most rabbits do not like to be held and they will “wig out”. try and interact with him on the ground and when that goes well, you can start trying to lift him for a few seconds at a time. as a general rule it’s best not to lift your rabbit unless necessary, just b/c they can twist and break their back or fall to the ground (not to mention scratch the heck out of your arms.)

it’s not uncommon at all.  buns like to have their foots all on the floor to feel safe & so will struggle when you pick them up.  so while t’s not advisable to aim to teach your bun to ‘enjoy’ being picked up they certainly should learn to some how tolerate it for brief periods so you can handle them for care (nail clippings…) and to get them out of harm or take them to the vet. 

i had a heck of a time with pinky, my 7lb bun who’s quite muscular & very strong.   i practised picking her up daily so we both got the hang of it.  i would not hold her for long… maybe 15 secs… and then set her down, praise her & give her a treat.  my 2 buns need to be picked up & held very differently so it took me a while to figure out the best way to pick up & hold pinky. 

with pinky i need to hold her head down on the floor with one hand (to let her know i’m dominant) and at the same time use my other hand to block her from backing away.  then i quickly & firmly use the hand at her bum to scoop her while the hand at her head reaches under her chest.  i have to immediately put her foots against me to help her feel secure & usually cover her head with one hand too so it looks like a great big hug.

with baby bun i can just walk upto her & scoop her… one hand under her chest & one scooping her bum… but i can’t put her foots against me or she’ll wriggle & wriggle & climb up & over my shoulder.  if i block her head with one hand like i do with pinky she’ll bite me.  lol.  so what i do is flip her on her back so the hand i used to scoop her bum is still holding her bum & her back is resting along that arm while my other hand holds her chest and that arm (the one on top) supports her back legs from kicking out & hurting her back.   i do get scratched this way but usually only if i hold her too long… and its better than getting bitten!  baby is very independant.

generally, the way to calm down a wiggly bun is to cover their head & hold them very snuggly.  keep pracitcing & good luck!

most bunnies don’t like to be held, really. we’re soooo much bigger than they are…
you can practice and turn it into a reward afterward with a treat, so he starts to associate treats with being held. it works for some people. also it’s helps to be confident, bunnies can tell when we’re nervous

Will your bunny accept a treat while you are holding him. I know Rucy and Bailely (used to) would eat treats while I was holding them, but Jack wants nothing to do with treats while being held because the whole thing just stresses him out too much.

I actually give mine a treat while I hold them but wouldn’t suggest it for a wiggly bun.

Dono will scratch at me when he doesn’t want to be held and the funny thing is that when I give him a raisin, he’ll continue scratching at me as he takes it. Talk about multi-tasking.