Reply To: Feeling awful about grooming my bunnies

[DanaNM]

Aww I know it can be really hard. The first thing to remember is that it is kind of a “tough love” thing. It’s important to groom bunnies during molting so they don’t get sick, so it really should be done. I have a bun (Bonnie) that is traumatized from being in the shelter for 3-4 years, and she just hates being picked up and handled. I compromise by doing a couple deep groomings during molting, rather than the regular brushing I do with the other buns. If your buns have short hair, then this should be fine.

The other big thing is TREATS. Always save a really good treat for right after handling (like a raisin or dried cranberry) that they only get after handling. Be ready with the treat and give it right after you are done with the handling. Bonnie may be SO mad at me during the grooming but she still knows to turn right around for her treat once we’re done, and she seems to forgive me pretty quickly.

The final ingredient is you! Take a deep breath and try to approach the whole thing calmly. You will not destroy your bun’s trust with occasional handling (esp if they get a good treat after). You can also desensitize your bun to touching using clicker training and other positive reinforcement methods. If your bun is free-roam, avoid chasing them. You can use an x-pen to corner them in a smaller space, or sit on the ground and wait until they are calm. My go-to method for picking up squirmy buns is the foot-ball hold. I found very few videos demonstrating it on a rabbit that was less than cooperative, so I filmed myself doing it at the rescue with one of our buns that hated being handled. You can watch the video here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/12iIW-I7CAJIK7Zah6jN0470eQkOlaqr3/view?usp=sharing

You also might look into clicker training and “cooperative care”. There aren’t a ton of resources for bunnies, but it’s a training method used for wild animals in zoos to have them assist you with health behaviors through training. I’ve been wanting to work on it with my buns, but I have 4 and so I didn’t know where to start, lol.

 

. . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.