Picking up a stubborn bunny

[Zoe_dej]

I adopted Henry back in April. I got him from a breeder who was done using him so he is around 3 years old. She said he was handled everyday but I’m not so sure about that. When I picked him up the first day I had him he kicked and jumped out of my arms. Luckily I maneuvered him back into the car before he got out of my hands
Now everytime I try to pick him up he kicks and runs off to hide. He isn’t neutered yet so he has a vet appointment next week to schedule that. I’m worried that the vet is going to need me to pick him up and I won’t be able to. He isn’t afraid of my hand being near him, he eats out of my hand and nudges it for pets. Does anyone have any tips on how to get him to become more comfortable with being picked up that don’t take months? Thank you so much.

[Bam]

99,9% of adult bunnies absolutely hate being picked up. Getting picked up equals about to become somebody’s dinner. So the behavior is perfectly normal and any vet and vet tech that has any experience with rabbits knows this and will be prepared. A top-opening carrier is good for vet visits. You can put a puppy pee pad in the bottom and on top of that a fleece blanket scrunched up so part of the walls are covered, so the bun feels supported while the carrier is carried.

You should bring some food for him so he can start eating when he wakes up, fragrant herbs are often appreciated post-neuter. He should not fast the night before surgery and if the vet shouldn’t tell you to fast him because that means they don’t know rabbits well. A receptionist could tell you to fast him out of routine, because it’s standard for all other animals, but you should feed him his breakfast just like normal on the day of the surgery.

The bunny burrito is good when handling a bun that doesn’t appreciate being handled. 

[ThorBunny]

Most of us on here have buns that don’t enjoy being picked up, unfortunately it is not something that can really be trained out of them

I don’t pick up Thor at all unless I absolutely have to. When I need to move her, I’ve trained her to hop into a little basket using treat rewards. At first all I did was lure her in and give her a treat, then I picked it up really briefly and rewarded with a treat, and so on. Now she loves to be picked up in the basket or on her little ikea doll bed just for fun and carried around for “rides,” but she still loathes being picked up directly. The basket technique is nice for getting her on the table at vet exams, or to pick her up at home for grooming or moving her from room to room. At the vet if I don’t bring a basket the techs are also much more experienced at picking up wiggly bunnies, sometimes they use the towel/bunny burrito method. If they are experienced with rabbits they will know what to expect!

Good luck with your neuter Henry!

[Kristen]

My bun doesn’t LOVE being picked up, but I usually start with rubs on the back of her head behind her ears for a few minutes, and then scoop her up once she’s already calm. She freaks out when she’s held certain ways- through a process of trial and a lot of error, I’ve found that facing her towards my chest with her nose by my nose is the best way. I support her bum with one hand and then have my other hand across her back. See if Henry responds better to that.

[carolinel9]

My picking up method is to always keep one hand on his back legs, because if he decides to freak out he will start flailing his back legs and potentially hurt himself/fall. When I first got him he really didn’t like being picked up, but now he associates it with getting to run around the apartment (since I pick him up to take him out of his area), so he’s pretty good about it. I also try to hold him very close and securely to he knows he won’t get dropped.

[Miswhitness]

Mine used to put up a fight, but now she tolerates it without a problem. 

There is a right way to hold your rabbit if you didn’t know: I go under the arms with one hand and scoop up the bum with my other in a swift motion. Bring them to your chest quickly. Make them feel secure. 

What helps is petting them a lot prior to picking them up to relax them. You can also try testing the boundaries occasionally by getting them relaxed into a petting session, and then lift their front half up, and gently bring them down again. This gets them more used to being handled. Also, sometimes my rabbit will put her front paws on me if i’m sitting cross-legged. I saw that as a perfect opportunity to slide my hands under her to get her used to the feeling. One last thing that really helped the process was redirecting my rabbit every time she was doing something naughty. Both my SO and I scoop her up whenever we want her to move. we don’t bring her far up from the ground, but rather just enough to where she’s still being handled. 

I also pick my rabbit up to take her in the car for adventures. (I don’t generally use a carrier). This instilled trust into her. 

The important thing is to make sure you’re trying to handle them as often as possible, even if they temporarily hate you for it. It will pay off in the long run. 

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