Holding bunnies

[auntie]

Hi y’all!

I have had my rabbits for 2 years now and they definitely have trust issues.

my rabbits don’t like me to even attempt to pick them up and they are not the type of rabbit that will sit in my lap.
I can pat them and they are fine with that.

my friend just got 5 rabbits from an Amish farm and they will sit in your lap and let you pick them

could it be the breed of rabbit that I have that doesn’t like to sit in my lap or be picked up?

I also got the rabbits at the humane society

any suggestions on how I can try to pick them up without them running away or getting them to sit in my lap?

[LBJ10]

The sad truth is that most rabbits don’t like to be held. Are the rabbits your friend just got babies? Young bunnies are easier to handle. Then puberty hits and any hint of them liking being held goes right out the window.

Now some bunnies will sit in your lap or lay next to you. You can’t force it though. Most of the time, these bunnies are sitting there on their own terms. The owner makes their lap accessible and the bunny gets up there on their own.

As for holding your bunny… there is a lot of debate about this. Some bunnies can get “used” to being picked up. Do they like being picked up? No. Will they tolerate it? Yes, some bunnies can come to tolerate it. Personally, I prefer to work on them getting used to at least some handling because you don’t want to not be able to grab them in an emergency. But some people will disagree with me.

Getting them used to being picked up is a process. You don’t want to pick them up every time you interact with them because they will start to associate you with picking them up every time. But you can do some sessions where you briefly pick them up and reward them afterward. Definitely start small and make the experience as pleasant as possible. I had one rabbit that needed regular grooming. I would carry him into another room so I could thoroughly comb his long fur. When I returned him to his room, he knew to turn around the second his feet touched the floor because there was always a treat coming.

[DanaNM]

Agree with LBJ10 on everything. I’ve had many rabbits over the years and only 1 of them has liked to sit on my lap. We always joke that he’s “broken” lol.

One thing you can try is to use clicker training and positive reinforcement to slowly get your bun used to being handled. There are some useful videos on youtube about this, and it follows the principles of “cooperative care” in animal training. Here’s one example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6lv1vOAneA

 

. . . 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.  

[auntie]

Thank you for the suggestion on the clicker 😊

my friend doesn’t know how old the bunnies are as they came from an Amish farm

[Dally]

yes i agree with LBJ10 and DanaNM. I have three buns, and only one of which likes being held. But when im trying to catch the other buns (they run free on my screened in porch) i literally just lie down on the ground and eventually they get so curious enough and come over.

[BunnyLass568]

I have to agree with the others, Thumper doesn’t seem to mind to be held but he definitely prefers to be on the ground while Blossom wiggles and kicks hard whenever I pick her up. Sincerely,Cinnabun (aka Morgan) on YouTube has a video on what she did to get her rabbit Cinnabun to tolerate being picked up so maybe that could help you?

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Pets-Passed away: Hailey (9 years old, half rat terrier and miniature pincher, Feb-5-2019),Monster (13 years old, mixed breed, Lhasa Apso and some form of terrier, Sep-14-2020), Demon (14 year old Lhasa Apso, Aug-3-2022) Blossom (6 year old bunny breed(s) unknown, April-7-2024) Thumper (6 year old bunny breed(s) unknown, April-12-2024)💔💔💔💔

[Author]

Messages