pumbaa just HATES

[babypumbaa]

being on his back!!!!  is  this outa the norm for a rabbit?  i see pics of all ya’ll buns on their backs all nice a zoncked out… there’s no way in heck pumbaa will tolerate it!!!

we’ve been doing it every so often since we got him 2months ago (he was about10-11wks) & he’s HATED it from the beginning!  we wrap him, sweet talk him, pet him…& nodda! he spazzes everytime.  we don’t force him in any way & don’t do it often at all… i just wish he would let us cause they just look so dang cute all content on their humans laps.

 

 

[Stickerbunny]

Eek. Don’t keep doing that if he doesn’t like it. The “cute content” look is actually a prey response rabbits have called “trance” commonly – they essentially play dead to try to save themselves from a predator. Not all rabbits will trance and even then, you shouldn’t trance them unless there is a reason. With rabbits that don’t trance, it can be dangerous as they can flip around and potentially injure their spines in the freak out. If you need to hold him for whatever reason, use a bunny burrito or other method of holding him. But yes, most rabbits HATE being held, they are a prey species so being held to their instinct means “DANGER!”.

[jerseygirl]

Ditto ^.

Avoid doing it on purpose. Its sometimes referred to as tonic immobility. It can be useful when wanting to check or clean their anal glands but they need to be held securely and keep it brief.

[babypumbaa]

oh, now i feel horrible!!! this is why i love this place… thank you.
he’s usually been burritoed when we do it…thinking that would make him feel secure. we basically thought it would be easier to cli his nails that way, but we just burrito him securely & he tolerates it. he loves being held, snuggled & fussed/groomed over tho..in the normal position of course. lol!

[bunnyfriend]

I wouldn’t put rabbits onto their backs unless absolutely necessary. It is a prey response that they have no control over, and which means in normal circumstances out in the wild that they have been caught and are about to be eaten. It is their last ditch effort to survive. Some rabbits look “calm” during a trance, but really they are just paralyzed and very scared. They are the opposite from content [look for physical clues: shaking, rapid breathing, struggling to turn back over, ect.]. There is a reason why he hates it. If you must do it for cleaning glands do it very quickly. I know they look cute sometimes on their backs, but it’s just not good for them and will make them lose trust in you.

[bunnyfriend]

Oh don’t feel bad! You didn’t know!!! And I for sure don’t think your intentions were bad

[babypumbaa]

oh, they weren’t at all!! & i will never do that to him again… i can’t believe he’s never been nippy–in which i wouldn’t blame him…i’d nip me too!! they just look so cute, in what i thought, was a “happy napping” position.
thanks again 🙂

[bunnyfriend]

Heehee I know they do look so adorable that way.

[Beka27]

They do look incredibly cute that, it’s not often you get to see a soft, smushy bunny tummy. Meadow will not trance, I’ve tried a few times and as soon as she turns over she flips herself back and I’m too worried about her hurting herself. Max will trance, but his poor little feet tremble, so I won’t do it to him b/c he’s already a scaredy bun. My first rabbit (years ago), would trance very easily, and he did appear to be calm, no shaking or rapid breathing or anything. So it is an option for some people for trimming nails. But there are other ways to do it that are less stressful for you both.

[Monkeybun]

I trance all of mine for nail trims, its the only way to get them to sit still for it. ANd it definitely doesn’t paralyze Moose, he’s all Mister Wiggles during his trims, and is always trying to escape the Evil Clippers.

[Elrohwen]

Mine hate to be picked up in any way and definitely hate being placed on their backs. Some rabbits do trance when you do this, but it’s not really relaxation, so I wouldn’t do it except for nail trims or other grooming needs.

[bunnytowne]

Good thing you don’t have to give oral meds.    Cotton fights like crazy til he gets tired.  Then I can give him what ever meds he needs.

And trimming the nails.   He wiggles n squirms then too.  Til I get 1 paw done then he sort of settles down.   He is very feisty and challenging to care for.

[Joyfull_music]

I only do it for nail trims if she is being a pain about the bunny burrito. She does not fully trace and will shake, but at least we can get the nails trimmed. She sometimes kicks her way out of a burrito, so we use holding her on her back as a last resort to keep her from hurting herself by kicking out.

[babypumbaa]

he’s actually really good… he doesn’t want me to clip them, but he tolerates it.   it just takes me so dang long because with all the fur around the nails i can’t see.  with my dogs, i’m lickety split.

& i can’t believe i’m gonna write this aloud for all to read, but i’m nervous about being bit!!  which normally i guess would be the duh..& normal thing .. BUT  i shouldn’t be & my partner thinks i’m silly because for 10yrs i worked/manged a doggie daycare & we would have u to 75 dogs of all breeds & sizes, & if they got into fight.. i/the staff would have to brake it up.  i’ve been bitten twice which needed stitches… i have a high tolerance for pain so i wrapped them up & finished my shifts.   to this day i would not & have not hesitated to break up a dog fight if needed(owners who are scared ect..)  i did grooming too… not 1 bit of scaredy cat in me till it comes to this 2lb rabbit.  oy!

[Stickerbunny]

Stickers doesn’t hesitate to bite me if she’s annoyed, but she has never once bitten me while clipping. But it’s normal to be a bit scared of being bitten by something unknown like that – like my mother is fine getting cut, her fingers crushed, she’s hit her knee with an axe before, she gets bit by dogs all the time, but she’s scared to death to get bitten by her bird. It’s probably more the unknown/unfamiliar pain you are scared of, since you know what a dog bite feels like and you know it’s fine and you’re used to it, but you aren’t used to a bunny bite. And blunt teeth can for sure hurt. I think they are usually too stressed out to bite during a clip though, they prefer to play dead / try to squirm away.

[FrankieFlash]

the fact that he hasn’t bit you yet means he probably won’t unless extreme stress or fear is my understanding. Or some teenage boy hormones kick in
But I thought I would share my experience with biting. Bunjamin has bit me three times since I had him. Once during free range when I was the thing blocking somewhere he wasn’t allowed to go. Second, when I was fumbling with a treat and he was apparently STARVING haha. and once he thought my pants tasted good and bit my knee (of course it was the bad knee with scars and stuff). But he was under 4 months on all those occasions and I responded with a higher pitch ow (usually out of shock) and I think he understood that it was bad. As for the pain, I’ve been bit by dogs, birds, and cats and bunny was definitely the least painful. Hope this helps!

[babypumbaa]

thanks.. it does!!

[amysbunnersons]

you can use a nylon pushed over the footsie to push the fur back i have tried this but mine are very good with clipping and its faster to just move fur for me…..i just used a knee high one cheep brand

[amysbunnersons]

you can use a nylon pushed over the footsie to push the fur back i have tried this but mine are very good with clipping and its faster to just move fur for me…..i just used a knee high one cheep brand

[jerseygirl]

I’ve thought to give that a go before. Glad to know it works!

[Author]

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