Bunny Burrito Help!

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pinksalamander

pinksalamander

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OK, so i haven't trimmed Lotties nails since i got her. I think she could probably do with a trim now.

So i decided to try the bunny burrito, which i haven't done before.

I got my towel laid out. I picked up Lottie (i had to catch her first!) and placed her on the towel in the middle. She immediatley ran off.

I tried again. This time i held her flat to the floor. She ran off.

Third time i covered her eyes. She backed away from my hand and ran off.

Fourth try, i sat right behind her and put my hand over her eyes, she backed back and obviously couldn't go anywhere between my legs. I had to put the back of the towel on her bum, so i moved my knees and picked it up. She ran off.

I again placed her on the towel. This time i tried holding her flat and put the front of the towel over her eyes so i could use a spare hand. Guess what? She ran off.

I tried about 20 or 30 times in total. Everytime she ran off. If i cover her eyes she just moves her head and legs it.

I got in a strop (i have a short temper) and ripped the towel up off the floor and went off in a humph, shotuing all kinds of expletives.

Clearly she isn't that bothered as she is now relaxed out on the floor.
:banghead :tantrum: :nonono: :soapbox :rant: :panic:

Any tips?

Fran :) :hearts :brownbunny


 
I recently tried this with CJ and it worked a treat!:

1, sit down and put rabbit facing you on your lap
2, start stroking her face and rubbing around the ears whilst holding her front legs up, she should start relaxing now
3, start tilting her backwards until she is lying on her back in your lap
4, clip away!

It might not work with every rabbit, but recently my boy has been nervous and this worked for me.

If not that then hold the rabbit up against you (all 4 feet to you) then with one hand support her, with the other grab the towel and starting rabbit it around her, soon you wil have a bunny burrito. I have found bunny burritos to be unsucessful though so if I have to I will give CJ some mint (he loves mint) and put him on the table and held his paws up-ish and started clipping.
 
Thanks for the help. Lottie is OK being flipped but won't trance out (even the vet can't do it). I just thought the bunny burrito looked like a nice solution, but i think flipping and getting my Mum to snip will have to be the way!

Fran :) :hearts :brownbunny
 
Well, I have to admit that I take my buns to the vet to have their nails trimmed....

:embarrassed:
I did do it at home a few times, but I was always so terrified of going wrong, and it is SO hard to keep them still... But, for getting them to stay still, here's what I do:

If you have them on the floor in front of you, get a towel, quite a large one, and drape it over them. Or, lift the bun onto a bed/sofa (but watch they don't jump off). Drape it just over their head, so their eyes are covered, they seem to panic less that way. Then scoop them up, wrapping the towel around them quite tightly as you go. Then, I flip the bunny upside down in my arms, and sort of hold them still with my arm at the head/shoulder area, and have the other arm over their back legs to stop them kicking. Then, hold them very still and get someone else to trim.... Or, what I used to do was pass the 'bunny parcel' to Steve and get him to hold, while I pulled out a paw at a time and trimmed.

This is the way our vet does it too, except with Mouse he has to cover her head aswell, as she jumped 6ft (literally!) in the air last time....

Good luck!!

Jen xx
 
Nail clipping......two little words that strike fear in the hearts of bunny slaves!!!

I'm able to clip nails solo. I follow the exact procedure Luv-Bunniz described. If you're new to clipping or have an especially ornery bun, then having a helper makes it a lot easier. Or you can have your vet do it. Mine charges US$7.
 
I've clipped before. William was always one of the 'i'm scared so i'll just stay still' types. I used to hold him flat to my body and my Mum used to grab a paw here or there and trim away.

Lottie is very wriggly, the vet said so too (no idea how they managed to get a tube down her TEAR DUCT!)

I can flip her but she freaks after about 30 seconds, and won't trance out.

I'm going to attempt bunny burrito with my Mum (see if she can cover her eyes and stop her wriggling while i wrap her). If not it will be a trip to the vets for me (4th time in 3 weeks!)

Fran :) :hearts :brownbunny
 
I have an easier bunny burrito, but I prefer the two-person method since I worry so much about their deliacate spines! What I used to do when I didn't have help was to put the bunny inside the arm of a sweatshirt and then lay them on their back. I could take out one paw at a time from either end of the sweatshirt arm and trim the nails on it. It's not foolproof, they can still get out, and they tend to wriggle a lot which makes me worried, but I think done carefully it can help.

good luck!!
 
Is it a good idea to get a bunnies nails trimmed short when there being neutered or spayed?
 
BAH! Not me I can do all 8 bunnies, 4 guinea pigs, dog, and skink in 30mins. :p

slavetoabunny wrote:
Nail clipping......two little words that strike fear in the hearts of bunny slaves!!!

I'm able to clip nails solo. I follow the exact procedure Luv-Bunniz described. If you're new to clipping or have an especially ornery bun, then having a helper makes it a lot easier. Or you can have your vet do it. Mine charges US$7.
Click to expand...
 
Another thing to try is to put them up on a table where they can't run off. I've not had to do the burrito, but could if I did. Also, to do the burrito, you take the bottom up first, then the sides, quickly, but I understand a bun that doesn't want it will take off. So, if you do it up on a table, might be a bit easier as the bun will be unsure of the territory and stay still long enough for you to get the towel around him.;)

There was a video in our Library on the burrito, let me see if it made it over in the move:). Edit: Not in the library that I could see, so I will add it again. Found it!

[ame=http://youtube.com/watch?v=Uk71R_byqpw]http://youtube.com/watch?v=Uk71R_byqpw[/ame]

Hope that helps!;)

 
Timmy didn't like the burrito at first, but I find it easier to feed him his meds and critical care when he's in it because he gets all excited at the sight of the syringes.

I use a small fleece blanket that I got from a dollar store for my cat and the rabbits I take in, it's not big at all but it works. I make it into a triangle and put timmy's bottom toward the point of the triangle with his face and front paws lining up with the straight line opposite of the point his bottom is facing. I cover his eyes and have my knees at his back and then I start with one side of the blanket, wrapping it nice and tight, then I bring the bottom up (you'll have to move back a little, but if you grab the blanket and lift it as you're moving, she can't get away) and the the final side. It's like wrapping a newborn in a recieving blanket. Now If Timmy gets over excited and is rolling and having a hard time calming down I can put him in the burrito and he calms instantly. You might want to practice wrapping her and just holding her wrapped for a few minutes before you try cutting her nails so she understands she's safe in that situation... That's if you want to use the bunny burrito again.

Giving treats right after being wrapped the first few times helps a bun like it more, too.
 
Thanks for your advice. Thing is, i know how to do the burrito, its just that she won't stay still. She doesn't like to be 'placed' somewhere. The sweatshirt idea sounds even worse... i can't imagine trying to get her in the arm of a sweatshirt!

I'm going to try later with my Mum, but i don't think it will work. The other day i held her down and pushed her front legs to the floor (like we do with our cats) but she kept kicking and trying to jump away and i don't want to hurt her.

Fran :) :hearts :brownbunny
 
I've never been able to do a bunny burrito, or at least hardly ever, and never for nails because I have to wrap 'em up like a mummy with no toes in sight!

And I can't trance any of my bunnies ... I don't think. At least Pipp,Dill, Radar and Darry will NOT trance, I think maybe the fosters will... but I digress...

Butlike JadeIcing, I can whip through the herd in no time just holding them on my lap with their backs pressedagainst my chest and bums (feet up) scrunched into my lap. Myleft arm and palm holds them tight against me whilemyleft fingers either gripthe target paw (the little guys) orgrasps the upper 'arm' to steadythe paw. The clippers are in my right hand and I snip away. If you do it often enough you can just worry about snipping the tips, no worries about finding the quick.

But let me tell ya, sure is easier with two people.



sas :cool:
 
I find with my Holland Lops that laying them on their backs in my lap is the best nail clipping posture. I place their heads against my abdomen...back feet facing away. It is definitely the easiest when it comes to back claws. (Oh, and I have learned that my buns do NOT like to have their nails trimmed when other buns are in the room. I know that sounds goofy, but they will relax much more if I take them to another location to do the job.)

Now...if I could just get Capt Snow (mini-Rex) to cooperate for his nail trims...I'd be set.

Burritos have never worked for me whether it's nail trims or med administration. The little buggers always find a way to slip out of the towel. :shock:
 
I guess I didn't explain my trick well. You kind of put them into the sweatshirt and let them try to wiggle out of a sleeve, then they (hopefully) get stuck because it's a little too small for them to get out of. This immobilizes them. Hope that might be clearer...
 
tonyshuman wrote:
I guess I didn't explain my trick well.  You kind of put them into the sweatshirt and let them try to wiggle out of a sleeve, then they (hopefully) get stuck because it's a little too small for them to get out of.  This immobilizes them.  Hope that might be clearer...
Click to expand...

PJ' bottoms are good for that aswell and "sweat pants" ("tracky bottoms" to us uk'ers :p:p )
 
I absolutely dread clipping Zamboni's nails. When I'm donemy forearmslook like I'm a cutter or Ireally botched up a suicide attempt.lol I've tried the "burrito method" and the "two person method" (I hold Dana clips)both with the same results. I do get his nails clipped but it is really one of those "This hurts me more than it does you!" Thank God it doesn't have to be done but every few weeks or so.lol
 
I did it!

I don't really know what was different, but maybe she was feeling more cooperative.

I tried on the dining room table instead. She actually sat kinda still! She did hop and move around a bit but a second attempt i managed to get her still long enough to wrap over one side, and at that point she stayed still! I had to wrap the towel completley over her head though to cover her eyes, but onlyfor about 5 seconds, before i had to 'find' her again amongst all that towel!

She stayed pretty still but the towel i had used was way too big, so i couldn't tuck it under her feet enough to keep her really tight. I held her for about 5 minutes and she stayed still happily.

I didn't try to cut her claws, i wasn't confident enough and i think i will still get my Mum to help. After that i tried again with a smaller towel. I didn't tuck it enough and she still wriggled free but she actually stayed in the towel quite happily on my lap! I thought a little cuddle time might make her more accustomed to the whole thing.

Yay! Pictures!:

stuff110.jpg


stuff112.jpg


Fran :) :hearts :brownbunny
 
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