Picking up bunny

[JLH]

I have had my Holland Lop since she was 8 weeks old, she is now a little over a year old. I had her spayed at 5 months old, she is also a free roaming house bunny. up until the age of 4 months I could pick her up and she would sit on my lap with no problem, after 4 months old she fights very hard to not be picked up. she will hop on my lap on her own, she will cuddle under a blanket with me, she sleeps in my room with me at night, she grooms me when I comb her hair. in other words she’s a very sweet loving bunny, but god forbid I pick her up. she seems to be able to sense when I’m about to pick her up as she will run. so when I do pick her up and sit her on my lap I hold onto her and pet her and talk softly to her for a few minutes, then I let her go to see if she will stay and she will dig on my pants and bite them, then she hops off and kicks me with her back legs, she will then sit a foot away from me with her back towards me and act really mad for a few minutes then she’s fine and will come up for a head rub. I only interact with her on the floor as I can tell she’s afraid of heights. trying to pick her up is a real problem as I take her to the vet every 5 weeks for a nail trim, and every 3 months a doctor exam with the nail trim. the thing is she doesn’t fight the vet tech that trims her nails or the doctor, she is only a little brat with me. any tips or is this just the way she’s gonna be? she is a very sassy little bunny, she also only let’s me interact with her on her time which is 6 p.m. to midnight, and 5 a.m. to noon. she’s the same way with my 8 year old grandaughter.

[DarthVadar]

Its so weird how rabbits can sense if you want to pick them up. And the sneakier you are about it, the more they know lol. Bunnies are prey animals; to them, being picked up means being eaten. Most rabbits hate being picked up. If they do like being picked up, its considered abnormal. There are ways to pick up even the most resistant rabbit: put one hand under her chest, behind her front paws, and the other on her butt. In this position, it becomes more difficult for her to jump out and hurt herself bc her feet have nothing to push off from. Most likely, your bunny will never like being picked up, but she may learn to tolerate it if you practice.
The time of day thing: that is pretty normal, too. Bunnies are most active in the morning and evening. They spend most of the day resting, and do not like being disturbed.

[JLH]

thank you for the reply. the way you described to pick up my bun is how her doctor showed me, the only problem is when I do try that way she can see me and she will smack my hands with her front paws and run. the only way I can pick her up is lay on the floor with her and give her a head rub until she is very calm and then real fast I grab her, when I do I also make sure I have a good hold on her back legs so she won’t hurt herself. her doctor told me a bunny can kick hard enough that it’s possible they can break their back. I showed her doctor how I catch her and pick her up and she said it’s fine as I am not going to injure her, and she said it seems the only way I will be able too. I pick her at least twice a day but she just won’t get used too it, maybe when she’s older. she’s such a wonderful little girl other than the picking up issue.

[FlemishDad]

I lure my bun into his cage with treats so I don’t *have* to pick him up even to take him places. He is not nearly as resistant as yours but when he does not want to be picked up it is hard to get into position to do the chest-and-butt grab, and of course that always happens when we are late for a vet appointment or nail trim. ?

Giving my bun treats after I pick him up has made him less resistant but he still resists. And I know what you mean about vet techs. Yesterday the vet tech picked him up “wrong” (both hands around chest and then put her hand under his feet) – and he didn’t struggle at all. How come I can’t do that?

[JLH]

my bunnies cage (which is too large to take her anywhere) has both doors removed as she only eat’s in there. as for her pet carrier she never falls for the treats trick. even when I put her in there and give her a treat to show her she is a good girl she won’t eat them. heck she won’t eat at all unless the food is in her bowl, she won’t eat from my hand either, she’s very funny about eating, if I put her bowl in a different spot in her cage she will move it where she wants it. the only thing she eat’s off the floor is hay from the multiple hay stations I have throughout the house. that being said, while typing this she came up and nudged my leg and I reached down and picked her up with one hand with no fight, she is now sitting on my desk while I’m typing, she is such a silly little bunny.

[DarthVadar]

The getting a bunny into a carrier with a treat thing never works for me either. Rabbits are smart little stinkers. As long as you have a way you know you can catch and pick her up, its ok. Problems arise when bunny owners do not have a clue how to pick up a bunny.

[Sir Ollie]

I also find that if I pet my bun for a while to get him calm and relaxed he is much easier to pick up. Time of day makes a difference for him though. Mid morning he is usually easy to pick up but he wants nothing to do with it if I try in the evening when he is active. I personally don’t pick him up and put him in my lap because he never wants to stay. If I sit on the floor and let him hop up on his own when he wants to get cuddles he will sit for like half an hour. Maybe I’m just lucky but my bun usually falls for the treat in the carrier trick haha. Although sometimes he’s smart enough to get the treat without going all the way in. I like to bring the carrier out now and then and let him explore and play in it so that he is used to it and doesn’t only associate it with going to the vet.

[JLH]

almost sounds like my bun, she is more willing to be picked during her active times though, this is why I make her vet appts for early morning around 8, she is active in the morning and evening. noon to 6 p.m. she is a grouch. when I bring the pet carrier in from the garage I can’t let her see it or she knows whats going on, she is the smartest animal I have ever seen.

[earlygirl]

It helps if you cover her head/eyes with one hand while sliding the other hand under her front legs and chest. Then I lean over my bun and cover her head with my chin so that I can move my hand to her butt. I think she feels more secure that way since she’s pressed up against my body before even leaving the ground, but it is kind of obnoxious to do lol

[JLH]

the biggest problem is she can sense when I’m going to pick her up, she will run off cause she just hates being picked up. I found once I have picked her up if I hold her in my arms like a new born baby she’s fine. she’s just going to be one of those bunnies that hates being picked up. she’s also stubborn and things have to be her way.

[Doodler]

I just wanted to make sure that when you say you hold her like a new born that you are not holding her on her back. Bunnies shouldn’t be placed on their backs. I know some people use this technique to ‘calm’ or even trance their rabbits but it actually frightens them. This has been known to stress some rabbits so much that it could actually kill them. If you mean that you hold her up and by your shoulder then that can be done safely. My rabbits are ok with that as long as they are being held securely. One of mine tends to dig at my shoulder to show his displeasure but I only hold mine when absolutely necessary.

[JLH]

No I don’t have her on her back, I learned before I got my bun to never do this. I see people on youtube do this and I wish I could take their bun away from them, as they think it’s funny. I have held her at a little bit of an angle but not enough that she is on her back, I can see she is still aware of whats going on and not in a trance. what I meant by holding her like a baby is I cradle her on both my forearms with her feet in my hands and she kinda sit’s there but not on her back.

[DarthVadar]

That is a fairly secure hold, but if her feet are in your hands, she might try to jump out of the hold using your hands to push off of.

[JLH]

I only hold her that way when sitting on the floor, when I catch her to put her in her carrier for a vet appt I make sure those strong feet of her’s are very secure so she cannot jump. (stubborn little bunny). thanks for everyone’s advice.

[LBJ10]

It’s normal for a bunny to dislike being picked up, so she will likely never enjoy being in your arms. I do agree with the others that you can work toward her tolerating it. Do you offer her a reward for being picked up? That’s what we did with our boys. They get a treat when they are good. This included being picked up for nail trims, etc. They were quite displeased at first, but they have grown to accept it and they look for their treat now.

[JLH]

she is so mad after I let her go that she won’t accept a treat, she will sit just a foot from me with her back towards me for about 5 mins then she’s ok. I don’t think it’s she really doesn’t like me to pick her up I think it’s because she want’s to be in charge, she is very sassy, I know she likes me cause she sleeps with me at night on my bed or she sleeps on a blanket on my nightstand. she will climb all over me when I’m laying on the floor with her etc. when she’s not sleeping during her alone time she follows me everywhere, she want’s to play under the blanket with me on the living room floor, or with her toys. she got so mad last night when I picked her up and sat her on my lap she took a mouth full of my shirt and pulled on it then gave me a small little bite on my chest, but she sat there after that and wanted her head and neck rub which put’s her to sleep. like I said she is sassy and wants to be in charge.

[DanaNM]

I’ve had some pretty squirrel-y buns, here’s my strategy

In terms of technique, you want to do it in such a way that they are very supported, and also very sure that they won’t be able to squirm away. Firmness is key (obviously not squeezing them too much though!). Often bunnies squirm because they don’t feel supported.

I’m right handed! My technique is to first place the back of my right hand on the ground in front of them (so I’m facing the bunny head-on), as though I’m going to pet them (and sometimes I do pet for a few minutes to make sure they’re calm). Then I place my left hand on their bum, so my left forearm is along the left side of them. I simultaneously slide my right hand under their front end on the right side (like their arm pits). Lift the front and and scoop their bum towards me, so their bum is in my left hand, but back feet are not touching anything, and the side of their body is pressed against my forearm. So now they are lifted off the ground, with both front and hind end supported. I then immediately pull them close to my body, and usually will tuck their head under my left arm, so their right side is now pressed against my body. Doing this blocks their vision and makes them much less likely to struggle as they are held on all sides. I of course make sure their nose is exposed!

I’ve been able to hold squirmy buns briefly with just my left hand this way (head tucked under my arm, bum in left hand, left side against left forearm, right side against my body), leaving my right hand free to open carrier doors, etc.

For vet visits, you might try luring her into a carrier with treats. I know a lot of members have trained their bunnies to go to their carriers that way. I leave mine out and open all the time, and feed them their pellets in it, so they think of it as a nice hidey-box, vs. a scary new object.

You can also work on de-sensitizing her to touch with food as well. Here’s another thread where they discuss ways to desensitize bunnies to touch using rewards as well as clicker training: https://binkybunny.com/FORUM/tabid/54/aft/127512/Default.aspx

The best tip I see on that thread is: “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 “

. . . 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.  

[JLH]

my bun can read my mind, as soon as I think of picking her up she runs away, and don’t touch her bum, she comes unhinged. she let’s me do anything I want to do with her except picking her up. the only way I can is to really fast grab her with both hands and put her against my chest. she’s fine while I’m holding her, it’s when I let her go she let’s me know it made her mad. she doesn’t fall for the treats trick either, even after getting her in the carrier to go to the vet if I give her some carrots (her favorite) to make her feel she’s being a good girl she won’t touch them and turns her back to me. we get along so good I guess I will just have to accept the fact she is the kind of bunny that doesn’t like to be picked up, her doctor told me most bunnies are this way.

[Antar The Bunny]

I feel your pain! My bun is super friendly (even the vet commented on it) but he hates me picking him up. I don’t really care because so far I’ve been able to lure him into his carrier with food when needed. I would love to get him to tolerate it though just in case. When he went to the vet he freaked so badly about being picked up that he jumped out of the vet tech’s arms twice! The second time he made a squeal that broke my heart. The vet wound up doing his exam on the floor.

Don’t feel bad if she doesn’t let you pick her up, you’re not the only one. The internet has you thinking everyone’s bunny loves to be held, dressed up, and walked on a leash, so it’s easy to think there’s something you’re doing wrong, but like most people have said this is the nature of bunnies. It sounds like she’s still pretty loving which is great.

[Coco]

When I met my bun, a young girl was holding her. Twice this girl was holding her like bun was just fine with this. Then I got to pick her up twice! Not since. I had to “trap” her into her carrier for her vet visit for spay. I had a boy bunny whom never had his nails done in the 9 years that I had him! Didn’t even know that was to be done! He didn’t get picked up because he would jump up to sit with me. This new bun will come out when I call her name & click my fingers on the floor, but mostly has nothing to do with me ?

[Coco]

I care less about picking her up than I do about her letting me love her. Not sure why she prefers to hide out except for the few moments

[JLH]

I should add that when she was a baby she let me pick her up no problem, when she became a teenager it was all over. I can pick her up when I need to it’s just she get’s so mad just like a kid. my expert bunny vet only performs bunny exams on the floor, she will not hold a bunny while standing up nor do her techs, she knows that a bunny can jump out of your arms and be injured really bad. she also has one exam room at her office that is for bunnies only so there is only bunny scent in the room. my bunny will drop one ball of poo in each corner and then pick one corner to pee, the vet said she’s doing that to let other bunnies know that she’s the top bunny now, LOL. thank you for everyone’s help and, your bunny stories, I love hearing about other bunnies.

[Author]

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