Picking up and handling

[bunnyface]

My Twitcher is a lover-boy and he loves me and all the attention, ear-scratchies and nose-scratchies he can get! However, whenever I get close to picking him up he freaks out and runs away!

I used to try to hold him as often as possible, but it seemed to make no improvement. I have never dropped him or mistreated him in any way, but I am thinking maybe he was dropped as a kitten.


For the past couple of months, I have just been avoiding picking him up at all costs. He trusts me so much now not to pick him up that he'll let me walk right over him and even play-fight! (It's just about the cutest thing)

Though we have the coolest relationship, I really want to be able to pick him up in an emergency, be able to handle him without a problem ifever he gets sick and needs force-feeding or a shot (heaven forbid), and most of all, clip his nails without having him hate me more than the devil himself!

Any suggestions would be appreciated!

Ash

 

[Shuu]

Try picking him up for a few seconds at a timeand put him down if he's not struggling. Immediately give him a treat.Soon he'll start to realize when he gets picked up, he'll eventually beput down and get a treat.

 

[kgarver]

I think a lot of rabbits don't like to be pickedup because it's their natural instinct. In the wild, they are prey andthe motion of us swooping them up off the ground is similar to beingswooped up by a hawk or any other predator.

I've read that it's best to get down on the floor and let the rabbitcome to you and then you can gradually get him used to being handled onhis level and then you can try picking him up as he gets used to it. Ithink it's a process and it might take a while before he getscomfortable with it. I also agree with Shuu about usingtreats.

This may work but it might not, so don't get frustrated if it doesn't.Some rabbits just won't ever like it because of their naturalinstincts. So I wouldn't force it if he doesn't like it because hecould hurt himself by struggling to get free. Also, he maylose trust in you if you constantly grab him when he doesn't want that.

Good luck

 

[bunnyface]

Yeah, I'll never force him to do anything-- he's my babybun!:apollo:

I was just sitting and petting him, and I had to get up quickly to dosomething, but he stood up as if to say "not yet, you!" So I leanedover a little bit and he stood on his back legs and licked my nose!

CUTEST BUNNY THING EVER.

 

[dajeti2]

I can understand not wanting to stresshim by picking him up. But at the same time he has got to get used toit. In case of an emergency you have got to be able to pick himup.

Tina

 

[kgarver]

just to clarify, i meant not forcing him whileyou're getting him used to being handled because it could stall yourprogress. i think maybe "rushing" would've been a better choice ofwords than forcing.

i forgot to add that one way i got my rabbit used to being picked up isgetting on the floor and picking him up just a few inches off the floorand putting him down and petting him. that way he associated gettingpicked up with a good thing and the lift wasn't that drastic. that waynow if i have to pick him up from a standing position, hedoesn't struggle as much as he would before. he still doesn't like itbut in an emergency i know i could pick him up easily.

 

[Spring]

I have the same problem! I feel guilty, becauseI try to pick her up but she just runs away and then i've triedeverything, it's almost impossible to pick her up. She has a fairlylarge cage, two floors ( if in an emergancy very hard because thelittle rascal will play chase and will constantly run up look around,me open the top door her look at me then run back down again and repeatthe proccess!) It's annoying. The time when I had to get her outof the cage to force feed her and rush her to the vet I had to pcik herup when she was kicking and scrambling to get away and it was verystressful for both of us. I've been thinking about putting a rampsomehow to the cage, but I haven't had enogh time to plan something out.

I will ask my dad if he has any ideas of how to get a ramp on there.The bottem floor door is pretty high and the door opens with a latchand you open it from top to bottem so it hangs down. It is not flat andsince it was originally a table that had short walls around it there isa depth from the door. Have I confused anybody?:?It's hard toexplain. I will get measurements if anybody has any ideas and needsthem. Any Ideas??

 

[HoneyPot]

Hi bunnyface

Also remember when you do try to pick him up, that you hold him verysecurely so he doesn't feel like he's going to fall. Makesure you support his back legsand bum so they're not danglingand this might also prevent him from feeling the need to kick his backlegs a lot.

___________
Nadia

 

[Bunnys_rule63]

My bunnies don't like being picked up but theyare much better with it now than they used to be. Usually when i pickthem up it's to take them to their big run or the house to play so thenthey don't mind, it's just when i have to take them back they becomehard to catch.Maybe if you make it so if he gets picked up hegets to do something nice then he won't mind it as much. I also don'tcarry my bunnies, if i take them somewhere i pick them up then put themin a carrier to carry them so maybe you could try this if he is morescared of being carried then just held. Hope this helps.

 

[naturestee]

Shuu wrote:

Trypicking him up for a few seconds at a time and put him down if he's notstruggling. Immediately give him a treat. Soon he'll start to realizewhen he gets picked up, he'll eventually be put down and get a treat.

This is what I do. I start by only picking them up once ortwice a week for a few seconds, and then increase the time and thenumber of times per week. Make sure you have a firm, safehold on him and never let him kick his way out- he could hurt himselfand he'll learn he can fight his way out of being held.Sometimes it helps to have the rabbit facing your elbow. Thatway they can hide their face in it. Covering their eyessometimes helps with some, but spooks others.

As for my rabbits, Mocha still runs if I try to pick her up (and Ithink she always will), but once she's up she's all about thetreats. Loki sometimes runs, but sometimes he crouches downand lets me pick him up even though he hates it. He knowsI'll get him eventually anyway. Fey and Sprite are stillreally bad about being picked up, as Sprite doesn't like being touchedat all and Fey tends to go into a terrified panic. I justtake my time with them. Fey actually behaves muchbetter about being picked up now since I had to do it more often totreat her, but her fear is still there and it's to the point where it'snot unusual for her to huddle in a corner breathing fast with her eyesopen wide after being set back down.

 

[bluebird]

I find that some rabbits that really hate to bepicked up calm down if there eyes are covered, so i put their headunder my arm.they really need to be used to getting picked up. i startwhen they are just born.if they are sick and not used to it you have aproblem.bluebird

 

[bunnyface]

Yeah, the hiding of the face always occurs onceI get Twitcher into my arms, so I think that instead of being angry,he's totally scared. I think that his previous owner (I say ownerbecause he came from a hobbyist/breeder who let him go-- definitely nota mom or a dad) must have dropped him a lot or held him insecurely.

I always support him and get him against my body as quickly as possible. (sigh) I guess it'll just have to take a while, huh?

 

[bunnyface]

So I tried picking him up today, but he kickedso hard that he got away. I tried again and it happened again. Notwanting to torment him or make him lose trust in me, I just petted himand consoled him with treats.

:foreheadsmack:

So I felt like that was definitely the wrong thing to do because he was learning that running away=treats.

THEREFORE.

Ten minutes later I came back and tried a different method-- I held himfirmly on the ground with one hand and slowly tucked another underneathhim, only lifting his front legs up. He growled and thumped twice, butI held on. I finally let him go 5 seconds later. He dashed, but quicklyran back for treats.

I tried one more time, holding his front feet firmly. Front legs up, wait, still, and treat.

We're making progress! :dunno:

 

[bunnyface]

Thanks for the support, I will keep trying. Maybe someday he will understand.

Yeah, I don't think twitch will ever be a lap bun, that's okay.

Definitely not a sebastian, that's for sure!