How to lessen my pet's fear when I put my hand in its cage?

Question

Dandie is very defensive, she will grunt at me and will attempt to scratch my hands when I put my hands in her cage for anything. Is there anything I can do to help lessen her fear or defensiveness? Pet's info: Small Animal | Rabbit | Female | spayed | 3 years and 4 months old | 9 lbs

Jessica Desrosiers · Accepted Answer

Time is your friend! Taking things slow and getting Dandie used to you over time may help her to feel a little more comfortable around you. You can begin by making sure her cage is in an area that is low traffic/low stress to help reduce external stresses. You can then begin to offer a favorite treat any time you walk past the cage, without touching or interacting. Once she is used to this, you can then offer the treat from your hand each time you come by. After a while you can graduate to petting and then gently handling while offering a treat each time. Over time she will begin to associate you with positive things (yummy foods) rather than scary (big giant person coming and handling her).

How to lessen my pet's fear when I put my hand in its cage?

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