Picking Up

[FatRabbit]

I've had Cadbury for 2 years now. From the timeI bought her, she hated to be picked up but I figured, the more I didit the more she would become use to it. For the first two or threemonths, I picked her up every day, held her against me and petted her.It became increasing difficult to catch her as she became morecomfortable with me and the apartment layout. The daily pick-upsgradually faded. I now only pick her up when it's time for the nailclipping, done by the girl I bought Cadbury from. This involvestrapping her in her big cage then making the cage smaller and smalleruntil she goes into her little house, where I reach in and pull herout. Once she's picked up, she's fine- in the car, she's terrified soshe freezes, which makes it easy for the girl to pluck her off me, clipher nails and hand her back without her moving at all. Once at home, Iplace her on the ground and about twenty minutes later (witha snack), she has forgiven us.

Her nails needed clipping abt 2 weeks ago and I failed to trap her inthe big cage. I read that I could calm her by placing a blanket overher head, but it unfortently didn't even slow her down. When shefinally ran into her cage, I followed and all of a sudden, she lungedat me and bit me for the first time ever. I yelled and locked her up.We didn't get her nails cut that day.

Yesterday, I went into her cage to clean up and she randomly lungedagain, this time on her back legs with her paws trying to scratch me,although I wasn't even very close to her.

Her nails desperately need cutting. Tonight, my boyfriend and I triedto do it with one of us petting her and the other with the clippers butshe ended up sitting on her paws, looking annoyed. Now I'm worriedshe's going to lunge again every time I go near the cage. She keepsgiving me the same look of anger.

I read everything on here, from the bunny burrito to turning her on herback (yeah, right. Cadbury laughed all the way to the other side of theapt while I desperate chased her.)

Suggestions... please!

I feel as I must be failing in some way (or Cadbury is being especiallyspiteful all of a sudden). I've had her since she was 8 weeks old-nobody has dropped her or abused her or even accidently hurt her. Shehas no reason to think I'm going to.

 

[~BunBuns~]

maybe shes just having a bad day?

 

[gwhoosh]

Is she spayed?

 

[Gussy]

FatRabbit wrote:

Yesterday, I went into her cage to clean up and she randomlylunged again, this time on her back legs with her paws trying toscratch me, although I wasn't even very close to her.

Wow! Is this a tiger or what?!

 

[bunsterlove1969]

It could be that she has just reached puberty - spaying will sort this out.

However, some bunnies just dont like being picked up, yelling andshouting at her isnt going to help. she will just learn not to trustand like you if you shout at her.

 

[Bassetluv]

Some bunnies never do get used to being pickedup or held, unfortunately. My rabbit Anna has always hated it; I canfeel her body tense up as soon as I put her in my arms. As a result Ionly pick her up for short periods of time, just to keep her somewhatused to it.

It sounds like Cadbury is like Anna...only now she probably associatesbeing picked up with being chased (as a predator chases its prey) andwith an activity she hates (having her nails trimmed). I'd suggest yougo back to handling her for a few moments every day. Take her out ofher cage daily, but don't hold her each time...take her out and let herrun around so she doesn't automatically associate being chased withhaving to be held as well. Try and set a time apart to pick her up andhold her sometime after she's been removed from her cage, notimmediately after taking her out. When you do hold her, praise herconstantly, stroke her ears (if she likes that), give her a favoritetreat, and - this part is important - gently pat her feet...run yourhand down her legs and feet, spread her toes, praising her all thewhile. She's going to fight you on this, probably violently at first,but if it gets to be a daily routine, I suspect it will help greatlywhen time comes to trim her nails again. Give her lots of free time outof the cage and get down on the floor with her; let her come to you,again praising and rewarding her. Every so often pick her up when shedoes come to you - but not the first two or three times she does - andhold her, but only for a few seconds. She needs to get used to beinghandled in a way that doesn't frighten her or trigger her flightinstincts. It'll take a lot of time and patience, and she may very wellnever become fully used to it, but it should help in calming her downsomewhat.

Oh, and is her cage set up so she can come out on her own? If not, tryand set it up so she can, and allow her to venture out of the cage byherself...then once she's exploring the surroundings you can allow herto approach you. Her cage is her sanctuary, and by reaching in andforcing her out - esp. to have something stressful such as nailclipping done - she is feeling threatened, which is why she's lungingand attacking. This needs to be turned around so she no longer feelsthreatened, by allowing her to come out on her own, by letting herapproach you, by daily (brief) periods of handling, and by constantpraise, praise, praise, praise...and treats when she respondspositively.

 

[FatRabbit]

She has her cage with the potties and food/waterin then which open a very largecage all the time thenwhenever somebody is home (she gets 2 hours in the morning and usually6 hours at night) she has run of the kitchen/front room/hallway.

She is very friendly aside from those 2 times. She sits at my feetunderneath my desk, eats out of our hands, hums while we rub her face,sleeps in the front room... it's only if I go inside her cage.(problem, as I also need to clean her tonight!)

I would love to go back to holding her every day but it's impossible tocatch her in order to hold her. If I could catch her, then I could takeher to get her nails cut. It always took some time to pick her upbefore butafter putting up an arguement,she'd runinto her little cage and I would pluck her out (kinda like she gaveup).She suddenly appears to have a lot of gumption...

She is not spayed.

Last night, I tried rubbing her face and one paw. Unfortnetly, sheseems to pull her feet underneath her (and gets fatter- we call itgoing "Fat Rabbit, hence my posting name!) when she's getting sleepyfrom the petting. I'll try rubbing her paws again tonight. Do you thinkit would be possible tojust cut one or two a night while I'mrubbing herface and not holding her or it is definatelynecessary to hold a rabbit down?

Usually, she's so terrified of the car, she completely freezes so thegirl who cuts her nails just puts heron the table, rotatesher and cuts them all without any fuss.

I only yelled when she lunged at me and we don't yell often (when shetries to dig the carpet is the only other time...) so you think she'drealize it's naughty as she knows now abt the carpet.

:sigh

 

[bunsterlove1969]

Rabbits have a very short memory - so she probably doesnt remember about the carpet

You do need to get her spayed though, as this will calm all thoseteenage hormones down, and once she becomes more settled, her behaviourshould change also.