How do you teach your bunny to be picked up by other people

[Hermelin]

I’m planning to teach my bunny Toste to become used with other people handling him. This is to make sure that he will safe in all situations.

Toste have a tendency to lunge towards hands and arms if you move too fast. Just yesterday when I was going to pick him up, he did the normal lunging when he get scared. My arms moved a little too fast for him and I also touched one of his no touching zone first, instead of the normal routine of touching his head first.

But as long as you hold the arm still and wait until he notice who you are, he won’t bite. Closest you will feel is the warmth from the tongue and the teeth gracing the skin. Pulling back fast would only scare him more and people need to have the trust that he won’t bite. Which can be quite hard for people in family.

Up in the arms, he’s the perfect bunny and he can fall asleep. So he’s not scared of being carried around. It’s only the picking up part that can be hard, even at the veterinarian he will lunge towards them.

So I want to teach him to be picked up by other people and now it’s safe. He have one of the kindest personalities and most docile when being carried. As long you don’t touch the zones he don’t allowed being touched. Everything’s safe.

Is he ready to be trained being picked up by other or should I wait until he stops with the lunging. I don’t truly thinks he will stop, because he have bad sight and need to register movements to see you. Don’t know how good his vision is.

 

[Niomi]

I have a rabbit that is a little over a year old. He was abandoned by his mom at 4 weeks when he was given to a rescue. His foster mother picked him up often to take him out of his cage for exercise, so he should have been used to being picked up. He doesn't attack, but he hates being picked up and never got used to it. He is fine when he is in my lap, and I use him for therapy when I visit the elderly. I have a small cat bed that I put on the floor and I get him to hop in it. As long as he is in the cat bed, I can carry him around anyone can hold him. Using a cat bed also keeps the person holding him from being scratched.

I have another rabbit that will lung at me if I try to grab him. If I give him attention and calmly pet him first before I pick him up, he will not lung.

My rabbits are neutered, and sometimes rabbits that are not neutered can become more aggressive as they mature.

 

[Niomi]

All rabbits have their own personalities, and it could be that this rabbit might always have problems with being picked up because of his personality. If you can find a way to pick him up without lunging, then maybe you can teach others how to pick him up in a way that he will accept. I have four rabbits and I always instruct people on how to pick them up because each one is a little different. People need to ask for permission before picking up a pet that does not belong to them.

 

[Hermelin]

He will only lunge if you move too fast or touch him on certain places. I think he doesn’t see that good, because it feel like I step into a blind spot, the places he does not allowed to be touched. Because he react the same way with where bunnies have blind spot naturally. But he’s towards the more skittish one.

For example I can easily pick him up if I let him greet and slowly pet his head, so he feel every movements and have time to react. I already trust him to not bite when he lunges toward my hand and arms, if I do a mistake. I only need to let my hand be still and let him sniff, after lunging he will let you pick him up.

But if you pull back fast when he lunges he might bite, because he will become scared and insecure.