Simple: don’t. They obviously don’t like it. Not to mention harnesses are dangerous for rabbits.

Hahaha yep of course he loved being manhandled, restricted and restrained for the giant (rabbits perspective) humans pleasure.

*Rolls eyes*.

Posted By Jack&Lola on 10/07/2017 11:24 PM

We managed to get them to sit still and we put them on it and they loved it once they were on

Just be very careful please. A member here had an accident with their rabbit in a harness – it had to have his leg amputated. When startled, rabbits can run and get caught in the leash. So please, be vigilant. 

My Blue has been trained to wear leashes and harnesses. I recommend, though, that you only use these as another way of restriction while holding them while transporting them; dont walk with them on the leash. I say this because they are dangerous for rabbits and can be life threatening. Sarah mentioned that one user had to have their rabbits leg amputated because it got caught in the harness and no one could get its leg out in time before it freaked out and broke its leg. On a leash and harness while not being held, a binky can cause the rabbit to sprain or even break its spine, leaving it paralyzed or at the very least in a lot of pain. If they dash while on the leash and the leash reaches its maximum length during the dash, the rabbit can permanently hurt its shoulders, spine, neck, legs, or feet. It can also cause death if the rabbit jerks around on the leash. Walking your rabbit while its on a harness and leash has far too many cons over pros. If you decide to do this, be aware each time you are playing with fire and might not come home with your bunny because of one minor uncontrollable error.

But, if you want to harness (no leash) them in a controlled pen area, sure, go for it. A harness, if the rabbit is comfortable in it, can be ok in a controlled pen area as a back up in case the rabbit gets out. Obviously, if someone sees a loose rabbit outside in a harness, theyre going to know its a pet and might feel more obligated to call in for help rescuing it. Also, as I mentioned before, its a good tool (if the rabbit is comfortable) to use while holding your rabbit. Its easier to hold your rabbit by holding them, but also having one hand on the harness. If they try to pull away while in your arms, holding the harness acts as an easier (and safer) thing to hold onto to keep your rabbit secure in your arms. I used to use this tactic when get Blue used to being outside with me, and now hes super comfortable in new places while being in my arms and doesnt need the harness any more. But, those are the only two situations where a harness is safe enough to use. Outside of these two situations, there is a high risk of pain or even death for your rabbit.

Fluffykins, we know very little about the situation or these rabbits and sarcastic replies really don’t have a place on the BB forums.
Please read section 2 on forum etiquette of the rules. https://binkybunny.com/FORUM/tabid/54/aft/10084/Default.aspx#2

@Jack&Lola, what type of harness are you using? You mentioned harness in the title but only leashes in your post.

Posted By jerseygirl on 10/08/2017 12:37 PM
Fluffykins, we know very little about the situation or these rabbits and sarcastic replies really don’t have a place on the BB forums.
Please read section 2 on forum etiquette of the rules. https://binkybunny.com/FORUM/tabid/54/aft/10084/Default.aspx#2

@Jack&Lola, what type of harness are you using? You mentioned harness in the title but only leashes in your post.

You’re right jersey, my bad, I could have expressed myself in a much nicer way. I’ve lately been watching really *really* terrible YouTube videos (I don’t know why I keep feeling compelled to click on them) about really *really* terrible bunny owners doing *unthinkable* things with their pet bunny and then swiftly justifying it with a “But he loves it”. NO HE DOES NOT!!!

Some examples; bath time swimming (what?!) Forced interaction with other pets and forced harness fitting.

I really have nothing against harnesses *I use one myself* as I’m wanting to start fluffykins on agility training. However I know the difference between my bunny that will sleep in my arms whilst I walk about the house for 15 mins minimum, will sit still whilst I use the furminator on him and knows the word “walkies” because over the course of a month I’ve slowly exposed and acclinatised him to the harness and leash. Id also never take my bunny outside for “walkies” but like I said he loves walkies time at home because it means fun playtime on an agility course (super beginner at this so it’s only 1 kitchen role bar right now
:laugh.

My point is when I saw this poster say bunny hated and squirmed at the leash, I totally got it. Probably every bunny would the first time! In my experience that means back off and take it slow…hence taking a month myself to get my fluffykins used to it so it was seen as something positive and not terrifying. But said poster comes back the next day claiming “oh he sat super still and loves it now” *the next day*… Um no?!!!

It just reminded me of those torturous bunny parents on YouTube that do stuff like that and can’t stop laughing when the bunny is trying to get out of the leash so much he actually topples over – cue monster humans finding that hilarious

Just makes me so mad.

Apologies OP, if you are not one of those bad youtube bunny parents.