Picking my bun up

[MochiMo]

Mochi, my rex bunny loves to be petted on his head, and will sit in my lap while I feed him. He'll hop around me and let me pet him, but he really hates being picked up.

I don't know what to do because it says while bonding with your bunny, you shouldn't do things he doesn't like. On the other hand, my vet says to handle him more because if I don't he'll me ornery when he gets older and may bite or something when I try to pick him up.

As of now, when I do have to pick him up, I make sure I have his back feet held well, and he likes to stick his head in the crook of my arm, but I can tell he's really cared. I also know he doesn't like it because if I'm trying to pick him up (have to when I clean his cage) and I fail a few times, he'll growl and thump at me. He's never bitten or clawed me though.

What should I do??

 

[Korr_and_Sophie]

Rabbits in general don't like to be held and picked up. They are a prey animal and in the wild if they are picked up it would be by a predator. Their instinct is to fight and kick as it would save their lives.

Do you need to get them used to being held, picked up and carried around. They may not like it, but they do need to get used to it and know they are safe. It is important to get them used to it as you may need to give medication, do check ups, trim nails, go to the vet or get them out in an emergency.

Try just picking him up and putting him down a bit away. Like if he was on your lap, you could pick him up and move him off your lap. You don't have to move him far, just get him used to being moved and picked up without anything bad happening. You can also carry him around a bit, like from the cage to a pen or run. If you are comfortable enough, you can try putting him on his back just to check his nails and get him used to it. One important thing is to not let him down if he fights and struggles, this just teaches him that that will get him what he wants. If you let him down when he is calm, he will learn to stay calm in order to get down.

 

[MochiMo]

Okay, that makes a lot of sense. Thank you so much!

 

[Flick]

This video will give you some tips on safely handling your rabbit.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/user/FastUpOnRabbitCare#p/u/20/50D01krKgi0[/ame]

 

[Nancy McClelland]

We only have had a couple out of 32 that liked being held and rubbed. Still, they have to get used to some handling or you'll have problems when you clean their vent or try to do nails. Serena will sit on your lap for hours if she's getting rubbed--she' a strange one.