Catching Rabbit

[CocoVermont802]

So I like to let my rabbit go in our finished basement because it is much cooler down there, and nothing for her to get in trouble with, except maybe some cobwebs hehe…. but then when playtime is over she always puts up a battle for me to catch her!!! I chase her until she finally gets in a corner and I grab her… or i have to throw a towel over her so she will let me grab her.

 How can i teach her to come? I have tried treats but she is just to smart for that ! she is almost a year old now.

 

hmmm…..

Thanks for you help!

[LBJ10]

Have you tried luring her into a crate or box with a treat?

[bun-crazy]

I posted a very similar post in this same category a little while back. The title was something like “Time for bed…need help!” I think. There were alot of good ideas, but almost all centered on food. I tried it with my buns and its working pretty good. I use a bag of craisins or dried papaya (it crinkles good). When I am ready for them to go back “home” I start shaking and crinkling the bag and saying something like “here bun buns! time to go home!” It took them a little while to get the hang of it, but once they did, it really clicked. I also snap my fingers at the same time and they associate that sound with treats too. If you get a chance, go back and read that old post. Other people use their veggies, pellets, etc. for this. Seems most buns are extremely food driven =:-x Try saving her treat or food for that time only, since she won’t be so apt to go for it, if she’s already eaten. Good luck! It CAN be done. I’m living proof!

[peppypoo]

bun-crazy has the right idea…bunnies can be very food-driven indeed. I would suggest against corner and grabbing her…this will only teach her to be afraid of you. Try using a positive approach instead, and giving her food in her cage at the end of playtime.

Also, you could try to teach her to come when you call. The way I did it was to first sit beside my bunny and call her name, then give a small treat immediately. Repeat multiple times until she starts anticipating a treat every time she hears her name. Then, move a little farther away and have her come to you for the treat. The trick to this is to call her name the same way every time – the same tone of voice etc. Also, since the learning process will involve a lot of treats, it might be best to just hand out something like pellets, and not anything too sugary.

[Elrohwen]

I feed dinner when it’s time for them to go back to their cage. Maybe you could have a small travel cage or carrier and feed her in there.

Mine also like traveling in a box better than their carrier (probably because the carrier is also used for the vet). When Otto was afraid to cross the hardwood floors to get back to his cage, he learned to jump into a box and let me carry him back. He hates to be picked up, but he didn’t mind this.

[Alexandra]

I had a very similar situation with my bun Chloe, I would have to chase her into a corner to catch her, or cover her the same way you mentioned. I really don’t recommend this, as it’s just making your rabbit associate your presence with being stressed or trapped which isn’t a great for the bunny/owner relationship.

I started to use raisins, as soon as I opened the container she was out from hiding and begging for her delicious treat. I put 2 raisins in the food dish in her hutch so she’d have to go in for it and then close the door behind her.

My opinion is that a routine is key. So I did this every night around 8 or 9 PM, and after a few weeks she was going into her hutch around that time when I hadn’t even put the raisins in her dish yet (AMAZING!) and I continue to put some sort of reward in there for her now, not always raisins.

If you’ve just started bringing your bun into the basement, it’s just a matter of introducing a new routine in which your rabbit is removed from the room in a positive way rather than a chase.  Lots of good suggestions are above, just pick the treat that you know your rabbit can’t resist most and only make it available when you need to put them to bed Good luck!

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