My rabbit hates me!

Hi i'm new, i have three rabbits. Two of them live together (mum- Topsy and daughter -Flopsy) and dad-Tim is in a separate hutch (i'm getting them all spayed and neutered very soon)

Anyway, Flopsy absolutely hates me. I can't pick her up or even touch her. I can sit in the run with her and she will come over, have a good sniff, even put her front paws up on my legs but as soon as i move my hand out to stroke her, she runs off like i'm about to eat her!
She was born in this house so i've known her since day one and she was handled as much as her brother and sister, they were lovely rabbits, but she doesn't want anything to do with me
Any advice?

Hi there Lucy,

welcome to HH

I'm sure your bun doesn't really hate you, but she is an unspeyed female and they are very territorial and hormonal. Hopefully once she is speyed and the hormones die down, you will find a difference in her nature.

Most rabbits don't like to be picked up. Because they are prey animals they equate being picked up with being caught by a predator.

Once she has been neutered, you will have to be patient and just let her come to see you when you go into the run. Let her make the first running and hopefully you will be rewarded with a better relationship.

I would'nt take it too personally, most of my bunnies have hated being picked up. As Nickie has already said it is due to them being prey animals. Even my house bunny Mindy struggles when I go to pick her up. She will climb on me if I am down on the floor, but that is about it.

Thanks, would her personality change so much after spaying? She's always been like this!
She won't even let me stroke her

I think some rabbits can just be like that, my girl Luna doesn't like being very sociable sometimes, she was neutered and she became a bit better but she still doesn't love it...but she seems to like being stroked now and lying with us when watching t.v. My boy however HATES being picked up, but he's never been aggressive or anything, he's a sweetie..he just doesn't enjoy it I think due to the fact like Nickie said being prey animals.

Lunas personality didn't change loads after being spayed, she calmed down a bit...but is generally still her ^_^..I embrace the stroppyness now and wouldn't have her any other way

Hi, I can't pick up Vince, he goes bonkers and thrashes around but he will happily lay down for strokes and nose rubs!
Faline won't be caught, touched or go anywhere near me. She isn't aggressive or anything, it's just the way she is. If I corner her I can pick her up and she's ok with it, but I just respect the fact she doesn't like to be touched and leave her to it. If I want to cuddle a bunny, I go for Hazel as she doesn't mind

Hi and welcome!

My two are the same - they hate me picking them up - Bruce just gets terrified while Josephine thrashes in my arms and does the best she can to escape (even if that means falling all the way to the floor, or scratching me to death!). They are both desexed, and i've had them for over two years.

When I first got them, they wouldn't even let me pat them on the floor because they were worried that I would pick them up. After a long time of sitting on the floor, letting them sniff me and not touching them, they realised I wasn't going to pick them up - and so they stopped being scared of me patting them gently on the head. Food also helped - they let me pat them when i gave them food quite often!

It's just in bunnies' natures sadly, they hate being taken off the ground, and it might be that your Flopsy hates it more than her mum or dad. I would suggest not picking her up, and gradually working up to patting her on the floor. With a lot of time and TLC she should come around! And don't worry, her behaviour does not mean that she hates you!