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The subject of intentional breeding or meat rabbits is prohibited. The answers provided on this board are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet.  It is your responsibility to assess the information being given and seek professional advice/second opinion from your veterinarian and/or qualified behaviorist.

BINKYBUNNY FORUMS

Forum BEHAVIOR My Bun won’t let me pick him up anymore

  • This topic has 8sd replies, 6 voices, and was last updated 11 years ago by Bam.
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    • FuzzwardJones
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        My little Holland lop will be turning 6 months coming up and about 2 months ago he stopped letting us hold him. We were holding for quite some time 10- 15 minutes per session then we moved to a new place in January. He still let us hold him but after about 20 days of being at the new place, he would not let us pick him up without squirming. I didn’t want to risk hurting or scaring him so I kind of just let him be. He loves head scratches but he still seems somewhat stand offish at times. I know he is definitely going through puberty and I guess I am just interested if anyone has any insight if this has something to do with the move and puberty. I guess I am just a little sad that he doesn’t want to cuddle or let me hold him anymore. He has a very playful and adventurous personality and I know that comes with the young age as well. He also loves to lounge around as well. I have been told that sometimes a bunny won’t become more mellow until they are a year old ( in some cases). I am not worried about that aspect, but just curious if anyone has any info on how I can maybe get him used to being held again for grooming & nail clipping reasons. I want him to be who he is and not force anything. Maybe  he’s just not the cuddly type?

        Help! 


      • Stickerbunny
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          Most rabbits do not like being held, to them it is very uncomfortable since to their instincts being held = being eaten, or being at danger of being eaten. Babies tend to not mind so much, because they haven’t fully developed and are a bit more cuddly / less skittish about being held/cuddled. But, as they grow, most buns prefer to stay on the ground. It’s just their nature. Try sitting on the floor with him and he may crawl over you. For grooming, you’ll just have to hold him securely, some people use a bunny burrito. If you are unsure how to hold him since he now doesn’t want it, you can ask your vet to show you methods of securing him for clipping/grooming.


        • Elrohwen
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            The majority of rabbits don’t like being held. I would try just petting him on the floor and letting him approach you. I would consider one of my bunnies very cuddly, she thinks the vet tech is snuggling her when she’s actually restraining her, but boy does she hate to be picked up. Being picked up is scary and they don’t really associate it with pets and snuggles for the most part.


          • NuggetBuns
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              I hope after puberty, he lets you hold him again. Nugget is 4-5 months old right now and we’ve never had a problem picking her up and holding her. She doesn’t like to cuddle, but she will step all over you if you lay down on the floor or couch. She also doesn’t freak out when we clip her nails or groom her fur. Anyway, after reading your post, I’m scared she’ll change and not be as relaxed about us holding her in the next few months. I know they feel like they’re being picked up by a vulture, but holding a bunny close to you is just a wonderful feeling =D


            • FuzzwardJones
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                NuggetBuns:

                Every bunny is different. I think it may have been the combination of moving to a new place and puberty. I’m not really sure.

                I think if she is still letting you hold her at 5 months I wouldn’t worry. My bunny starting acting different around 3 1/2 months but every since puberty hit he can be moody. He’s never bit or been aggressive I think he’s just a very independent fellow. He is very curious about everything. if there is something around the room he considers new, he will obsess over it.He goes from binking like crazy to being very lazy and lounges around in all different parts of the house. He loves his cheeks and head scratched all the time as well.He even lets me get his morning eye boogies out, which amazes me that he allows me to do that and won’t let me pick him up.  I plan on getting him neutered after he turns 6 months the beginning of April, which I have been told can mellow out a bunny ( not right away, but over a few weeks or months) and also for health purposes. Nail trimming has been difficult, but I think I am going to try the bunny burrito suggested by a previous reply!

                 

                I wouldn’t worry about your bunny! I didn’t mean to scare you!


              • LBJ10
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                  Sounds normal to me. Seems bunnies just wake up one day and decide being picked up is not going to work for them. If you want to work at getting your bun to tolerate it as an adult for grooming purposes, I have found that bribery works quite well. Leopold especially is looking for his treat the second I pick him up. Wooly expects it too, but he’s usually not looking until I have put him back down.


                • Bam
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                    It is normal in many animals, when they are young they are very curious and fearless, this is because they spend their time in a (comparatively) safe environment with siblings and parents (varies with type of animal), free to explore their limited little world. It’s called neophilia, love of everything new. Then they undergo a period of neophobia when even the most normal, everyday things seem to scare them – and then they mature into adulthood but remain more neophobic than neophilic – because the world is a dangerous place and you need to be very cautious, always. It’s like this with f ex dogs and ravens. With rabbits it is of course more so because they are low in the food-chain.


                  • NuggetBuns
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                      FuzzwardJones- Your little guy sounds a lot like Nugget. I guess most bunnies are uber curious about everything and will obsess over something new (or something they’re not allowed to have). Nugget also has her crazy and lazy moments. More recently, I figured out why she scratches or nips at us sometimes when we’re not paying attention to her. She just wants us to pet her head and when we stop too soon, she looks for your hand and sticks her head under it! I would love for her to stay like this forever. It’s also really cute that he lets you clean him up, he still needs his mama =D Maybe your bun will let you hold him again after getting fixed. Keep us updated!

                      bam- That does make sense. Did your bunny’s personality change a lot as it got older?


                    • Bam
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                        My rabbit has changed a lot since I got him, but I don’t know how old he was when I found him. Adult, but not by much, was the vet’s guess. He’s become braver and he moves around in the whole apartment, is not afraid of the dog and he seems to intensely enjoy cuddling. It took him a year to become really comfortable here, but then God knows what experiences he’s had with people before, he had really long nails and a big bald, mildewy spot on his back due to a mite-infestation when I found him.

                        Bam can bite people’s feet if they won’t pet him, so they’d better comply =)

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                    Forum BEHAVIOR My Bun won’t let me pick him up anymore