run away only if they have done something they're not supposed to do. Other than that, they come close to us, and demand us picking them up and cuddling them :D
I have two hamsters. One is very kind and loves to be held. The other one bites. The book I got on hamsters says the more you hold them, the more they get used to you. But the more I hold Minimus, the harder he bites each time. I've gotten to where I will hold Maximus but not Minimus.
Kia, my husky mix, will run if she is outside and off leash. She is not very good at coming when I call for her. But that's just an obedience issue we are working on.
Your rabbits probably have that instinct to move away from something larger than them. Don't take it personally. :)
Well if you get an answer to this problem PLEASE let me know. I have 2 mini lops and they don't mind being petted and rubbed and scratched, and brushed but as soon as I try to pick them up they run. It hurts my feelings because I had a bunny before and he loved to be held. He would jump on the couch and sit besides you. I wonder if they don't "bond" with me because they have each other or maybe they are still young. They are 4 months old. They just got fixed last week. I figured if I keep rubbing them maybe they will warm up to being held. I sit on the floor with them and I try to bride them on my lap with treats. They put their feet on my lap to reach the treat and then they take it an run. :) Oh well.
Rabbits don't always feel safe off the ground. You HAVE to hold them so they feel secure (really close to your body, hands under back-end, speak soothingly, etc.) They MUST feel safe or they wont tolerate being picked up. Faith, our black (Dutch) bun, will tolerate it, but doesn't like being held if you are standing up. She loves to sit in our laps and be pet. Thomas, our white and brown bun, (English Spot) will NOT be picked up, he runs and hides and skirms when you have him in your arms. He loves to be pet on the floor though.
It is a HUGE security issue. Poor buns, they can be such nervous creatures....:(
That is how my kids are. They will lay there for you to rub them all day on the floor but when you make one move to pick them up...they take off. I am teaching them how to go down stairs. It is so cute because I think they think they will fall but they know they had fun down there. If they let me pick them up, I could carry them down. :-) Thanks for everything.
I have had many many rabbits, rescued and raised and I have only had two that will come over and want to be held. One was a lop eared that was a gift from my dad and I raised like a dog. The other was a rescue that a man had in the back of his truck, I asked what he was doing with the rabbit and he said Im going to feed it to my dog, I said no your not your giving him to me.
All the others no matter how spoiled they are some were hand raised right from birth never come to me they always run away. Its better if they are raised alone because then they grow attached to you not one another ????? What goes through a rabbits head ...lol..
That is so true because I got spoiled with having one bunny. He was my baby, went everyplace with me. But having 2 they only have use for me when they want to eat or be rubbed. :-) I am here for them !! But they do climb on me when I am on the floor, that is a little progress. I am still hoping because they are still just babies. They just turned 4 months.
Jackie