Holding a rabbit that hates being held

[XxMontanaxX]

Macey always never mind being held, so I'm pretty new at this. Keiran HATES being held. But it's something I kinda have to do in order to put him in his playpen or to groom him or something. It just takes like one minute to pick him up and set him down but in that time he scratches the tar out of me. People at school think I cut my wrists. :shock: And it hurts, and I'm also scared of dropping him. So is there anyway to get him to calm down just for a minute while I pick him up? Is it possible?

 

[pla725]

I'm been trying something that I read about somewhere. It suggests stroking them from head to tail and talking gently to the rabbit. Do this for a minute. Let the rabbit know you are picking him/her up and talk to him/her throught the process. Pick up slowly. Eventually they will become comfortable enough with being picked up. I think this is the technique.

I tried this with Abner the other day and he seemed to be okay with it.

 

[naturestee]

Try gently placing your hand over his ears and neck. That's how rabbits sometimes show dominance to each other. He might get really mad about it- some do. But in general it's a good way to get them to calm down and accept you as the Big Kahuna Bunny for a moment. I do this a lot when I'm volunteering at the shelter, since a lot of those buns either haven't been handled much or have been handled improperly.

And try to give him a treat every time. Since you have to do it a lot, maybe something he can have more often like a favorite veggie? I use small pieces of carrot for Oberon. It might also help to use a command word every time as a way of both training and forewarning him. I'm gonna pick you up so don't spook now!

 

[Bunnicula]

Does it make a difference whether you approach from above, in front, behind? Capt Snow really dislikes being approached from above, while Gingivere dislikes being snuck up on from behind. Your bun might have a preference.

Sometimes it depends on the circumstance, too. Like for Capt Snow, if he has been out running for a while he is very difficult to hold for very long (probably because he wants to keep running around). But if I take him out of the cage he will tolerate being held for a longer period of time. Also, the older my buns have gotten, the better they have become at tolerating long snuggle sessions.

Not that any of this solves your issue...but I hope it gives you some ideas.

And, yeah, bunny scratches hurt like crazy.

 

[naturestee]

Montana, I'll share this to give you a laugh. I learned the hard way not to wear lower-necked shirts to the shelter. Just my luck, on that particular day there were six new rabbits with ungodly long and sharp nails that needed trimming. My poor, poor unmentionables!:headsmack

 

[Bunnicula]

naturestee wrote:

Montana, I'll share this to give you a laugh. I learned the hard way not to wear lower-necked shirts to the shelter. Just my luck, on that particular day there were six new rabbits with ungodly long and sharp nails that needed trimming. My poor, poor unmentionables!:headsmack

hehehe...I thought I was the only one...:embarrassed:

 

[Spring]

Bruno is a pain to pick up, he'll throw a fit and squirm, grunt, kick, bite what ever he has to do while being picked up. So I resorted to the carrier method. I started by putting a few oats or pellets in his carrier (he's always liked his carrier), then when he goes in to explore and eat the snack, I close the door and move him to where I have to go. Took a bit of time for him to get over the uneasiness of it.. but now I just have to put the carrier in front of him, and he knows he's going somewhere or going to get a treat, so goes in.

A lot easier! Worth a try maybe? The only bunny I pick up on a regular basis is Poppy, my little one that loooves to be held and smooshed and doesn't mind it.. the rest, I get thumped and glared at.

 

[Bo B Bunny]

Clover is really bad but we just use a blanket or small towel to get her when we have to pick her up.

Tony was like that but we worked with him. We made holding time very pleasant with treats, greens, and ear rubs until he realized that was ok. Then we started to let him hop down and back up to us for a treat and then he just stays with Lexi that way. Now, if he has playtime, he's very happy to hang out with us.

 

[undergunfire]

I can pick up Marlin and Morgan with no issues, but Brody is a peice of work! I have to put a towel over him and lift him up....then take him where he needs to go. This is the safest way to "handle" Brody, without him getting seriously hurt because he struggles so much, and it works well for us .

 

[Flashy]

Try to move him slowly when you do move because flying through the air (whilst being held) is not normal rabbit behaviour. I can't think of any thing else to add other than your other option is to use a cat carrier to carry him from one place to another until he gets used to you holding him.

 

[Luvmyzoocrew]

I feel for you Montana, Belle lets me pick her up and cradle her in my arms no problem now Sooty on the other hand use to tolerate me picking him up but no more.



I have give up trying and if i need to get him from point a to point b i use a carrier. When I take him to a vet I tell them that he hates picking up but then the very experienced vet comes in and picks him up like it was nothing, it is really embarrising,lol. I watched her and what she does, which mind you is really fast, is place one arm lengthwise alongside of him and just brings them together and picks him up, it seriously is really fast. I have an appointment Friday i will have to watch her again,lol.

 

[gentle giants]

Bunnicula wrote:

naturestee wrote:

Montana, I'll share this to give you a laugh. I learned the hard way not to wear lower-necked shirts to the shelter. Just my luck, on that particular day there were six new rabbits with ungodly long and sharp nails that needed trimming. My poor, poor unmentionables!:headsmack

hehehe...I thought I was the only one...:embarrassed:

Yeah, I learned that lesson a long time ago, too, also the hard way. Have either one of you ever had a rabbit actually get a hind leg inside your bra? That sucks, let me tell ya!



More on topic... I have this same problem with several of mine, too. Charlie is the worst, it takes me a day or so to get up the courage to pick him up! He is long and slender, and incredibly muscly. (sp?) Plus he really, really hates being picked up. When I feed, I always run my hand down from his head to his hindquarters just to get him used to being touched, because he typically will leap away from me at the slightest touch. I don't know anything about his background, but he obviously had never been handled.

 

[juliew19673]

With Baxter! now that he is getting healthy he hates to be picked up more and more; I have found that he has to know I'm there and touching him, since he is small I quickly get both thumbs under his front legs (as if picking up a toddler by grabbing themunder theirsarmpit) squishing him to my chest and making sure to cover his eyes... If his eyes are covered he doesn't squirm half as much. If he was bigger - I'd go for the towel and have even used the carrier method if you have time to get them in.. Good luck!

 

[XxMontanaxX]

Hey everyone! Thanks for the replies. I've actually tried the head to tail stroking thing before, it didn't work.
But today I tried the treat thing and it kept him distracted, so no cuts today. Hopefully this will keep working.

It seems everybody has experience with the low neck shirt thing. That happened to me before when Macey didn't want the vet touching her, so she jumped on me to hold her. And thus, scratches everywhere.

 

[Flick]

Hope this video will help.

[ame]http://youtube.com/watch?v=SQDiKmb-LSE[/ame]

I too have had my front "shelves" almost exposed to the male vet because I wore the shirt with the elastic seam neckline and Pixel's foot caught it in an escape attempt!

 

[MrCarrots]

No-one picks up Mr Carrots without severe repercussions.. the other one doesn't mind so much (he'll hunch up and make Bunny Bread in the corner but at least he doesnt scratch)

The problem is neither boy will eat treats when he's picked up - its like they're being contrary and deliberately not taking their favorite cheerios until I put them down

 

[Leaf]

Ansel, my Hotot, hates being handled. She wasn't messed with before I got her, and she was 3.5 years old at the time.

One thing that has really stuck with me though is what someone mentioned (Bo B Bunny, I think) about rabbits being nervous when the ceiling fan is on.

Mine is always on in the living room, which is where Ansel and her bond-mate lived for so long. Once I moved them to the den downstairs Ansel did seem to calm down somewhat.

I never would have given the fan (as a type of environmental impact) a thought if it hadn't been a post I had read here....