How to get Zeus to willingly go into his pet carrier?

[bunnnnnnie!]

So the last few days, thanks to some idiot in my apartment complex thinking it’s funny to pull the fire alarms, I have had to evacuate the building twice.  So that meant getting Zeus into his carrier, QUICKLY.  Obviously I wasn’t aware that it was a false alarm either time (someone told me about the prankster idiot after the 2nd time), so for all I knew it was a real emergency and that me and Zeus had to get outta there NOW!

Both times, I’m reluctant to admit, I literally had to drag Zeus into the carrier.  Of course I’m careful about it and don’t hurt him.. he doesn’t even struggle or fight.  He just puts the brakes on and refuses to move the second he realizes he’s going into the carrier.  I hate having to MAKE him do something, but in an emergency you gotta do what you gotta do.  He’s forgiven me very quickly for doing it both times.

So I’m just wondering if there’s a way to train him to go into the carrier on his own accord, in a QUICK and reliable manner.  TREATS DON’T WORK.  He’s not a very food-driven bun, and really doesn’t care if you put a carrot in there the size of my arm.  He’s NOT tempted by food.

Any ideas?  Or am I going to have to continue towing his little butt in there?

[Karla]

It’s your lucky day  ’Cause I just bookmarked this about 20 minutes ago:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3H1p8mTpwWc

It’s on how to clicker train you bunny to go into the carrier.

Good luck! And remember rewards are not only treats, but can be toys, pets or anything else tha Zeus loves.

[bunnnnnnie!]

Posted By Karla on 07/19/2010 11:11 AM

It’s your lucky day  ’Cause I just bookmarked this about 20 minutes ago:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3H1p8mTpwWc

It’s on how to clicker train you bunny to go into the carrier.

Good luck! And remember rewards are not only treats, but can be toys, pets or anything else tha Zeus loves.

 

Great video!  I’ve been thinking of trying clicker training with Zeus.

[Elrohwen]

You can try clicking, but I find it works best with food motivated buns. Mine are food motivated, but not enough to go into the scary carrier!

I found they were much more willing when we used the carrier every day. During bonding they had to get in carriers, go upstairs, bond, then get back into the carriers to return downstairs. After only a couple days of this, they realized nothing bad was going to happen (no vet visits) and sucked it up and went in on their own. Is there a part of your house where Zeus doesn’t go? It could be fun for him to get loaded into the carrier and go to a new area. Or maybe outside. You’ll still have to shove him in at first, but if he’s like my two he’ll figure out what you want after a few days.

However, now that bonding is done and they only go in the carrier to go to the vet for nail trims, they’re much more resistant. So I think if you want to make a positive change and keep it going, you need to work with him in the carrier every day in short sessions until he realizes what you want from him.

I find it easier to just corner them and shove them in, personally. lol

[bunnnnnnie!]

Posted By Elrohwen on 07/19/2010 12:01 PM

You can try clicking, but I find it works best with food motivated buns. Mine are food motivated, but not enough to go into the scary carrier!

I found they were much more willing when we used the carrier every day. During bonding they had to get in carriers, go upstairs, bond, then get back into the carriers to return downstairs. After only a couple days of this, they realized nothing bad was going to happen (no vet visits) and sucked it up and went in on their own. Is there a part of your house where Zeus doesn’t go? It could be fun for him to get loaded into the carrier and go to a new area. Or maybe outside. You’ll still have to shove him in at first, but if he’s like my two he’ll figure out what you want after a few days.

However, now that bonding is done and they only go in the carrier to go to the vet for nail trims, they’re much more resistant. So I think if you want to make a positive change and keep it going, you need to work with him in the carrier every day in short sessions until he realizes what you want from him.

I find it easier to just corner them and shove them in, personally. lol

 

Unfortunately there’s really no place for me to take him.  I live in a studio apartment, there’s only 2 “rooms” to my apartment.. the living room/kitchen, and the bathroom.  He has regular access to both already.

Going outside isn’t really an option because of the heat, and I don’t know if they treat the grass around here.

Maybe I’ll just try and get him to go in there every day, and just not make a big deal out of it.  Once he’s in there, he’s fine, he’ll even eat in there and stuff if he’s hungry (he was in there for a 2 hour car ride so I put some lettuce in there with him, which he ate along the way).  It’s just he doesn’t appreciate being made to go ANYWHERE he doesn’t WANT to go.

[mocha200]

i leave the pet carrier out with the door open in my room during play time and they can go in and out of it and on top of it so they get used to it. ( it makes them less scared but i still have to drag them in there.

[foxtailskies]

Three words: top loading carrier. Greatest invention ever By the time they realize they’re in, it’s too late and you’ve already shut the door! I don’t know what I’d do without mine. Wish the handles weren’t made of thin-ish metal (hurts my hands when i have 2 buns or a large cat in them) but LORD they are so much easier than front-loading…

I also leave my carriers out during playtime- same policy with the cat. Nutter uses his as a “vacation home” when he’s out playing, and hangs out in there The only problem I could see with clicker training is in an emergency, you’re going to be stressed (even if it’s a fire drill) and your rabbit will read that, and may or may not respond to your command. That said, conditioning to get used to a carrier is NEVER a bad thing! It might just be worthwhile to have a backup plan in case things don’t go smoothly.

[bunnnnnnie!]

Posted By foxtailskies on 07/19/2010 01:39 PM
Three words: top loading carrier. Greatest invention ever By the time they realize they’re in, it’s too late and you’ve already shut the door! I don’t know what I’d do without mine. Wish the handles weren’t made of thin-ish metal (hurts my hands when i have 2 buns or a large cat in them) but LORD they are so much easier than front-loading…

I also leave my carriers out during playtime- same policy with the cat. Nutter uses his as a “vacation home” when he’s out playing, and hangs out in there The only problem I could see with clicker training is in an emergency, you’re going to be stressed (even if it’s a fire drill) and your rabbit will read that, and may or may not respond to your command. That said, conditioning to get used to a carrier is NEVER a bad thing! It might just be worthwhile to have a backup plan in case things don’t go smoothly.

Top loading carrier?  So does that mean you have to pick them up and put them down into it, kinda like a box?

If so, that definitely wouldn’t work in Zeus’s case.  He does NOT like being picked up at all.  We’re working on it, but even if he does improve in that area I’d rather drag him in then drop him in.

 

[bunnnnnnie!]

Posted By mocha200 on 07/19/2010 12:16 PM
i leave the pet carrier out with the door open in my room during play time and they can go in and out of it and on top of it so they get used to it. ( it makes them less scared but i still have to drag them in there.

Yeah the carrier is out with the door open 24/7.  He occasionally will go in and sniff around, he’s not afraid of the carrier itself.  He just wants to go in on his own accord, not when I tell him to.
 

[Deleted User]

Try leaving the carrier in his habitat all the time stuffed with hay. He may start to use it for hiding and, well, pooping and this should make him like it in there.

[Deleted User]

Like this

(this was a temporary habitat for some foster buns)

[bunnnnnnie!]

Posted By Petzy on 07/19/2010 02:06 PM
Try leaving the carrier in his habitat all the time stuffed with hay. He may start to use it for hiding and, well, pooping and this should make him like it in there.

 

Hahaha, so I should turn it into a bunny port-a-john?!

[Deleted User]

yes.

[Michelle&Lolli]

This isn’t exactly the safest option, but for an emergency, it might work the best. I have put mine in a laundry basket with a towel in the bottom and then one over the top of it to take them to the vet. I do have a carrier, but only one and it’s just easier for me to just put them in a laundry basket. Fortunately, I do not have to take them to the vet very often. Otherwise I would invest in another carrier.

In your case with the idiots in your complex, it might be the easiest thing to just pick him up and put him in the laundry basket and then go out the door. Either way, he’s not going to like it. Mine don’t. lol

[Sarita]

Is your carrier top opening? That is the best type of carrier for a rabbit. It’s easy to put them in and take them out with this type of carrier. Sometimes in an emergency you don’t have time to coax, you have to stick them in the carrier and go.

[bunnnnnnie!]

Posted By Sarita on 07/19/2010 02:21 PM
Is your carrier top opening? That is the best type of carrier for a rabbit. It’s easy to put them in and take them out with this type of carrier. Sometimes in an emergency you don’t have time to coax, you have to stick them in the carrier and go.

No it’s like this:
 

Like I said previously, he is not comfortable at all being picked up yet, and fights and kicks like mad.  It’s not attitude, he’s afraid.   At least when I have to drag him, he’s not afraid, just stubborn.

[Elrohwen]

My carriers are top loading, but I always put the buns in through the front doors anyway. Half the time, if I leave the door open, Hannah will check it out. With Otto, I just corner him in the pen (I always make sure he’s confined in a pen first, so he knows he can’t run far) then I put a hand behind his butt and shove him in. When I was bonding, it got to the point where I could corner him and he would run right in.

I do like top loading for the vet, because it’s so much easier for them to get the bunnies in and out, but I don’t use the top loading part with my buns often.

[Monkeybun]

I pretty much ONLY use the top loadign part of my carriers. Even for Monkey, the Queen of No-Touchy. She is learning to deal with me picking her up, as sometimes there just isn’t an option. It’s really best if they get used to being put in a carrier.

[Beka27]

Top-loading is definitely the safest and least stressful for most rabbits, and it’s also the easiest way to get the OUT at the vet’s office. I had one that did not have a door on top and I was always so worried about getting them in. Even if he doesn’t like being lifted, you could gently drape a small towel or blanket over him to block his view, and then lift him the couple feet to put him in the top. Most rabbits will freeze when their vision is cut off.

[bunnnnnnie!]

Posted By Beka27 on 07/20/2010 08:01 AM
Top-loading is definitely the safest and least stressful for most rabbits, and it’s also the easiest way to get the OUT at the vet’s office. I had one that did not have a door on top and I was always so worried about getting them in. Even if he doesn’t like being lifted, you could gently drape a small towel or blanket over him to block his view, and then lift him the couple feet to put him in the top. Most rabbits will freeze when their vision is cut off.

I don’t quite understand how top load carriers are considered the least stressful, when I’d say the MAJORITY of rabbits don’t like being picked up? .

Also I’m not going to buy an entirely new carrier when I have a perfectly good one already.  Also, Zeus takes great offense to his eyes being covered, thank you very much.  He doesn’t freeze, he does the opposite and just starts going nuts to try and get free.

He doesn’t like being dragged/pushed in, but at least it doesn’t frighten him.  I’d rather avoid him becoming frightened of going in the carrier.  If I get a top load one, I’m quite certain he’ll become afraid of it.

 

[Beka27]

Like I said, “for MOST rabbits”. While it’s true that the majority of rabbits don’t like to be held for an extended length of time, they can tolerate being lifted a short distance while their body is supported correctly. Zeus certainly seems to be the exception… lol. When someone asks for advice on which type of carrier to buy, a top-loading door is always first on my list of recommendations for rabbits.

[bunnnnnnie!]

Posted By Beka27 on 07/20/2010 11:26 AM
Like I said, “for MOST rabbits”. While it’s true that the majority of rabbits don’t like to be held for an extended length of time, they can tolerate being lifted a short distance while their body is supported correctly. Zeus certainly seems to be the exception… lol. When someone asks for advice on which type of carrier to buy, a top-loading door is always first on my list of recommendations for rabbits.

 

Yeah, I am still confused why top loading would be considered less stressful for most buns though.  Like I said, if most buns don’t like being picked up, then why would a carrier that requires you to pick them up be less stressful?  To me it seems like it’d be just the opposite, but I also have no experiences except for Zeus’s to base my guesses on.

[Monkeybun]

It’s less stressful because you don’t have to try to pull an unwilling bunny forward out the door in a scary place. That causes them more stress than just lifting up and plopping down does.

[bunnnnnnie!]

Posted By Monkeybun on 07/20/2010 12:12 PM
It’s less stressful because you don’t have to try to pull an unwilling bunny forward out the door in a scary place. That causes them more stress than just lifting up and plopping down does.

I still don’t see how that’s less stressful, either way they’re being forced out of their carrier into a scary place.   But I’ll have to take your word for it.

 

[BinkyBunny]

I think the difference is that though yes, they don’t want to be picked up and yes, that will be stressful, they are eager to get down, and at that point it doesn’t matter if they are going down into a carrier, they just want to get out of your arms and back on their feet. So mine will not hesitate to then go into the carrier from the top.

I recently got a carrier (designed by the dog whisper brand) that makes it very easy for the whole top to come off. That way a bunny isn’t entering a scary dark carrier, but going into something that seems similar to a litterbox. Then once they are in, the trickaroo happens, and the top goes on and then I click everything together. It may still be too cumbersome for when you are in a hurry unless you’ve practiced it.

However, I think clicker training is a great way to teach a bunny to go into the carrier. Some bunnies are not as food motivated (like my bunny Bailey was, but she like getting head scratches more…so we clicker trained with that)

[Monkeybun]

BB, I use the Dog whisperer ones as well! They are great carriers. I have a smaller one for Monkey,and a larger one for Moosie. The larger will fit both of them once they are bonded

[BinkyBunny]

Monkeybun– They come in so handy at the vets office as Viv and Jack do NOT want to come out and trying to maneuver from the top is difficult and it’s impossible from the the front. However, with the dog whisperer one, I can easily take the top off when the vet comes in the room and it just makes the whole thing easier.

[Monkeybun]

Definitely! Monkey hates one of the vets at our clinic. She does the whole cage aggressive thing with her. Much easier to lift her out than try to drag her, fighting her claws and teeth

[foxtailskies]

Posted By Monkeybun on 07/20/2010 12:12 PM
It’s less stressful because you don’t have to try to pull an unwilling bunny forward out the door in a scary place. That causes them more stress than just lifting up and plopping down does.

I would also like to add that in a top-loader, it’s more difficult for cats and presumably bunnies to pull off a move that I have affectionately termed “the starfish”- splaying limbs out every which-way to be as large as possible, making it nearly impossible for you to either push the pet into or extract it from the tiny front door of a carrier, whatever the pet’s mood is that day The top door is generally larger and makes it harder for the crazy limbs to get stuck. I say “presumably” for buns because I’ve always used top-loaders for mine, not sure what kind of antics they’d pull if I tried to stuff them in the front I would imagine those gigantic hind feet are highly effective at starfishing though…

I also have to say that while I have… let’s just say, pronounced philosophical differences with Mr. Millan over training (*grumble*)… it actually looks like a well-designed carrier, with a much comfier handle than mine… if they could remove his name from it I’d totally upgrade…

[Beka27]

The “starfish”! What a perfect term! I’ve also been worried about them catching/tearing a nail while trying to put them in thru the front door, so even before I had a top-loading carrier, I’d take off the entire top, quickly put the bunny in and then bring the top down before they had time to react.

[bunnnnnnie!]

Maybe that’s why I don’t really see the carrier I have as stressful.. Zeus isn’t the fighting kinda guy.  The only resistance he ever gives me is just refusing to move.  If he was really nutty about going in or out of the carrier, then yeah picking him up might be a better choice just to get it over with.  But he prefers the passive resistance, “dead weight” method of protest.

[Beka27]

He really does sound like such a big sweetie! I love Zeus! I might just have to drive in your direction and bunnap that big guy. (I’ll have to remember to bring my front-loading carrier… lol!)

[bunnnnnnie!]

Posted By Beka27 on 07/23/2010 07:54 AM
He really does sound like such a big sweetie! I love Zeus! I might just have to drive in your direction and bunnap that big guy. (I’ll have to remember to bring my front-loading carrier… lol!)

Bring diced carrots too, Zeus requests!  

And he really is a sweet bun, I’m so lucky to have him.  I really couldn’t have asked for an easier first bun, especially considering I agreed to take him sight unseen and with no clue what his personality was like.

 

[Elrohwen]

I love the term “starfish”! Haha. My bunnies are definitely pros at that once we get to the vet’s office!

Like I said, I don’t have issues loading them into the carrier through the front, but I wouldn’t want to be the vet who has to stick my hands into a carrier right at a scared bunny. At least with a top loader, the vet can come in from above and the bunny doesn’t have much opportunity to react. I imagine vets get bit a lot (from bunnies and cats) when they have to stick their hands in that front door and grope around.

[bunnnnnnie!]

Posted By Elrohwen on 07/23/2010 01:08 PM
I love the term “starfish”! Haha. My bunnies are definitely pros at that once we get to the vet’s office!

Like I said, I don’t have issues loading them into the carrier through the front, but I wouldn’t want to be the vet who has to stick my hands into a carrier right at a scared bunny. At least with a top loader, the vet can come in from above and the bunny doesn’t have much opportunity to react. I imagine vets get bit a lot (from bunnies and cats) when they have to stick their hands in that front door and grope around.

 

Most vets I know let the owner remove their pet from the carrier.  Smart vets!

[Sarita]

I usually drop my rabbits off at the vets so they have to get them out of the carrier and into the cage so I imagine they appreciate my top loading carrier :~)

[bunnnnnnie!]

Posted By Sarita on 07/23/2010 01:40 PM
I usually drop my rabbits off at the vets so they have to get them out of the carrier and into the cage so I imagine they appreciate my top loading carrier :~)

And I’m sure my vet would appreciate not having to deal with 10 lbs of frightened, flailing “OMG DON’T PICK ME UP!” Zeus.
 

[Dee]

I have a rough time loading my buns- or actually, one of my buns…my lady bunny, Nelli. BunBun, her husband, is quite docile and doesn’t like being picked up, but he will tolerate it. I have a frontloading carrier- the top also comes off, but by the time I put the top on it, Nelli would have hopped out. She’s an amazing jumper and very quick. I have never attempted to pick Nelli up- she won’t even let me brush her half the time, which is awful cuz she’s a fuzzy lop. She goes to the vet for her “haircuts”, pedicures and matt removals- BunBun has to come along so we have his nails done too, and sometimes a little bum fuzz trimming- lol.
My buns have a couple cardboard boxes that they hide out in- they each have 2 “doorways” cut in them. So when I bring out the carrier, Nelli inevitably goes to hide in one of her boxes. I block one door with a piece of plywood , and put the open carrier in front of the other door. Then I move the plywood blocking the other door just enough to reach my arm in and give Nelli a little poke to her behind. She HATES having her butt touched, so she shoots forward into the carrier- and I shut the door. Then I load BunBun in, and off we go. Lots of fun but I don’t have much choice.

[Monkeybun]

Fox…. I peeled the Dog Whisperer stickers and labels off of my carriers so i can pretend they aren’t his lol.

[Author]

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