How to reduce stress of catching bunny for treatment

[Meg]

Hi everyone!

I would love your advice on how to reduce the stress for my bunny, Teddy, while he gets stasis treatment.  Basically, he likes to hang out under the bed to feel secure, so I want him to be able to do that so he can rest and heal.  But it’s very hard for me to catch him when he’s under there, meaning that each time I have to give him his treatments, there’s a long and stressful chasing process.  :/

Until recently, Teddy lived with me and his BFF Athena in a studio apartment that had a little bedroom nook with an open doorway where I slept.  At night I would place a gate in that doorway so the bunnies couldn’t get under the bed (and wake me with digging the rug), and they would have the rest of the apt, including their litterbox area and hidey houses, to hang out in.  When one had stasis I would keep the gate down, mostly to preclude this chasing issue.

 But a few months ago Athena passed on, and then Teddy and I moved into a house with my fiancé and his cat.  So now Teddy lives in a bedroom, with my old bed and all his hidey houses, etc., and the door is always closed.  The same rug is under the bed so he can go there anytime he wants, and there’s no longer any easy way to block off the bed, though I’m sure I could think of something. 

 But like I say, I want him to be able to take refuge under the bed during the stressful time of recovering from stasis, and I don’t want to stress him out by putting strange barriers around it all of a sudden, you know? On the other hand, especially now that he’s stronger, he really puts up a fight not to be caught, and it’s stressful for both of us.  It can take anywhere from 5 to 20 minutes to catch him (it’s hard for me to squeeze under there and I can’t reach him when he’s in the middle) and lately I’ve been having to grab him in a way that makes me worried I’ll accidentally hurt him one of these times. (Like, grabbing him while he’s running away, catching him around the hips — things I’d think of as real no-nos.)  If he’s not under the bed, I can usually find a way to corner him eventually so it’s not such a big deal, and I can pick him up more gently.  (For a day or two I was able to get him to run out from under the bed, but he’s wised up since then.)

 What do you think?  Which is the lesser of the two evils for him?  Or is there a better approach than these options? 

Thank you so much!!

 

[Wick & Fable]

I’m sorry to hear about both of your distress. It can be a difficult time, balancing stress for the sake of well-being and stress of ailment.

“I’ve been having to grab him in a way that makes me worried I’ll accidentally hurt him one of these times. (Like, grabbing him while he’s running away, catching him around the hips…” – While this is not preferable, I can speak from experience in saying that, as long as your not actually squeezing your hands inward, this shouldn’t be too harmful. I do it often when Wick prematurely bolts during a grooming or medication session. It looks very spastic and harmful, but I am careful not to actually grip and clench with my hands during.

My recommendation is having a sort of “flag” to associate with medication time. I reached a point with Wick that he had medication administrations so often, he’d run away from me whenever I’d get near him. I began using a rag as a placemat for all medication/grooming needs. So he bolts when he sees the rag, but every other time, he knows he can feel safe. I suggest this because it’s good to retain to your rabbit that his/her safe spaces are indeed safe, but there are times we need to intrude, so I created the rag as a signal for that. I lay it on the floor to show Wick, then he knows it’s go time.

For short-term, can you lure him into a box or litter box with a treat, then pick him out of the box?

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.

[DanaNM]

Sorry Teddy is poorly, but him fighting more is a good sign!

I wonder if you could block most of the bed, but leave access to a hidey-box under the bed (or even his carrier used as a hidey box). Then if he retreats to under the bed, he will only be able to go to that hiding spot, where it would be easier to get him?

. . . 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.  

[Meg]

Thank you so much! This is all really helpful. And that’s a good idea about the rag. I use a certain regretful tone of voice, saying “OK, bunny, this time I really am here to catch you,” only when I’m about to, but a visual cue would probably be better.

Unfortunately he’s way too smart to fall for a lure — he learned to be suspicious of those many years ago! But I will work on the situation. Today I made a change that makes it a bit easier to catch him under the bed so we’ll see how that goes.

Thanks so much for all your advice! : )

[Author]

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