Bunny hates being picked up

[Lilybunns]

So I had my bunny for a month and we get along just fine.. She lets me pet her and follows me wherever I go but whenever i try to pick her up she runs away. How do I make her trust me? Thanks.

[Cinnabunn the bunny]

I don’t think most bunnies like being picked up and it’s a fact of life youll have to accept as a bunny mama. A bunny could learn to tolerate it but again bunnies aren’t the most affectionate cuddly creatures since they are prey animals.

If you absolutely must pick her up there are methods to do so without having her freak out but any true bunny mama understands that most bunnies do not like being picked up

[MarkBun]

A rabbit’s main line of defense is running away. When their feet are off the ground, you take that security away from them. It has nothing to do with trust but more with instinct. Although you may find rabbits that will tolerate being carried around, they rarely enjoy it. Your best bet is to sit on the ground and let her find your legs and lap and let her climb on you. But carrying one around for any length of time isn’t something that most of them enjoy.

[ThorBunny]

Yes unfortunately no matter how much your bun loves you, picking them up triggers a prey instinct: “Oh NO! I’m being eaten by an eagle!!”

Rabbits who enjoy being picked up are in the very small minority. Most can learn to tolerate it, mine does (barely). I would just continue meet her on her level, enjoy her and only pick her up if it’s absolutely necessary.

In fact, I never pick up my bun at all anymore. I have trained her to go into her pet carrier (she gets a small treat). Then I just pick that up and take her to her table for grooming, or for going to the vet. It’s much less hassle, and now we all trust each other more

[Sr. Melangell]

The only time I have picked up my bunny is when he as very very ill to put him in his basket to go to the vets, as everyone has said they are prey animals, its a bunny rule, he or she doesn’t want picking up so we have to obey that, in time your bunny will show you love in other ways if you don’t keep trying to pick it up, if you keep trying Bunny can loose that trust, we know we won’t hurt them but in a bunny’s mind they could be very scared, sadly we have to accept that we haven’t got a rabbit that likes to be picked up and hugged, I do wish companies would stop showing pictures of a little boy or girl holding a rabbit, because its not how all rabbits are, I can’t cut Olly’s claws because he won’ let me hold him, well he goes to the vets anyway because I’m registered blind, but he gets in his basket on his own, vets have a way of handling bunnies that don’t like being handled so don’t worry about vet trips, some people think all rabbits are an excellent pet, that you can pick up and sit in an armchair with and watch TV with on a cold winters night like a cat, sadly its not true, some animals don’t like to be picked up like children, have you ever seen a child not want to be picked up by Auntie or Uncle to go in the buggy to go home, but they left the child and he got in himself? Its like that with Olly, all I do is open his pen gate and say. “Olly vets.” He goes into his basket with no trouble, but if you try that and chase bunny all trust is gone and you have to start all over again, it takes time, yes its difficult to resist temptation of picking up bunny, if you follow bunny’s ‘Don’t pick me up rule’ I know you will have a very obedient bunny and bunny will thank you and show you their appreciation with lots of Binkies and Bunny flops.

[ThorBunny]

And if you are very lucky, and gain their trust, your bun might jump up on the couch of her own free will to snuggle and watch TV

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