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GreatBritGirl

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I got a rabbit (dwarf lop) a couple of weeksago, hes a lovelly boy, friendly when you get him out etc but thats myproblem, getting him out...

He lives in a hutch outside with the usual big area for running arounda bedroom, hes nervous well at least i think he is, if you try andcatch him he runs off and hides in the bedroom in the corner where icant get hold of him

I got him from a shop where he had been handled everryday, as i saywhen i do mange to catch him hes great, in the shop when they weregetting him he did run but they followed him and there was nowhere tohide, and when i get him out in his pen with nowhere to hide hes greati can pick him up no problems.

So if that made any sense basically i want to know what to do, how do iget him out of his hutch, i tried putting his carrier by it and he gotin a couple of times but he wont now.

Im probably just being impatient i know, he will take food from my hands etc but i just cant catch him, any advice?
 
Is the hutch on ground level? Or do you have to pick him up to get him in and out of the cage?

Most rabbits don't like being picked up and that could be part of theproblem. I have three myself and none of them like it, so I just don'ttry to anymore, unless I absolutely have to, such as when it'sgrooming/nail trimming time.

If the hutch isn't ground level, is there anyway to build a ramp forhim, so he can come in and out on his own? Also, getting him neuteredwill also help a lot with his behavior, all of mine calmed downdramatically after getting them fixed. One of mine (a doe) would notlet us touch her at first, but now she just loves the attention.
 
well see this is my problem we are going to the vets on saturday and at the moment im wondering how im going to get him there.

Thehutch has 6 inch legs so not ground level which is why itried the carrier so he could walk right into in without being pickedup but he seems to not want to go in that now, although i willpersevere with that

ive tried putting a pen round the hutch today and making him a rampleft it like that for an hour or so and he didnt come out but itsmiserable weather and its all new so i will try that one again i think, as i say hes fine when i pick him up from his pen so i thought if icould get him into that then i could pick him up but as i say he didntcome out

And obviously i realise hes still only a baby

do you think an indoor cage would have helped better than an outdoor hutch so he got more used to us and noises?

 
For training purposes, an indoor cage could be abetter situation with you. Although, I know many here have hutches withtheir buns outside, so hopefully one of them will see this thread andbe able to answer your questions as I have no experience with outdoorrabbits.

My own situation is that we have all three of our rabbits sharing acage that we built, which is in our living room. Rabbits are socialanimals and really benifit from being around people. With us, wewouldn't try to hold them, or pet them even, until they got morecomfortable in their new home and being around us. (Hard todo though, cause they're so darn cute).

I think in pet stores, they are stressed out and when we see them beingheld all the time, it's a bit misleading. I know I've had the sameproblems you did when getting a rabbit from a pet store. In the storethey seemed lovable and liked being held. The second they gothome, uh uh, they wanted nothing to do with anything!

Go slow with him. Let him get used to you. Sit on the floor with himand let him come to you instead of the other way around. Another goodthing to do is lay on the floor so you're not hovering above him. Theyare prey animals, so their instinct is to run and hide.

What's his name, by the way?
 
His name is Quinn, thats the thing though - i cant sit on the floor with him if i cant get him in to sit on the floor lol

I would like him in a cage but my boyfriend isnt quite so keen on the idea he thinks rabbits should live outside

My friend got a rabbit from the same store last week, so a week afterme which is sort of whats stressing me out more because she can catchhers with no problems at all and as i say shes had it a week less sothat annoys me but obviously i want whats best for my rabbit
 
I just think the catching him is what's makinghim worse. When my Abby was a baby, I used to try to "train" her to beheld. It had the opposite effect, where she would see me and run awayfrom me. It took me a while to gain her trust back.

Maybe try to convince your bf that they can be inside. Most of us herehave our rabbits right in our homes. Heck, most of us are slaves to ourrabbits! If you keep up with the litter box and cage, plus if you'regetting him fixed, they don't smell, which is what people usuallyassume with rabbits.
 
Hello and Welcome.

You can try getting in the run with him. Bring the carrier andany treats you give him with you also. Don't give him the treats. Putone in the carrier. That way he goes in the carrier himself and doesn'tfeel he's being forced to do it. Rabbits can be stubborn little babesand if feel forced will rebel worse than a teenager. Just keep puttingtreats in the carrier. You want him to associate the carrier with goodthings.

As to the picking him up, most bunns don't like it at all. Iwould suggest once you get him back from the vet, sitting in the runwith him. Bring treats. Don't try to pick him up or even pet him atfirst, just give him a small treat. You want him to associate you andyour touch with nice things. Once he'll take a treat from your handthen you can move on to petting him and eventually picking himup.

I hope this helps. I have no experience with outside bunnies as mine are indoor rabbits.

What's his name and do you have any pictures of him?

Tina
 
he takes treats from my hand when hes in thehutch and he plays with his toys with me,i throw one and hegoes and fetches it and brings it back to me lol just like a dog - iwill keep trying with the carrier to see if i can get him into it againwith treats
 
I wouldn't worry about it too much. Some rabbitsjust don't like being picked up. Remember in the wild rabbits are preyto foxes and all sorts of things so I think to some of them beingchased and caught arouses escape instincts. Mostly they wilbe happy to let you pet them in their cage or on the ground.

One of my bunnies doesn't like it very much and when I needto take her to the vet I just get her confined in her pen and put thecarry box in with her, with a little encouragement she will jump inherself. Then if I need to trim her nails or give hermedicine or anythiong I do it with her sitting in the box. She feelsmore in control that way and doesn't struggle as much as if I had justlifted her right up. I have had two dwarfs in the past although theybecame tame they were never exactly "cuddly". Ifyou try to pick him up don't be hesitant ornervous, grasp himconfidently putting one hand underhis bumso hisback legs are secure and the other gently around the chest.

rabbits which don't like being picked up usually need to feel verysecure when held,I found they like it if you wear a baggyjumper which you can turn the end up on to make a little nest for themto sitinor if you let them sit on a cushion on your knee tobe groomed
 
This might be a silly question but ive just beenoutside to give him some dinner and he let me stroke him a bit and itried to pick him up althouh as its pooring with rain and i had 2 kneeldown a bit i couldnt really get my second hand on him properly to gethim so i had the hand under his chest lifting him a bit and obviouslyhe jumped away but not in a pannic - do you think this will help himget used to the idea a bit, as i say he doesnt really struggle when youdo pick him up, hes never shown any aggression he just likes to runaway if you try and catch him, although thats only in his hutch you cancatch him in his pen

Im just worried that hes going to turn aggressive if he gets set up -im still talking about getting him an indoor cage with the other halfbut hes not sounding happy about it
 
Just a thought but is he playing with you?? Ihave one male rabbit that loves to play catch me if you can. If this isnot the case and he is really getting stressed when you try to get himto take him out, I would suggest the same thing as Tina suggested withthe treats in the carrier.

As for your old man I have 4 rabbits in the house and unless I havebeen really sick, you wouldnt know I had them unless you see them/hearthem. And all of my babies are un-altered, although I am starting tonotice that Nadie {my male english lop} is starting to develope hissent glands, but he doesnt make the house smell. I hope ithelps in convincing you BF :)
 
he let me catch him this morning and then he saton my lap for ages climbing up me it seems easier to catch him in themornings, is this because they are more awake first thing in themorning? although i would have thought that would have made him morelively

He could be playing i hadnt thought of that, hes a playfully bunny,with his toys at least and when i go out in the mornings he will fetchme a toy and throw it for me.

Its like sometimes i stroke him he runs away other times he staysperfectly still and then you can pick him up, so i guess since he isbetter some times rather than others he could be playing catch me ifyou can, if i open the hutch door he comes and hangs out of it, so itslike he does want to come out
 
Welcome Aboard,GBG,

As to his coming out of the cage andit having6"legs off the floor, glad you tried the ramp.I hadto do that withone of my rabbits, and hewasskiddish aboutgoing up and down the ramp. I'd put atowel over it so that he could get agrip on his waydown.I noticedit made a big differencewith him. If the pitch issteep,the littleguymight be uncomfortable going up and down.

If you haven't checked out the top picks, and a link called "A CheatSheet forRabbit Care", I'd strongly suggest it.It'sgot some great information, links, and bookrecommendations. There's one link in there, in particular,that I think you'd enjoy. It's called Rabbit Language andit's one of the best websites out there onhow theycommunicate with us throughtheir actions and bodylanguage. Great site, and one that I never get sick ofchecking out.

:)

-Carolyn


A Cheat Sheet for Rabbit Care:[url]http://rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=3005&forum_id=1[/url]


 
Thanks for the link will take a look in a mo, isit ok to block off the bedroom? i could do it quite easily and thencatch him in the big part of the hutch i just wasnt sure it wassomething i should be doing
 
Definitely okay to block off thebedroom. I have to do that at my house because it's not bunnyproofed. Thank God for baby gates.

-Carolyn
 
that would be okay i think, i take Sullivan's house out so he can't hide, otherwise i'd never be able to pick him up.
 
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