Haley is so nervous...

[MyBoyHarper]

Haley is doing wonderfully, she just turned 6 weeks on a a few days ago. She has warmed up to me a lot. She now lets me pet her when I reach into her cage; she'll just sit there and enjoy it. And the other day when I was cleaning her cage, with her still in it, she chased my arm around licking it. However, she has a problem with being held. Her little feet just quiver in my hand, and she is so nervous. She just sits in my arms with her ears back and shaking.

How do I make her feel more at ease being held? Anyone have any suggestions? I know some rabbits aren't too keen on being held, while others love it. I want to teach her that being held is okay, and make it an enjoyable experience for her.

 

[bbgrl20]

Goku was the same way when we first got him, it was such a task to actually pick him up. So what my boyfriend started to do was put him on the couch and every couple of mins just pick him up for a few seconds then put him back down. And this actually worked, he is a lot better now when we pick him up and doesn't struggle any more. So maybe this will work for you

 

[MyBoyHarper]

bbgrl, thanks! That's a good idea. Haley loves running around on the bed (supervised of course!). Maybe I'll try that method when she is running around on the bed, it may make her feel more comfortable.

 

[MyBabyBunnies]

Zoey does the same thing but picking her up only made her worse. She became IMPOSSIBLE to catch because she was afraid of being picked up. The only thing I've found that works is picking her only when needed and making sure her back feet are supported. The second her back feet are on something (like my hand) the shaking stops.

 

[MyBoyHarper]

MBB, her back feet were in my hand when I was holding her, but she still quivered. I'm thinking she may be one of those rabbits that aren't keen on being held, however I wanted to try and make her feel more at ease when I hold her. :?

 

[MyBabyBunnies]

Hmm, not sure what you can do! You can try picking her up lots but from my experience, that made Zoey worse to be honest. It's a real chore trying to catch her now and I really wish I hadn't done it.

 

[Pipp]

She may be afraid of heights (and/or confinement), both instinctual.

Try picking her up only when lying on the floor (without really gripping her) to get her used to friendly hands. She shouldn't really have treats at that age, but maybea tiny tiny tiny tiny bit of apple or something when she's on your lap will make it less of an ordeal. And I'd actuallsupport her butt more than her legs.Pipp prefers standing on my hand, but she's quieter and calmer if I've scooped her up with one hand craddling her butt, the other on her chest holding her close, her back feet sticking out.

sas

 

[Nes]

Have you tried trancing her?

I found it REALLY effective when it comes to calming down upset buns. All you do is flip the rabbit on to it's back, petting it's cheecks & stroking her ears gently; after a little while you'll start to notice her going lip. It's pretty cute to see them layback with their mouths haging over. You can then just leave her there for a little while (few seconds) and she'll come out of it - pop up & sometimes race around like CRAZY!

My rabbits love it so much it's really helped my barn-raised Cagney & Lacy to become more comfortable about me picking them up & even Abi who's been handled since birth will hop onto my lap and rub her hand against my hand for some lov'in .

Site with pictures:
http://www.mybunnies.com/trance.htm

Gl,
Nes.