Holding/handling bunnies

[featpete]

It's general knowledge that rabbits don't like being held since they're prey creatures but I know that some people have more luck with handling and holding their rabbits than others and was just sort of curious to see how their bunnies dealt with it.

How often do you handle/hold your bunny?
Have you "trained" your bunny to like/put up with being held?
What tips/techniques can you share with the unfortunate hold-hating bunny owners?

My Netherland Dwarf Waffle will really struggle if I try to hold him. If he knows he's going to be picked up he will run for his life! I realized that he didn't like the way I was holding him (one hand under the chest and another holding the bum) and prefers being held flatly/horizontally. He will now "put up" with it, but I still think he hates it. He no longer kicks, but I have a feeling that his "calmness" is more of a "I hate this and I'm terrified but I'll just stay still". I also learned that if I cover his face/eyes while I'm moving downwards to let him go he stays more calm, but he's kind of realizing what I'm doing and has been getting more fidgety.

If any of you have "trained" your bunny to like/be okay with being held, I would LOVE tips! I've tried to do a bit of hold training, but I think it makes him afraid of me.

 

[jamesedwardwaller]

featpete wrote:

It's general knowledge that rabbits don't like being held since they're prey creatures but I know that some people have more luck with handling and holding their rabbits than others and was just sort of curious to see how their bunnies dealt with it.

How often do you handle/hold your bunny?
Have you "trained" your bunny to like/put up with being held?
What tips/techniques can you share with the unfortunate hold-hating bunny owners?

My Netherland Dwarf Waffle will really struggle if I try to hold him. If he knows he's going to be picked up he will run for his life! I realized that he didn't like the way I was holding him (one hand under the chest and another holding the bum) and prefers being held flatly/horizontally. He will now "put up" with it, but I still think he hates it. He no longer kicks, but I have a feeling that his "calmness" is more of a "I hate this and I'm terrified but I'll just stay still". I also learned that if I cover his face/eyes while I'm moving downwards to let him go he stays more calm, but he's kind of realizing what I'm doing and has been getting more fidgety.

If any of you have "trained" your bunny to like/be okay with being held, I would LOVE tips! I've tried to do a bit of hold training, but I think it makes him afraid of me.

i try to give proper attention to all my bunz,,however some do not like being handled--but i work within the limits they give,,-then there are a few that chase me around---its fun-interaction--,,-handling a rabbit the correct way is vital -must pick up with one hand supporting the bum and the other under the chest--kicking can result in spinal damage(-not good)-,sincerely james waller

 

[elrohwen]

Otto is now ok with being held. The turning point for him was really bonding with Hannah. Every day I put them in carriers and took them up to the bathroom. After only a few days he seemed ok with me picking him up from the carrier or bathtub. Since then he's been pretty good about it. He'll still run away if he sees you coming so you need to be quick, but DH picks him up a couple times a week and carries him out to the living room.

Hannah is horrible though. I have never successfully picked her up. When we met her at her old home her owner picked her up and carried her in, so I figured she couldn't be too bad, but she's bad. Even the vet techs at my very experienced exotic clinic have trouble with her.

 

[itsazoo]

Jenny hates to be held..she will volentarily hop into my lap and such, but she hates actually being picked up and will kick and scratch.

Peepers has no issue with being held, I can pick her up easy and she will snuggle up.

my last rabbit, Kari LOVED to be held, she used to hop up to me and stand up on her hind legs asking to come up like a toddler who wants to be held and I would pick her up and she relax in my arms on her back cradled like a baby.

 

[MiniLopHop]

Becky is not fond of being picked up unless I scoop her up in her blanket with my fore arms the whole way under her from each side. The blanket doesn't restrain her, but I think it makes my arms feel more solid. Once she is in my arms and against my chest I can carry her around no problem. She likes to sit on my lap and watch movies.

 

[Runestonez]

We have 11 buns right now.
We work with all our rabbits daily so we can hold them safely.

Hubby and I try to take in "aggressive" or abused bunns since they are least likely to be adopted.
So they already have reasons why they don't like to be held by the time we get them home!

Our three worst bunns are Daphne...he is a mini lop who hates being held...there are no positions that I can hold him in and make him comfortable or safe...he will immediately kick and struggle.
So in Daphnes case we bribe him...yes bribe.
If you stuff crasins in his mouth he will "tolerate" being held.

Our lionhead Tucker goes into panic mode if you pick him up...not kicking and struggling...he goes as rigid as a board and is very stressed. However, over the last year he has improved greatly!
Once I have him up I pull him in tight...not to my stomach...for Tucker that doesn't make him comfortable. I pull him up to my side so i can cup my arm in behind him along his length...and then I just hold him. We don't move or anything...I just talk to him. He never really relaxes...but enough that we can do his grooming and any medications he may need!

Oliver is our kicker!
He will kick and struggle...I pick him up and pull him tight to my stomach and just hold him till he settles.

Each bunn has a hold that makes them feel comfortable and safe!
We just had to experiment and find one that works.
And we always end on a positive note...everyone gets ear scritches and a treat before we set them down.
Setting them down in a safe and calm manner helps too...we want them to be able to be set on without a sense of panic or having to struggle!

On the other hand we took in a bunn that was found outside in October.
He DESPISED being handled...no petting, no touching! no no no!!!
We couldn't hold him or touch him!

He is now my mush muffin!
If I pick him up he immediately wiggles around till he is ina postion to be cradled like a baby. And he will stay there! lol
Yesterday we had him on TV...it was his first time and he was scared!
So he jumped up on me and I just rolled him into a baby hold and he was happy!
For him...THAT is his saftey hold!
His protection!

It just depends on the bunn!

 

[Kipcha]

I find it funny that so many people have trouble holding their buns since I've never had an issue... I generally just handle them a lot. I think my rabbits must just trust me a lot (I have to handle them a lot for the rabbit hopping anyways and I really am a firm believer in this strengthening a bond), but other then the occasional "OMG Freak out", which is pretty rare, I think it's just spending time with them and building trust.

 

[featpete]

Wow it's good to know that a lot of people do have bunnies that are okay with or even like being held! I'll have to work with my rabbit to see what the best solution is.

 

[Yield]

[align=center]How often do you handle/hold your bunny?
Almost everyday. Especially Sabriel since he has a broken leg, I have to lift him to get him to go back in his cage. He is perfectly fine being held and quite likes it, and loves being cuddled. Solara runs from me and doesn't like it but once I pick her up she's fine. Silas allows me to pick him up but kinda freaks out if I move around too much. He's getting better though.

Have you "trained" your bunny to like/put up with being held?
Yes, by holding them almost everyday.

What tips/techniques can you share with the unfortunate hold-hating bunny owners?
I never had a good experience with the towel technique, I tried it numerous times. With Silas- who used to seriously PANIC and run when I went to pick him up, I just pet his head lots, calmed him down, before safely and quickly picking him up and holding him close to my chest. There, I made sure he felt secure, pet him, and when I put him down, I gave him treats <3

 

[Nancy McClelland]

We have three that love to be held and carried around, three that tolerate it but would rather be down and the rest co-operate as they have no choice--we have to pick them up to get them in and out of their hutches. They all do follow us around and want attention and three of them come when they are called.

 

[khaelbee]

my boyfriend actually took a child development class and found out that white noise calms babies down... this can be imitated by making the SHHHHHHH noise really loud.

my bunner used to hate hate hate being picked up, but i got him as a baby and wanted to get him used to being handled, so i would pick him up and hold him tight and secure against my chest so he knew i wouldn't drop him, and i'd make that shhhh noise really loud... it always worked for him, calmed him right down... might be something you could try.

 

[MikeScone]

featpete wrote:

How often do you handle/hold your bunny?
Have you "trained" your bunny to like/put up with being held?
What tips/techniques can you share with the unfortunate hold-hating bunny owners?

I hold Natasha every day, many times a day - but that's her choice. I sit down on the couch and she jumps into my arms, every time.

I didn't train her, that's just her personality - which is, I must say, very untypical of rabbits. Even so, if she doesn't want to be picked up at any given time, she'll leap from my arms as soon as I pick her up. I have to watch carefully, since she's perfectly capable of jumping into things I'd rather she didn't get into.

My last rabbit, Scone MacBunny, I did have to train. Basically, I'd hold him, petting him all the while and talking to him until he settled down. After a while, he got used to it. Eventually he would even appear to enjoy it, especially if I walked around and described what he was seeing. Once he'd had enough, he'd kiss my nose and I'd put him down - that was our signal.

 

[featpete]

*Mike, love the photo!

Thank you all for the responses so far! It's really encouraging to see that some bunnies can grow to be fond of being held. I definitely need to remember to be patient because I haven't even had Waffle for two months yet. I'll have to make sure he's comfy and feels safe!

 

[foreverblue127]

My Bun Bun hated being picked up especially by my daughter. He just needed to be picked up a certain way and now he is fine, if you can catch him! I kind of cradle him in my arms with one hand under him and one hand on top of him. I nuzzle his head into the crook of my arm so that he doesn't really see what's going on. He still is tense though and I only carry him around if I am putting him somewhere. He does however let me pick him up and set him on my lap if I am sitting down on the ground. Or he'll come up to me and get on my lap. He will learn to tolerate it.

 

[golfdiva]

Hershey is fine w/ being held, it's the picking up process he often objects to! Once I have him secured, he is purring away!

 

[tamsin]

I think 90%+ of it is socialisation. My bun is a wild rabbit, that was handreared so if it was set in stone by their instincts you'd think he's be impossible to handle... he's not. I have no problem picking him up and he'll happily sit in my arms for awhile. Obviously being handreared he was picked up from a week old and being picked up was positively associated with tasty food.

There are a lot of rabbits that don't like it, it's something they have to learn is okay just like more general people interaction. Obviously it's much harder to un teach not liking it at a later date than when your starting from scratch. I think a lot of the problem is bunnies that weren't socialised enough as youngsters and perhaps in some cases that was exacerbated because the owner was newish to bunnies and a bit nervous about it so they set each other off.

If you're trying to retrain a bunny the key is small steps and making your bun comfortable at each stage. Before you even think about lifting, your bun has to be completely happy for you to touch them all over, including the place you need to hold to pick them up so particularly bum and chest. Then work on them being happy for you to support half their weight eg lifting their chest. Then on lifting an inch off the floor for a couple of seconds etc.

Tam

 

[Yield]

[align=center]So, my rabbit Sabriel has a broken leg and all, and I've had to handle him a lot because of this, and it's really strengthened our bond and he lets me carry him all the time.

Even through Petco!

I hope that you don't have to suffer the fate of a bunny with a broken leg... but hopefully something GOOD will happen that can strengthen your bond with your bunny! =]

 

[butsy]

butsy will not accept being held. the only time i will ever pick her up is to cut her nails. she is perfectly fine on the floor and i lay on the floor with her to snuggle

 

[Byfuzzerabbit]

Coffee tolerates being held but She always gives me that look when I put her back down. She will jump onto my lap while I am on the couch if she wants a nose rub or I am eating something she wants.

Yield is Sabriel leg getting better? I remember reading what happened and I think about it everyday.

 

[Yield]

Byfuzzerabbit wrote:

Coffee tolerates being held but She always gives me that look when I put her back down. She will jump onto my lap while I am on the couch if she wants a nose rub or I am eating something she wants.

Yield is Sabriel leg getting better? I remember reading what happened and I think about it everyday.

[align=center]Aww, thank you for keeping us in your thoughts =] Yes he is getting much better! This is what the vet told us today:

-He's the same weight. (He lost 4 ounces in a week 2 weeks ago)
-He was more feisty than usual. (which means he's getting his spunk back)
-His leg has healed substantially more since last week.
-We'll do an X-Ray next week. (without anesthetic, thank goodness!)
-His leg is crooked. (who cares =] As long as it's healed and he can use it! - which even with the cast on he has shown use. =D)
-Hopefully he'll be done with his cast and such in the next two weeks or so.

8D