help handling bunny

I know that bunnies do not like to be held, but from time to time I need to pick up gizmo for various reasons (vet visits, grooming for example.)

I am having the hardest time picking him up. He kicks and runs so much I'm really struggling with it. I've tried using a towel to do a bunny burrito, and I've watch youtube videos on proper ways to pick up a rabbit, but he kicks so much I'm afraid of hurting him, or I'm afraid his kicks will hurt himself.. I can't get the the bunny burrito to work because the second the towel or my hand touches his back he starts scrambling and runs away quicker than I can grab him.

Does anyone have any advice for me? Like I said I'm not trying to hold him all the time, but there will be times I need to pick him up. So I'd like to try to work with him so that its easier for both of us when it needs to be done.

Thanks.

The easiest way to handle your rabbit easily is to begin handling it a lot. Even though holding your bun may not be necessary every day, it is the only way for your rabbit to become used to you picking him up.

As for picking him up in the first place- you just have to grab him by his waist- don't hesitate. Yes, he will kick the first few times, but once he feels safe in your arms, he should stop. You can also grab the scruff of his neck, which would most likely be easier (I'm sure there are YouTube videos on how to do that). If you are firmly but carefully holding your rabbit, you will not hurt him, nor will he hurt himself with his kicks. It just takes time, patience, and practice. Remember- train your rabbit; don't let it train you!

It also helps if you give them a bit of their favorite treat every time you pick them up, and then cover their eyes while you set them down until they're laying calmly, and then stroke them and give them some more treat so they don't equate being let down with being allowed to leap out of your arms and bolt away ☺️

MissyAndMoonlight said:

As for picking him up in the first place- you just have to grab him by his waist- don't hesitate. Yes, he will kick the first few times, but once he feels safe in your arms, he should stop. You can also grab the scruff of his neck, which would most likely be easier (I'm sure there are YouTube videos on how to do that). If you are firmly but carefully holding your rabbit, you will not hurt him, nor will he hurt himself with his kicks. It just takes time, patience, and practice. Remember- train your rabbit; don't let it train you!

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I thought I read somewhere to never grab them by the scruff of their neck? That their skin is too delicate and it can cause damage to them? I don't think I could pick up my rabbit this way.


I've watched some YouTube videos on how to properly pick up a rabbit, and using those techniques I've been working with him in picking him up, making sure his feet are supported, and it's still difficult but I do find that he calms down once in my arms. The hardest part is just getting him picked up in the first place before he runs off realizing what's about to happen

I understand. Harvey was the same way. People's advice did not work with Harvey. The vet, the techs and even laymen who have been handling rabbits for decades could not pick up Harvey.He intensely despised being picked up. I have kept working with Harvey and it is a slow process.
Do you have a Soft Clicker? You can get them from Amazon and it is easier to train with one but you can also do it without.
First thing I did was find a treat Harvey loves. Then, the only way she ever gets this treat is to work for it. I started by rewarding her for letting me touch her belly. Then escalated very slowly to picking up her front half. It's taken months to get this far, but now she will jump into my lap so we are getting closer. Since I can't pick her up and reward her at the same time I'm going to use the clicker. You may have faster results, since I don't stick with training.

Oh, I will just add that my vet was irritated with Harvey and suggested a particular DVD on rabbit training. I bought the DVD since it was by a world famous animal trainer. She explains and shows how to train your rabbit to do some really cute tricks: run an obstacle course; play the tambourine; put toys in a box and choose a particular ball ( kind of like 3 Card Monte!) but you know what this expert says about training a rabbit to be picked up? " if your rabbit really hates it, don't bother"!
I was so mad to pay $20 to hear that advice. I guess the vet never watched the DVD.

Don't pick him up by the scruff of the neck! Unlike other animals, mother buns cannot pickup their young by the scruff of the neck and the only way a bunny would be picked up like that is if a predator was about to eat them

I would do as the others suggested and try getting him used to handling slowly

Goodluck!

There are some good training tips on YouTube. Just search How To Pick Up A Rabbit.

MiniLopMad said:

Don't pick him up by the scruff of the neck! Unlike other animals, mother buns cannot pickup their young by the scruff of the neck and the only way a bunny would be picked up like that is if a predator was about to eat them

I would do as the others suggested and try getting him used to handling slowly

Goodluck!

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Yeah I wouldn't ever consider picking him up that way. I read it can tear their tissue/muscles too!

Some rabbits really hate to be picked up and will hate it even if you do it everyday. I had a rabbit who was really scared of highs - he was not even able to go down by himself when he jumped on his little house and the vet table totally freaked him out (unluckily enough, my dog is the same ^^). The best way is to be very firm and reassuring about it. With one hand under the belly and one holding the back legs so he can't kick, preferably while you are sitting down on the ground so that it's not too high. Then I quickly put their feet against my chest, as I noticed that they are a lot more relaxed when they can feel you under their paws (which makes up some kind of "ground") and that they can't see the far away ground, before I get up. With my skittish rabbit, I sometimes held him that way while the vet was examing him or doing his vaccines and it helped. But well, I guess the whole thing was never a great experience for him and I kept a long scar on my forearm for years after that one time when I put him in his pet carrier and hadn't secured his back legs well enough (I took the train bleeding like crazy and people were looking at my arm, then inside the pet carrier where the monster was eating hay XD).

My best advise would be to cover the eyes.

I helped a family friend with handling and picking up their French lop. If you've never owned a big rabbit before then handling a Frenchie can be daunting. Her rabbit before you even tried to walk up and just pick him up would run as soon as you bend down or even walk towards him. What I did and how I showed her to pick him up was to cut off his path of forward movement. If you know horses or have worked with them it's very similar. Pressure and release is a good thing to be aware of when dealing with prey animals. Anyways once I cut off his forward motion I would move slowly and cover his eyes and/or pet him. If I chose to pet first I would then still cover his eyes. This makes them more comfortable and I was able to pick him up as others have mentioned making sure to support him. He also had a bad habit of jumping out of arms when you go to put him down. Same thing worked I would just cover his eyes. You also don't want to let them go unless they stop struggling and only let go once they calm.

I've had my bunny for three months, and have never been able to pick her up without her kicking her way out of my hands. So I decided to take the slow route, and have actually been making progress. Maybe what I'm doing can help you too?

I started stroking her under her ribs towards her belly where my hands would need to go to pick her up, and while she flinched at first, she now sees it as a normal patting place. Once she was totally comfortable with that, I started lifting her slightly when my hands were under her ribs - not enough to get her off the ground, but enough for her to feel me supporting her weight a little. Then I progressed to lifting enough to get her front paws off the ground without her flinching, and now I'm at the stage when I can sometimes lift half her body up with only her back feet on the ground. Once she's comfortable with this I'll move onto three quarters off the ground, and then completely.

I think the reason my method's working is because I stroke my bunny very often as she's in the house with me, and I incorporate these tiny lifts in a few times a day. I stop when she starts to get uncomfortable and pat her lots after lifting even slightly, so I think she is starting to associate patting and lifting as affectionate, not scary. She's a very shy bunny but I'm persistent and careful, and I think I'll get there eventually.

Good luck with your bunny!

Put on some gloves & wear a thick jacket to avoid any injury to yourself. Make sure you go to pick him up from the side so he can see you coming and he doesnt get shocked, approach him slowly. Give him a few pets to calm him then gently wrap your hands around his stomach/bottom then pull him in close to your stomach, worked for me & hopefully it works for you! c:

SarahWA said:

I've had my bunny for three months, and have never been able to pick her up without her kicking her way out of my hands. So I decided to take the slow route, and have actually been making progress. Maybe what I'm doing can help you too?

I started stroking her under her ribs towards her belly where my hands would need to go to pick her up, and while she flinched at first, she now sees it as a normal patting place. Once she was totally comfortable with that, I started lifting her slightly when my hands were under her ribs - not enough to get her off the ground, but enough for her to feel me supporting her weight a little. Then I progressed to lifting enough to get her front paws off the ground without her flinching, and now I'm at the stage when I can sometimes lift half her body up with only her back feet on the ground. Once she's comfortable with this I'll move onto three quarters off the ground, and then completely.

I think the reason my method's working is because I stroke my bunny very often as she's in the house with me, and I incorporate these tiny lifts in a few times a day. I stop when she starts to get uncomfortable and pat her lots after lifting even slightly, so I think she is starting to associate patting and lifting as affectionate, not scary. She's a very shy bunny but I'm persistent and careful, and I think I'll get there eventually.

Good luck with your bunny!

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Thanks, this is great advice. I do think, like you, it'll take lots of time and work. At this point even if he's on the ground enjoying head pets, and I try to put my hand under his one paw just to look at it, he pulls it away and runs. I've noticed that if he has any indication that I'm going to try to mess with him, outside of pets, he runs away.

JessicaMoore said:

Put on some gloves & wear a thick jacket to avoid any injury to yourself. Make sure you go to pick him up from the side so he can see you coming and he doesnt get shocked, approach him slowly. Give him a few pets to calm him then gently wrap your hands around his stomach/bottom then pull him in close to your stomach, worked for me & hopefully it works for you! c:

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I do approach from the side, I've read not to come at them from the front. The problem I'm having is, I can't gently wrap my hands around his stomach/bottom, even if I touch him in those areas with one finger, he bolts, he's outta there. I can't get him to come that near to me even for a moment, I'm finding if I'm going to pick him up, I need to be quick about it, or else he runs so quickly it doesn't work.


Thanks for all of the advice I've gotten here. I'm still feeling very frustrated with not being able to pick him up, I know I need to get a look at his nails and I want to check his bottom, etc. but I can't do it right now, and that's been very frustrating. I've tried checking his nails while on the floor, but like I said, even if I try to get one paw in my hand he runs.

My bun Leo doesn't like to be held buy I've gotten him to the point where he tolerates it. Someone mentioned eye covering and I have to say that is probably the thing that helps me the most with him both lifting and putting him down. Also if I'm relaxed and not nervous about it I find he's generally easier to handle.
As far as cutting your buns nails, if they really won't allow it you could bring them to a vet to get them trimmed. If you have a pet carrier you could bribe them into it with a snack or somehow get them in. My vet charges $8 for a rabbits nails and that is what I did for awhile with Leo before he became easier to work with.

hamsterdance said:

My bun Leo doesn't like to be held buy I've gotten him to the point where he tolerates it. Someone mentioned eye covering and I have to say that is probably the thing that helps me the most with him both lifting and putting him down. Also if I'm relaxed and not nervous about it I find he's generally easier to handle.
As far as cutting your buns nails, if they really won't allow it you could bring them to a vet to get them trimmed. If you have a pet carrier you could bribe them into it with a snack or somehow get them in. My vet charges $8 for a rabbits nails and that is what I did for awhile with Leo before he became easier to work with.

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I haven't tried covering his eyes yet, that's something I'll definitely try! I'd swear Gizmo is psychic, if he even knows I'm thinking about picking him up, he'll run! The second I get a hand anywhere on him that he doesn't like (butt, under paw, belly) he runs away, so it's been a really daunting task. If I do manage to get a hand under him, he kicks and squirms so much I just can't keep hold of him and he gets away. He'll let me sit with him on the floor, give him pets, hand feed, he binkies all over, he'll climb on me, but the second he feels my hand anywhere that even indicates I might lift him...or any part of him of him off of the ground...he's gone!


That's what I've been doing so far is bringing him to the vet for nail clippings, it works for now!


I am happy to hear from other owners that have had the same troubles as me with picking up, and have managed to get their bunnies more used to being handled...it gives me hope!

lily2521 said:

I haven't tried covering his eyes yet, that's something I'll definitely try! I'd swear Gizmo is psychic, if he even knows I'm thinking about picking him up, he'll run! The second I get a hand anywhere on him that he doesn't like (butt, under paw, belly) he runs away, so it's been a really daunting task. If I do manage to get a hand under him, he kicks and squirms so much I just can't keep hold of him and he gets away. He'll let me sit with him on the floor, give him pets, hand feed, he binkies all over, he'll climb on me, but the second he feels my hand anywhere that even indicates I might lift him...or any part of him of him off of the ground...he's gone!


That's what I've been doing so far is bringing him to the vet for nail clippings, it works for now!


I am happy to hear from other owners that have had the same troubles as me with picking up, and have managed to get their bunnies more used to being handled...it gives me hope!

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It can and will get better! Leo would run and hide and once I had him up he'd bite and dig me. It just takes time and patience which is very hard when they are not cooperating at all lol!

hamsterdance said:

It can and will get better! Leo would run and hide and once I had him up he'd bite and dig me. It just takes time and patience which is very hard when they are not cooperating at all lol!

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I'm thankful he doesn't bite at me! But thanks for telling me this, it helps to know there's hope!

This made me smile as my bun Alfie does psychic thing too. He is genuinely so happy to see me and can't get enough of me when I see him 90% of the time but the small amount of time that I'm planning on picking him up he stays as far away as possible. Daft bun haha! But I had a bit of a breakthrough with him tonight. Recently he has been a little edgy while I am actually picking him up and once I get him in my arms he buries his head under my arm (like hiding) until I put him down but tonight he was very settled when I picked him up. I sat down on sofa with him in my arms and he sat with me for almost of 30mins. I wasn't holding him tightly at all so if he had chosen to jump off my knee he would have been able to but he was very relaxed getting petted and even had a little purr. This is a MAJOR breakthrough for jumpy Alfie! I've had him for 5 months now and this is only just happening. Be patient and gentle with your bun. He will slowly learn that you are a safe place and don't mean any harm. I'd say that being confident is really important. Once you get Gizmo into your arms make sure you have a firm grip on him so that a) he can't squirm too much and hurt himself and b) he feels secure and safe. Don't keep him up for too long. I try not to put Alfie down if he is scratching etc as I don't want him to associate that behaviour with being put down. I'd wait till Alfie was settles, stroke him for even just 30sec/1 min and then let him back down so that the experience is positive.

Good luck!!