how to handle a feisty bunny?

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BabyMiyo

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This is quite embarrassing, but I can't pick up my own rabbit. The last time Miyo got her nails clipped was about a month ago at the vet's, right after I found her. I've noticed in the past week that her nails have grown quite long again, so I went and bought bunny nail clippers.

Fat chance! She won't let me do so much as slide my hand under her belly. She'll hop away, scratching me in the process. When I grab her with both hands and just try to hold her steady, not even lifting her or anything, she goes NUTS and I end up shredded and bleeding.

Miyo's not the biggest rabbit, a full grown lop mix, but I'm a very small girl with very small hands, and her kicks are hella intimidating.

She kicks if I try to flip her on her back, I've got a scar on my nose from her flipping right out of my hands, and she's too smart to fall for my sneak-ninja bunny burrito traps... how am I supposed to clip her nails? I feel too unequipped for this. I live alone, so I have nobody beefy enough to help me take on my little she-devil.

Any tips?
 
My rabbit also doesn't like being picked up and I also live alone. I usually only handle him when he needs a nail clip or to check something. So this is what I do. Its way easier for a friend to help with nail clips.I usually make a friend do it when they come over, or if we are going out. I put a chair right by his cage and have a towel handy. I grab him firmly out of his cage(its more I grab him and slide him over to his cage door) and press his body to my body/top of my thigh if I"m kneeling, kind of like the football hold. I then sit in the chair, with the towel on my lap or you can do this part kneeling on the ground by the cage. I put my bun on the towel and burrito him up. I make sure to make it tight. Then once he is securely burritoed I can have a friend hold the burrito or I stick the burrito on my lap, or in my arm, while I take one foot out at a time from the bottom of the burrito to clip his nails. For the front nails its best to wrap the burrito so that the opening of the towel is towards his front. Try to position his paws down from his head when you wrap him. Then you can slip on front paw out at a time through the towel opening, with the rest of his body still wrapped.

I haven't tried to do his front feet by myself as its easier if someone holds the burrito but I"m sure you can do it once you get him into a good solid bunny burrito. The key is to make sure its wrapped up tight enough and it can't undo.

I remember when I first started I'd be nervous. Just grab them firmly, wrap them securely and have everything ready. It just takes practice.
 
The have a friend help is good--our Checkered Giant weighs almost 20 pounds, so she's not a one person job and 3 others are over 12 pounds. Nikki is only 4 pounds so she isn't as much of a problem. You do need to keep at it till you don't have any problem or else you'll have no end of problems. We just got Cosmo and he was just like yours--I have the scratches to prove it--but I give him no choice and have been picking him up a couple times a day and holding him, so, he's pretty much come to accept it. You have to be the alpha or your a door mat. My advantage over you is that I have very large hands and long fingers so I can control just about any bunny, but I still have scratches and healed bite marks so nothing is fool proof, but consistency pays off and bunnies aren't anything if not habitual.
 
Check with your vet to see how much just a nail clipping would cost. It might be well worth it to let them do it for you, assuming you can get her into the carrier without putting your life on the line.
 
Yeah, this is the story of my life lol. Even after a year Buster hates it and Ohoebe who I've had since Marh also hates being picked up so I recruit help for it and I don't think I pick them up "correctly" but I do it as quick as possible and get them in a football type hold and then everything is better. One thing that helps is practicing with a stuffed animal and making yourself confident about it!
 
id ask your vet to clip them for you, as well as distressing you you might be distressing your bunny .... your vet may do a nail clipping for free, Oscar gets hers done for free when she has an appointment at the vet x

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