Trancing

[pinksalamander]

Well, Wills nails are quite long. Usually i take him to the petshop and they do it for me (they don't trance him, i don't know how they manage to cut his nails but they do!) but they are shut. Also, it costs me and i want to be able to do it at home.

Will doesn't like being flipped. I can flip him (not all the time, it usually takes 3 or 4 times, with lots of stroking and comforting inbetween because he gets scared. He is a fairly large rabbit, i can just about hold him flipped with one arm but he's quite heavy and i'm a bit weak!

So, i've seen pictures of some people who have tranced their buns out so much they can just lay them down on a cushion or something and they will stay. When i flip Will, i rub his head and ears for ages but he never completley calms down. He still breathes heavily, i can see his body shaking because he is breathing/his heart is beating so fast. I've sat with him just rubbing his head for ten minutes or so but he never seems to completley trance out. I tried earlier and i managed to get him fairly calm, i started to try and set him down. I managed to set him down a bit but he soon flipped back over looking really panicked.

Is there anything i'm doing wrong? I want to do it to cut his nails but i think even if i egt my Mum to cut them while i hold and stroke him i think the impact of the nail cutting might be too much for him and he'll try to escape/flip back over.

Also, is it traumatising for a rabbit to be flipped? He goes all scared and thumps at me sometimes after i've done it.

 

[Leaf]

I watched a lady trance her rabbit at the vet office last week. It suprised me because she rubbed on the belly area in order to do so. Honestly, it worked - though I thought the head area was the "correct" area to stroke.

 

[Becca]

Clipping my rabbits claws are a 2 person job!
Dad or mum usually holds them and I clip!
They are all really good at it - thye don't try and nip or get away or anything!

 

[pinksalamander]

Well a bit of an update on this, i can still flip him but he simply won't calm down. He just stays all freaked out an scared. I hold him really tight. I tried just stroking him and being calm everywhere but nothing seems to work. I sat with him for 5 mins or so (which is hard, i have to keep him tight) and he was really scared.

I'm thinking the problem may be that he is not used to it. I don't know if practice will help, or if he is now too old. I didn't do it much with him when he was younger.