Clicker training to handle rabbits

[Baxter n Boos Mom]

I have had great success clicker training my buns to do tricks.  So today – I thought I would start training them to tolerate being handled.  

We rarely handle our buns – so when we need to, it is always a stressful situation. 

Today, I enclosed myself in an Xpen with 1 bun at a time for about 10 minutes.  They are free range buns – and DO NOT like being restricted to such a small space.  

Both buns were stressed – and would not really relax, and Baxter nipped me a couple times.  But when less tense, I would pet them, and gently lift them off the ground, only a few inches….with one hand under their chest, and scooping them off the ground with my other hand under the bum. Then I would immediately return them to the floor, click and pet them.  I offered them a treat after the click – but they were too tense to be interested in food.  After the 1st couple times – they did not struggle when off the ground – but tried to avoid my hands. 

I would like to continue this line of training – in hopes of desensitizing them from being handled – but was wondering if anyone else has had success with this – and if you could offer helpful tips.

Thank you.

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

I have had lots of success with mine, especially Rupert who was very fearful of being held and an adult when I adopted him. I do clicker train animals and fiercely believe in it’s efficacy, I did not use a clicker for teaching him to be handled.

Looking at the goal-I’m looking to get him used to being handled, not to teach him to do something. -the click is really to mark a good behaviour the second it happens, to bridge the time between the proper behaviour you want increased and the treat/reward.

Teaching him to relax while being handled is more about desensitizing to handling and less about rewarding them for a behaviour (i.e. I want them to learn that handling is not scary, not reward them for standing up; it’s more about a state of feeling rather then reinforcing a behaviour in the hope that it increases). I don’t see much application for the clicker in this situation.

It’s the same when I taught my dog something is not scary-he was very afraid of ATVs and we have some. So what we did was systematic desensitization and counter conditioning-so low exposure to the scary stimuli and positive association (i.e. there are cookies near the ATV, the ATV=cookies). (on a side note, the dog who was bonkers scared of ATVs now rides them so that was a very successful program!)

I haven’t seen a clicker used in either desensitizing or counter conditioning as it really is a bridge, a marker, from behaviour you want to increase to reward. But you still keep the treat-for counter conditioning.

So what I would recommend is operating below or at the threshold of what upsets them-i.e. if they are afraid of being pet, give a pet, give a cookie back away, repeat 10x a day until they relax and move on. Your rabbits, I’m assuming are OK with petting but it’s more being picked up or restrained. So pick them up for 1 second, put them down, feed them. Repeat until that’s not stressful and build up to 2 seconds, three and so on. Progress to holding and petting, and holding and walking around, holding with a towel wrapped around them. Move slow, and practice often, reward more

[Baxter n Boos Mom]

Thank you so much for your insightful response – which totally makes sense. So I’ll cease using the clicker – but continue working with de-sensitizing them from being handled. The only issue now is that they’re so tense, that they won’t even touch their favorite treat. But I’m hoping after a couple days – they may start to relax enough to eat.

I really appreciate your help!

Thank you.

[Elrohwen]

Unlike K&K, I do think the clicker can be useful in a counter conditioning program, but like she said, it needs to be marking a specific behavior. I think with handling that can be really hard, especially if you are the one going to them and doing something, as opposed to them approaching you. I have successfully used the clicker to get bunnies to sit still for some brushing, but for picking up I just conditioned them to it.

Honestly, my favorite method of picking up the bunnies is to close them in their pen, get them in a carrier, then take the carrier into the kitchen. They are very easy to lift from the carrier since they can’t go anywhere. Handling has become much more relaxed when we do it this way, vs trying to pick them up off the ground and handling them in their pen, where they just try to escape.

[Baxter n Boos Mom]

Elrohwen: Thanks for your input! I need to figure this one out – so that I can better care for my guys (grooming/nail trimming etc.)

Well I’ve been at it for 6 days now – and they still HATE it. And I’m pretty sure if they could speak – they would be yelling “bad touch!” LOL

Part of the problem is that they are still very tense when enclosed in the XPen – and refuse to relax enough to eat their treats. So unfortunately, I cannot associate handling them with treats. The tiny piece of improvement we’ve made, is that they do relax, when I lift just their chest off the floor, and pet them.

Baby steps…

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

I was thinking about this the other night -if you want to use your clicker, you could free shape them into being cuddly…You can read about free shaping here if you aren’t familiar with it http://www.clickertraining.com/node/1549 -it can be a long process but if your guys already know what the click means your well on your way…you just have to get them offering behaviour

I’m thinking you could click for looking at you, then approaching you (while you sit on the ground) then nudging you, then getting into your lap and generally being on you, then being held etc.

[Elrohwen]

I think getting them comfortable in the xpen is probably the first step, since they are over threshold if they aren’t taking treats. I would just sit in there with them a couple times a day and use really high value treats and they will probably relax eventually. Mine used to be terrified in the kitchen when we would do nail trims and would never take treats. Now they are used to it and once we set them down on the counter they look around for their treats.

[Baxter n Boos Mom]

Thank you K&K. I’ve read some articles on using clicker to shape – but haven’t tried it on the buns yet.
And Elrohwen – if I just sit in the Xpen with them -they will start to eat the treats, but the minute I start to handle them – they stop eating, and get very tense.

Today – it did seem to go a tiny bit better…as I lifted only their chest off the floor, and pet them. When they relaxed, then I’d pick their bum off the floor…and repeated a few times. We only do this for a minute or two…but they’re still not relaxed enough to eat their treats.

I’m hoping with time, they will start to relax more and more, as they get de-sensitized. At least Baxter didn’t try to nip me today 🙂

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