Bunny hates being handled?!

[BooBear❤]

Hey guys ❤
So..
I have a 7month Male neutured mini lop named Boo. He is the cheekiest little bossy boy ever, omg. Everything has to go his way, he’s spoilt. (Guilty)
He hate’s being petted, he’ll crawl away like a little kid but likes nudging me on the leg and running away and nibbling my clothes! He’s greedy and climbs on me constantly ‘begging’ for his treats and when he gets none he’ll run and ignore me D:
When I call him or tap he’ll stare and act like im not there lol! He nips at other people except me, (yay).
Oh and theres no chance of getting his harness on D: he runs faster than the wind and hides, btw when i try picking him up or putting the harness on he doesnt exactly thump with anger or nip he just flips around like a looney and is fine once free or on the ground =_=.

Is there anyway to get him used to the harness or being picked up to go outside in his cage?

P.s once he’s done wrestling me and has his harness on the cheeky bum will flop and lay there until its off or run around jumping and shaking it trying to get it off, or biting it.

[LongEaredLions]

Most bunnies do hate to be handled, as they are prey animals, it just isnt natural for them to like to be picked up. I avoid picking up my bunnies as much as possible but instead give them lots of attention on the ground, they do love to be pet and snuggled.
Harnesses are very bad for bunnies. Not only do they hate them, they are really dangerous because if they get caught on something, the rabbit can break its back tring to escape. They can also hurt bunnies whom have tried to escape and have gotten tangled in the harness.

[BooBear❤]

Yeah, Boo was fine but as he’s developed his own little personality he’s become super independent.. I guess :c. I just don’t know how to get him outside for some freedom in his garden cage. Thank you for the harness advice!! I did research before getting one and along with the negatives I saw a lot of positive outcomes so I decided try but I guess its a no go & not for every bunny especially Boo + rather be safe then sorry, so no more harness! Thats forsure.

[Deleted User]

Good on you BooBear – NO harness! I just posed the question on a forum not so long ago in relation to my boy getting outside and everyone supported/encouraged me to keep my precious boy inside. Everyone’s bun (and my Henry, who is free range indoors) have the bestest lives indoors without the dangers that the outside world can bring to them. I’m sold! Picking up your bun? If he’s anything like Henry – good luck! Lol! I pat Henry when HE lets me – actually everything in our house is based around Henry, that should cut a long story short…. ha hah! All the best with your Boo, he looks adorable! Lucky you!

[Bam]

Ime, bunnies get used to being handled with time, but by time I mean months or years rather than days or weeks. Being picked up/lifted is very threatening though, I guess instinct kicks in and bunny loses all reason, it just reacts as if a bird of prey etc was coming for it.

But both my boys have become increasingly cuddly with time. They like to chose the time and place themselves, though. Bam can jump up into people’s laps now and beg to be pet. And you’d better oblige or he may put a hole in your clothes =/

And independent pet may be less cuddly but being independent also means it feels secure, like my dog who seems to have no separation-anxiety at all – apparently she feels safe and capable on her own.

I have an outdoors hutch/run with netting all around – in the bottom too – and when I take a bunny out there, I transport him in a carrier. I’ve tried on harnesses but since my boys have shown intense hatred towards the whole thing, I’ve not insisted. In Sweden, rabbit-agility is quite popular among pre-teen girls and the rabbits wear harnesses and long leashes when they jump, so many rabbits here are ok with wearing a harness. To me, the risks and the obvious discomfort outweigh the possible benefits.

Your Boo looks a lot like my Bam =)

[Peony]

For picking up:

It is best to try to “carry” them by picking up the litterbox when they are in it if you have to move them a large distance. Most hate being carried like said above for reasons above, but there is a few that do not mind.

For my rabbit, I pet her and try pet her underside to see if she is ok with me picking her up. She let me do it on the fourth day and the only reason I did so was to lift her up to put her on the second floor of the hutch since she had problems figuring out what the ramp did. (That is all it took, she runs up and down it like crazy now, bunnies have poor eye sight when it comes to things of directly in front of them) That is another thing, when you try to pet him, make sure you move your hand in his eye sight and that is his side of his head, in front of the eye, not moving to his nose area.

Harness, as others said a big no no.

for getting him out of the cage, is there a ground opening she can hop out of on his own? That is the best way of doing things so they are not scared and they go about their own pace of exploring.

nudging and nipping can be a sign of affection as in asking for pets or telling you to move.

[Deleted User]

Hi Boo Bear, I find, that if I cover my rabbits eyes, even if my hand is a little distance away from their face, I am able to scoop them up without them being frightened. Maybe you can offer a treat that is not bite size, so he has to stay near you to nibble it. For example, mine love bananas, and I will keep the whole banana out, and let them nibble on it, and they will stay near to eat it. Hope this was helpful.

[Peony]

Yeah my bunny goes nuts for bananas too, just be carful not to give them too much.

[Author]

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