I need help with my flemish baby

[tonyandlaurie]

Hi everyone i am a new wabbit mommy and i am getting a bit concered, my baby flemish giant wont even let me try and pick him up as soon as he thinks i will try he starts to fight and scratch. I dont want to hurt him so i havent been trying i just try to trick him into going in his cage when he needs to. I really need some help:cry2:cry1:

 

[silversky2668]

Truthfully, most rabbits hate to be picked up/held. They're prey animals and relate it to being caught for food. My rabbit, Honey, will tolerate my holding him for about fifteen seconds before he struggles to get down, so I only pick him up if I'm bringing him outside or checking his nails/teeth.

And some rabbits dislike it more than others--I know one rabbit one of my co-workers has completely flips out when he thinks you're going to pick him up. If you want to get to know your rabbit, I suggest spending time on his level. Sit on the floor, let him come to you, pet him but don't try to force him to stay with you. Honey loves to sit there while I pet him--he'll sit next to me for twenty minutes, but has no interest in sitting in my lap, lol.

To get him to go in his cage, do you have a treat bag you could shake so when he hears the noise he comes running? Then he could relate going in his cage=treat and you wouldn't have to stress him out by picking him up and forcing him in, as his cage should feel like a safe place and not a place he's upset about.

 

[tonyandlaurie]

Abbott does come up when i lay on the floor he even uses me as " a bunny speed bump" lol he loves to be petted in the cage but when hes out all he wants is to hop around he even nudges me and then runs away he loves to run up and nibble on my pants, shirts, jackets, socks lol...i think you right he might just be a bunny that hates being held

 

[LakeCondo]

It takes time to gain their trust. With some rabbits it helps to have them hop into a basket & pick them up in it.

Or just putting his food in the cage every time he's fed should help get him there, rather than giving a treat every day.

 

[tonyandlaurie]

I didnt think about a basket...i will try that, i just want to try anything that is a very low stress for him

 

[Samara]

Welcome to RO! Scritches for Abbott the wabbit!

I have six rabbits, all with very different personalities, some of them like being held some of them will claw me to shreds and thump at me for a week after even attempting.

 

[Bennett Burrows]

Hi Lynn here,
I have two continental giant rabbits of 11 months. The buck is more tolerant than the doe (his sister). I found that if you have somewhere you can sit on the floor with the rabbit around you and let them come to you, climb over you and don't interact with him for a while, then just stroke him, give him a treat he likes, i use parsley, you will get him to then sit on your knee and eat parsley and stroke him. You can then try just lifting him 2" up of your knee and putting him down again. eventually he will tolerate being picked up but it is a gradual process that needs repeating as much as you can, preferably every day if only for few minutes.
Good Luck.
Lynn

 

[PaGal]

My flemish doesn't like to be picked up as well. I am slowly working on it with him such as just working to get him used to my hands in the position for picking up. I would pick him up if I had to but for now am trying to keep it as stress free and positive for him as possible. I will walk behing him and guide him with my hands into the cage. Sometimes this takes a while as he sometimes runs away but he seems to look at it as a game because when he gets tired he'll head staight into his cage with no more fuss.

I don't mind because he's just so wonderful. Or I will wait until hee goes in on his own to eat, drink or use the litter box and then just shut the door.

He seems to constantly be learning something new or to be getting more comfortable with situations so just be patient.

 

[Nancy McClelland]

Need to keep at it as they need to get used to being handled or you'll have a real task with nails and other things. Time, patience and perseverance. I have an apple box with a hole cut in both ens and a litter box full of paper inside it. I can usually herd the buns into it and then pick it up and put in front of their hutch so they can exit the box and hop into their hutch. A couple of them will go right into the box when I step into the rabbit room--so much easier than chasing and getting scratched.

 

[tonyandlaurie]

Just want to say thank you so much for all the great advice and wanted to let you guys know i found a great way to start the process of picking him, i first of all started by putting on a long sleeve sweat shirt and i "scoop" him in to my lap where i slide my arms under is front and back end, he stuggles a bit then he relaxes enough for me to let him go and i feed him his "high value" treat when he sits with me....again thank you so much for all the advice:inlove:

 

[LakeCondo]

good job

 

[Nancy McClelland]

:clapping:

 

[tonyandlaurie]

I want to let everyone know that my wabbit is a she not a he..lol.. Took her to the pet store today for nail trims and they told he he is a she so i guess her name is going to be "wabbit". That is what my two year old calls her

 

[EPICBUNNY99x]

he needs to trust you first before you start picking him up interact with him reguarly and treat him with a bit of food stroke him and talk to him in a calm voice then after a couple of weeks of trust build pick him up gentley talk to him calmy and place him down in the cage again contiue with this but stat holding him for longer periods of time and slowly he will get used to being picked up hope this helps xx