Properly Scruffing a Rabbit

[LumLumPop]

So I have a rabbit named Lewis who DESPISES being held. He will buck and kick and try to leap from my arms. I try to avoid picking him up very much but sometimes he gets stuck in the upper layer of his cage so I have to carry him to put him back in the lower level. I have heard that when you scruff a rabbit you grab the loose skin on the back of their head(NEVER the neck)along with cupping their ears. Then you NEVER hold them by only the scruff. You need to scoop your hands under their hindquarters and support them. Done correctly this immobilizes them so I don't have to worry about Lewis leaping out of my arms and hurting himself. I tried to but he still bucked and kicked so I had to set him back down. I pave tried turning him over on his belly. Once he's belly up he can't move but getting him there is a real struggle!(I've had to go to the counselors office because they were worried with the cuts on my arms and I had to explain that it was a rabbits doing! -.-). I really need to learn how to pick him up fast and easy...er. I've tried holding him against my chest. It used to work but lately he's gone through long bouts of paranoia so it doesn't really work anymore. (My Dad couldn't help but point out the irony that Meriweather Lewis had paranoia and now Lewis seems to be paranoid...)

 

[majorv]

You just have to practice and be firm and quick! You probably should wear long sleeves when you handle him, or they also make cotton type sleeves you can slide onto your arm when your handling rabbits, so you don't get scratched.

 

[Blue eyes]

How is he 'getting stuck' in the upper level of his cage? If you could eliminate that potential, then you wouldn't have to keep stressing him (and yourself) by forcing him out. No wonder he's 'paranoid' if he's getting pulled out. It seems to me that he's learning from your actions that you are not to be trusted, that you are "the big hand" that forcefully removes him from his personal space.

See what you can do to prevent him from 'getting stuck' and then give him some time to start seeing you in a non-threatening way. Allow him to approach you when he feels comfortable (might take you sitting nearby for lengths of time). Hopefully then you will be able to re-establish a more trusting relationship with him.

 

[LumLumPop]

He did trust me,very much so. Now he's just very paranoid. Not just with me. When he's on my bed then he's rather calm but anytime else he's very paranoid and attacks everything. Before,removing him from the upper level of his cage was easy as pie now he just attacks everything in sight. He gets stuck in the upper level because there's no ramp. It's just an opening to leap through. I've tried blocking it before(I even put a brick in there to weigh down the board blocking it)but everyday I come home for school and he's in there. He lets me pet him and I do wait for him to come to me outside the cage(I only approach him when I'm in a hurry and know I'll be gone for awhile)but recently he's just nosedived into this paranoid bubble. He even attacked Tommy which is something he's never done before. I'm starting to get the scruffing down(and I'll definitely start wearing an old sweatshirt when I do)but I'm still concerned for his behavior. The way we've treated him hasn't changed but it's like we're suddenly strangers to him?

 

[Blue eyes]

What's his age and is he neutered? Either one could have an effect on behavior.

It sounds from what you've described that it has become a regular occurrence to reach in and pull him from that spot. That itself could be one of the causes of the change in behavior.

 

[LumLumPop]

Not sure on his age,maybe 6-7 months? No,my Dad doesn't want to neutur him which makes me sad because the reason we bought him was because Clark was lonesome. I've toyed with the idea of maybe finding Lewis a better/more experienced handler than myself and finding a female playmate for Clark? I just want Lewis to be happy,and if that means he needs a better home than I can offer I'd be willing to let him go. Right now he's in a small but tall pet rat cage we had left over(my Dad won't buy a new one)and my Dad won't let him run around the house. I try to let him run around my room when I can but I have to be away either at school or at the farm for most of the day so he gets maybe an hour or two on the weekends and 20 minutes weekdays?

 

[majorv]

I think part of the behavior change is his age, and hormones. It may also be that because he's alone so much he resents being taking from "his space". It's a shame your Dad won't get him neutered so you can at least see if they would get along. Is Clark neutered?

 

[sara1982]

You won't hurt him by being firm with him. Its okay to grab his ear and the scruff of his neck - as long as you don't pick him up that way. Use your scruff/ear hold to control and your rump hand to scoop/lift.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Rabbit Forum mobile app

 

[LumLumPop]

I think part of the behavior change is his age, and hormones. It may also be that because he's alone so much he resents being taking from "his space". It's a shame your Dad won't get him neutered so you can at least see if they would get along. Is Clark neutered?

Yes,since June. I've tried that before but since his netur Clark has gotten a bit on the lazy side. Even though he's bugger Lewis outright attacked him so I used my gloved hand to separate them and my sister started spraying Lewis with water. Since then we decided Lewis couldn't be bonded unless he was neutered but so far that isn't an option

 

[Azerane]

I have two suggestions, the first is to try a completely different approach with him. Up until now, it seems you've just been going for it, which is fine, sometimes you need to do that. But in this situation I feel it may help a bit if you could spend some time with him letting him trust you to pet areas like the sides of his belly and feet etc. If you can build up that trust to the point where he lets you slide a hand under his front and then start to lift him, that's a great thing. It takes times and lots of repetition and rewards, but it works.

My other suggestion, is that instead of putting him back down when he struggles like crazy, hold him until he stops struggling (whatever you do don't let go!) and then once he's settled, then you can put him back down. He's struggling because he wants to be put down, then when you put him straight back down, he's getting rewarded for it, so I feel you may need to alter that approach.

Hope it helps

 

[Kipcha]

You won't hurt him by being firm with him. Its okay to grab his ear and the scruff of his neck - as long as you don't pick him up that way. Use your scruff/ear hold to control and your rump hand to scoop/lift.

I would NEVER recommend grabbing a rabbits ear, even with the scruff! They are so sensitive

I agree with Azerane. Just work with the buns rather then jumping in to scruffing.

 

[LumLumPop]

I have two suggestions, the first is to try a completely different approach with him. Up until now, it seems you've just been going for it, which is fine, sometimes you need to do that. But in this situation I feel it may help a bit if you could spend some time with him letting him trust you to pet areas like the sides of his belly and feet etc. If you can build up that trust to the point where he lets you slide a hand under his front and then start to lift him, that's a great thing. It takes times and lots of repetition and rewards, but it works.

My other suggestion, is that instead of putting him back down when he struggles like crazy, hold him until he stops struggling (whatever you do don't let go!) and then once he's settled, then you can put him back down. He's struggling because he wants to be put down, then when you put him straight back down, he's getting rewarded for it, so I feel you may need to alter that approach.

Hope it helps

Thank you,that helps so much! I'll start immediately! I'm still hesitant though. The reason I've always took a knee and set him down is because once at the pet store I was getting some hay and I saw a bunny leap out of this tiny little girls arms and hit the floor. I'm 5,1 and she was like half my size so the rabbit screamed and died soon after. So now I'm always paranoid that he might jump out of my arms and meet the same fate...

 

[Azerane]

I completely understand that fear, and it is certainly fair enough, after I first got Bandit he got free of my grip on the vet table and leaped off it and bit his lip. You do have to make sure you've really got a hold. Bandit was difficult like that for a while and I did nearly drop him once or twice, rabbits are very wriggly. If you're actually in a position where you legitimately feel you're about to drop him, then by all means kneel on the ground and get as close to it as possible.

So glad I could help