Bunny absolutely hates being picked up, solution?

[McNuggets]

My bunny Belzebub hates being picked up, even more so than the average bunny I think. But after I got him neutered I´ve had to pick him up several times though to give him medication etc, which has taken a strain on our relationship, he is noticably less comfortable around me now, which is kind of breaking my heart. Also, the experience of picking him up is horrible for both of us since I have to either chase him or basically "attack" him before he gets a chance to hide, neither of which is obviously very good, and involves a lot of stress for both of us.

Does anyone have any suggestion on how to deal with this? I still have to check his stitches for a few more days, and then obviously still trim his claws, trim the fur around his bum etc.

I found this article; Rabbit Harness- good idea or not

In short it basically suggests a series of steps through which you train your bunny into being okay with being picked up, by gradually habituating it to the undesirable elements of the process over an extended time period, while giving it a sense of autonomy. Does this actually work? Based on what I´ve read I have gotten the sense that their hatred of being picked up is conneted the hard wired prey-instincts, and thus pretty much set in stone (?).
Also; if I were to do this, how do I handle things until he is okay with being picked up? Stitches still needs checking, claws trimming, and so forth.

Any advice is very much appreciated!

 

[Fuz]

My rabbit hates it too. It's just innate.
I don't recommend picking them up off the ground completely. Regarding the stitches, would you consider a tiny mirror? This way you can place it at an angle and check the stitches. If you don't see anything untoward (he's not licking/scratching etc), just check once a day or so. Alternatively, once he's relaxed and stretching his legs, have a quick peek.
When it comes to nail trimming, I also struggle. But I leave her on the ground, sit behind her (not in a way that creeps up on her) and bring her close to me that way. She is secured with my legs, and I lift only the paw I need at a time. It is difficult but it works. Is it okay to just leave the trimming for now, while he is recovering from his op? You can feed medicine in the same way - you can sit behind but crouch over and insert food at an angle into his mouth.
I don't think it's wise to begin harness training when he is recovering. However, these are all my opinion.
This is the time he will look to you for comfort, not to be stressed by your presence. Clean his bum area with a damp cloth but rather leave the trimming. He might react badly and can get injured with the sharp item even though that's the last thing you intend. I hope it all goes well and good luck!

 

[McNuggets]

My rabbit hates it too. It's just innate.
I don't recommend picking them up off the ground completely. Regarding the stitches, would you consider a tiny mirror? This way you can place it at an angle and check the stitches. If you don't see anything untoward (he's not licking/scratching etc), just check once a day or so. Alternatively, once he's relaxed and stretching his legs, have a quick peek.
When it comes to nail trimming, I also struggle. But I leave her on the ground, sit behind her (not in a way that creeps up on her) and bring her close to me that way. She is secured with my legs, and I lift only the paw I need at a time. It is difficult but it works. Is it okay to just leave the trimming for now, while he is recovering from his op? You can feed medicine in the same way - you can sit behind but crouch over and insert food at an angle into his mouth.
I don't think it's wise to begin harness training when he is recovering. However, these are all my opinion.
This is the time he will look to you for comfort, not to be stressed by your presence. Clean his bum area with a damp cloth but rather leave the trimming. He might react badly and can get injured with the sharp item even though that's the last thing you intend. I hope it all goes well and good luck!

Unfortunately any "passive" method of checking the stitches won´t work since he has a lot of fur and I can´t see the stiches well without actively moving it. I already tried several ways, like having him walk across a glass pane while I was lying underneath trying to check the stitches, but the fur was blocking the view.

And I am avoiding all non essential stressful interactions at the moment, while he recovers, I just check the stitches for infection once a day and give him his meds. The reason I brought up claw trimming, fur etc. is because I need to find a long term solution for those situations as well. I am going to try your method for trimming the claws, but at this point I am pretty sure even that would make run away, I think I need to regain some trust first. Meanwhile I still have no idea how to handle the times when I actually have to pick him up, without straining our relationship further and destroy any attempt to rebuild trust :/

 

[Fuz]

How long ago was he neutered? Did they not shave the area? Or did the fur grow back? If the fur grew back, it means it's been some time, his stitches are likely closed off and healed already.

 

[McNuggets]

How long ago was he neutered? Did they not shave the area? Or did the fur grow back? If the fur grew back, it means it's been some time, his stitches are likely closed off and healed already.

5 days ago. They did shave it, but he is basically a big ball of floof, so the surrounding fur on his legs, bum and stomach still covers the area.

 

[Momma Luvbun]

I would hold a treat up up up in the air for him to reach it and look at my boy (double-mane lionhead) because there is NO PICKING him up.
I had white baby receiving blankets down on his "safehouse" floor so I could see if there was any discoloration (blood or otherwise) luckily I had no problems.

 

[john.thorpe1952]

I know that this isn't asimple problem and also know that I don't know what you've treid already,but for what it's worth,my preferred method,even for ones who don't mind being picked up,is as follows.Have the rabbit's head towards youand put one arm around the side of the body,gripping the rump firmly but gently.Scoop himup firmly and hold to your body using the other hand as a safety grip above.sometimes it's because people have tried to pick themup around the chest or stomach with the head away from them,and many feel threatened by this and will simply jump away.hope this is of help,and if you've tried this already my apologies for repetition-not being patronising!

 

[Cinn-a-bun]

Cinnabun hates being picked up too.
Meds, overall checking I do on the floor. If I need pick her up, I do a bunny burrito.
So she can't jump.
Whatever I can I the floor I do it.

 

[Catlyn]

My pair was also resistant to being picked up or held for the first few months they were with us. They would literally fight for their lives and bite the living heck out of me if i ever dared to just pick them up for anything that a carrier couldn't help with. I still have a couple of claw marks from the earlier days... Doing basic trust exercises like sitting on the floor with greens on my legs, near them while i did my computing (being mindful of cords) or reading a book out loud did get us started on a better note.

If i need to trim the nails, for Iris i will just come from the side, sit by her on the floor or whatever other surface she's hanging around in, and melt her with pets if she wants them-also a good time for me to know if she's up for the antics that time, as sometimes she won't want pets and i know then i can only dream about clipping her nails that time. If she agrees, i'll kind of hug her with one hand and try to get to her nails with the other, and it usually works if she wants me to bother her.
For Storm it's more difficult as he sometimes gets keratin rings at the bases of nailsthat make him hate the process even more. But i still try to follow the same method. Having someone to assist is also helpful- i usually let dad half-hug and pet them while i do the clipping. He trusts me more with clippers and his pets are just melting magic for my pair.
If no significant progress is made (i'd say a nail or two a day for the sassiest rabbits; and maybe all 18 for a really mellow, cooperative bun) then i usually see if i can hang on until we need to see the vet for checkup or vaccine, and if it really can't wait and a vet isn't far from you, you can also take bun there. Nail clipping can be done by any regular vet since cats and dogs also have a quick, so the process would be almost the same as for a bigger cat.

As for checking the stitches, i also struggled with that. Both Storm's neuter and Iris' spay were done in their early days when we didn't have any trust to speak of. I remember asking for advice with her. But if luring bun up with treats, the advice i was given for a skittish bun, doesn't give you vision, then there is another thing that might be worth a shot.
I would try checking bun by gently rolling him to the side, similar to a flopping position, then hold them with one hand near the shoulders and push the fur out the way with the other one, that should give you at least some indication. It is easier and safer to do this with a helper too, both for you and the bun. I just go in from the side, then place my hands on their shoulders so that my elbows are lined along their body, facing their hindquarters, and then slowly lean their upper body to the side. Most rabbits i've done this with will cooperate, their legs following sideways, giving an easier time checking the underside. This requires some embers of trust, in my experience, but i don't know how much your bun will share.
For Storm, this flop-them-to-their-side method also helps with trimming these fat hind nails, though for that i always make sure to have a helper around who can hold his shoulders and hips. If i didn't, i'd undoubtedly get smacked right in the face with a literal palmful of paw, and his kicks hurt. If he's not feeling up for it, i bring him a snack on my open palm, not between fingers, and let him be if he wants to.
If you think your bun might be mad at you, i'd advise you to never give a snack right from your fingers unless you want to risk bun deliberately taking a bit of your finger along with snacks in frustration (different from accidental nip mistaking finger for food).