Scared bunnies

[Jesper]

Hi everyone.

So I own two female rabbits both about 15 months old. I am a bit worried as they are both still pretty frightened of me and my partner when we enter their cage and try and pick them up. They instantly become scared and stamp and try to run away when we attempt to pick them up. They both do it but the smaller one is worse and even when we manage to pick her up she wriggles and tries to jump out of our arms. We sit down with them on the couch but have to semi-restrain them from jumping off. I just want to know if this is normal behaviour or is there an underlying reason for this frightfulness? We regularly try and handle them despite the difficulties. They live in a large dog cage in our living room and have the run of our balcony which is covered in artificial grass. They were both spayed about a year ago when they started to fight and couldn’t live together but they get on with each other now. We bought them from a pet store when they were very young so not had any previous owners. I have seen videos of other rabbits that seem to be far more comfortable with their owners and just want to know if it’s something I’m doing or something is not ok with them. Thank you all in advance.

[Toni]

I believe this is quite common behavior for bunnies. Unfortunately, and against popular belief… most bunnies DO NOT like to be picked up. There are always a few exceptions to that as well as a varying scale of rabbits who tolerate it to different degrees – but I have found that rabbits tend to be born with a certain personality and it most often sticks with the bunny their whole life. Part of this personality is how much they care to be held/cuddled.

If your buns are the types that do not like to be picked up – just your presence in the room will likely create anxiety in them because they know you are likely to go and pick them up… and that makes them nervous and unable to relax and be happy. I had a bunny who HATED to be picked up, yet we were still able to have a very loving and trusting 10 year relationship. Despite having handled her for 10 years worth of nails clippings/fur brushing/medical necessities and vet trips… she hated to be picked up just as much when she was 10 than when she was a baby. I simply never picked her up unless I HAD to. I mostly laid down/sat down on the floor with her when we interacted … played/gave her bunny rubs/let her explore and hop around me/gave her treats. I never forced the interaction and she came to totally trust I wouldn’t do anything to her she didn’t care for.

My best recommendation for you is that you try to see how they begin to behave if you stop picking them up whenever you see them…… and try to spend time with them that includes floor time play where you are not trying to handle them. Instead… try to devise a way to set their cage up so that they can get in/out of their cage on their own. Getting them out is usually the easy part…. getting them to go back in on their own is going to be the challenge (because they don’t usually WANT to go back in!). But do your best and try to be creative and see what you can come up with. We used to gently “herd” one of our bunnies back into his cage (adding a tiny banana reward to the cage when it was time to go back in also helped) when he had one. When he realized his option was either to go back in on his own or to eventually get picked up… he quickly learned to pick the option he liked best and began to go in on his own when we wanted him to. It might take a bit of time for them to realize they won’t be picked up and begin to relax around you…. but I will bet you will begin to see the real personalities of your bunnies if you do. Good Luck!

[Little Lion Head]

I ditto what Toni said! Most buns really don’t like being picked up or held. But I bet if you quit picking them up they would eventually seek you out and even jump on the couch without you having to bring them up there!

[CrazyGemini22]

I have a mini lop. All of a sudden she runs away from me when I try to pick her up. I had her for two weeks. She let me pick her up. I took her to the vet today because I thought she was having problems breathing. I don’t know what to do about picking her up. She lets me pet her but not pick her up anymore. I adopted her. Please help.

[bestmom]

what they said! Pepper also runs and stamps his feet if we try to pick him up. He loves to sit beside you and have you pet him. And just recently he’s starting to climb onto our lap when we sit on the couch. But if you try to pick him up, he will kick and scratch and try to jump out of your arms.

[emm_renn]

Crazygemini, it sounds like you and Jesper are dealing with the same “problem”. I quoted that because as many users here have point out, rabbits just don’t like to be picked up. Let your rabbit explore you and her level and let her get use to you. I know it is hard not to pick them up and cuddle with them because they are just so darn cute! But trust me, your rabbit will come around and begin to trust you. You and your rabbit will both have a wonderful relationship this way.

[Author]

Messages