Can't Pick up Thumps....some suggestions please.

[TumpieRabbit]

Well, I have had Thumper about 7 months now and I used to pick him up to put him back in his cage, but now I have a ramp so he can come and go as he pleases (until I want him out for the night). I have tried the towel thing a million different ways but as soon as I let up pressure to clip his nails he squirms away, I dont want him to get hurt so when I needed his nails cut I had the vet do it, he fought with her and squirmed for awhile with the towel but after about 20 minutes he just gave up and let her do it. I am so apprehensive about picking him up because I dont want to hurt him, he shows a ton of affection towards me every other way, just doesn't like being picked up, any tips?

 

[JadeIcing]

Some rabbits never like to be held. I have six... (One second need to start breathing again, six makes me panic.) Ok anyways as I was saying some will never get used to being held.

Two of mind hate being held. Two tolerate(sp?) it. Two love it.

Your rabbit trust you so you passed the biggest hurdle. I like laying on the floor and read or draw or whatever comes to mind. After a little I have a bunny crawling all over me. Eventually I move on to petting them while they are on me. Than trying to hold them. If I feel them tense up I back off.

I think the biggest thing to do is learn Thumps body language and go from there.

 

[polly]

Its much easier to handle a rabbit from a young age i find you need to figure out if they are an under the chin bun or a sideways bun i have both i also have a couple of buns that are not keen on being picked up but if i put their heads under my chin they settle down and i can carry them about. We always try to get a bun used to going on their back and hypnotising them as soon as we get them so it is easier to do claws. you may find it easier to cut claws if there are two of you one to do claws and one to hold bun put one hand over their head with your thumb under the chin but please don't squeeze! i also usually make shushing noises when i pick them up to comfort them

 

[TumpieRabbit]

The thing with Thumper is that he always seemsto know when I want to pick him up, I could be in the other room and he will turn and look at me out of no where almost as if to say , "Don't even think about it! Not gonna happen." And if he struggles I let him go because I don't want him to get hurt. He shows a ton of affection in many other ways but I would really love to be able to pick him up and hold him. He loves to groom my head, believe it or not, if I lay down in front of him and turn the back of my head to him he sits there for a half hour and grooms my head, it is the most adorable thing you ever wanna see, it's like he is trying to tell me that he loves me the best way he knows how. But I still want to pick him up

 

[polly]

Have you tried to just stroke him and settle him for a bit before picking him up? try picking him up with a towel or cover his head with your hand. Sometimes i just spend a lot of time stroking them for them to get used to me. I think its harder if they are in the house as you don't need to pick them up as much my first bunny didn't like being picked up for quite a while but as he got to trust me more he was fine. He must love you very much to groom you though so hopefully it will come. Whatever you do when you pick him up do it in small doses so he doesn't get too stressed

 

[TumpieRabbit]

Yeah he will sit there for a half hour grooming me, then if I turn to look at him he'll stop and stare at me, then I will turn my head back and he will continue, it is so adorable. One thing I did forget to mention is that once when i first got him I picked him up to place him in his cage and he kicked out of my arms and fell into the cage, it wasn't a really bad fall but it was loud enough to startle him. I read somewhere that bunnies don't forget traumatic situations, they are ingrained into their memory forever. He didn't get hurt or anything but I can only imagine what it must have been like to be him in that situation, I bet that bunny mind of his concluded that: me being picked up=me getting dumped on my ass therefore me=no pick up.

 

[polly]

Don't worry too much my husband and i have bounced many a bunny and most of them do forgive you, i know it sounds bad but my bunnies are netherland dwarfs and they are like ribena berries when they are babies and they are very kamikaze. I still find putting their heads under my chin the safest way to carry them if i am moving about but in the case of thumps it might be a good idea to not carry him to far just now you will just need to carry him a bit further everyday until he trusts you more . even my buns that don't like a lift have got better over time. Bear in mind if you lived so close to the ground you would be scared of heights too!