rabbit scratch fever

[babybunsmum]

yesterday i was trying to pick up pinky… *trying*… she’s such a big girl and we’re still getting used to eachother AND she’s perrrty hormonal.  and some how n the kerfluffel i ended up with a scratch behind my ear.  today i have a big scratch down my neck.  lol.  i just spent the last hour on youtube watching how-to videos on picking up a rabbit like i’ve never owned one before.  baby is so much easier to pick up…  i guess we’re just used to each other.  hopefully pinky & i get used to each other soon or i’ll need to borrow those falconers gloves from markusdark and invest in some body armour!

here’s another pic of my new girl and a pic of baby bun & bogart too (check out the dog’s expression… haha)

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[Gravehearted]

ouchies! are her nails overgrown?
hope she’ll be less stressed as she grows more comfortable with you and her new home.

[babybunsmum]

i hope so too!  today’s practise pick up went rather well so… here’s hoping!  i don’t know about her nails.  from the quick peeks i’ve gotten so far they actually don’t seem too long, but i’ll have the vet look at them wed & trim them if needed.  that’ll give ussome more time to get aquainted before i have to trim them myself.

[Lisa_43]

Great pics! It hurts when they scratch, my neck and hands have scratches all over them with all the babies and mum.

[Sarita]

I have a difficult time picking up the larger rabbits too – doesn’t matter what either, nails clipped or no, you can get scratched and owie it hurts.

How many pounds do you think Pinky is?

I have a few hefty rabbits 8 pounds and up so I have a little experience with picking them up.

[babybunsmum]

my guess would be that she’s 8 solid lbs or more.  maybe closer to 10 lbs.  i’ll get the scale out tonight when i pick her up and unofficially check before the vet appointment tomorrow aft.  she’s not like baby who’s kinda squishy & floppy, she’s very muscular & so her kicks pack a lot of punch.  plus i would imagine a bigger bun would feel less secure being held than a small one since less of them is actually cradled by hands & arms.

[MimzMum]

I still have trouble with Mimzy after having him for almost seven months now. Of course, I am a newbie at this bun carrying, so I expect to get scratched even though the vet took care of his nails for me in December. (they sure haven’t grown much either)
Regardless, I have scratches so deep on my arms they have actually scarred up and still show! Also he got me enough around my neck last month that I thought it was HIM that was bleeding and it scared me to death until I looked in the mirror and realized, “Oh crud, that’s ME!”
Eh, I’ll call them battle scars and wear them as proudly as I do my mastectomy ones. ^^
Pip is MUCH easier to lift and carry, she is used to being held. I have a feeling that Mimzy was never really handled properly as a kit, and that is to my disadvantage now.
We are learning about each other, it’s taken him awhile to feel I”m safe enough to pick him up. He’s just a naturally scary bun and I can’t cure normal.

EDIT: Hogeeze I meant to comment about the dog! That reminds me of my german shepherd and my black cat, she LOVED to come up to the dog and freak her out by rubbing her and loving on her. Kimba had the EXACT same look on her face! (Of course, with a little defenseless bun that close to a dog’s muzzle, boy that makes me nervous!) 0.o

[KatnipCrzy]

When they spay Pinky the vet can get her nails as short as possible then too.  It is easy when they are under anesthesia- you can get really close to the quick without worrying that your going to get too close- since their is no pulling, jumping, etc.

I am 33 years old and I still have some faint scars on my chest from when I was 10 years old and one of my bunnies kicked me with her back legs-  granted you really have to look for them- but they are there.  I had a couple of Dutch rabbits when I was a kid.

Julie

[MimzMum]

Oh yeah, I love how you just get those clippers in the right spot and YOINK…bunny takes off in a leap. Makes me so nervous I can hardly stand to try.

Even with two people (one holding a flashlight so you can see the quick) it’s a nightmare! Too bad there aren’t imitation bunny pheromones to calm them. >.<

[Sarita]

The big bunnies are more muscular and more difficult to hold. I would suggest getting on the ground only to hold her if possible. I usually pick up from the back and scoop the legs up towards the outside if that makes any sense. Their back is at my chest if I have to carry them somewhere. Rabbits this size are extremely awkward to hold because they are all muscle and bulk. I do have to carry my big buns quite frequently for butt baths and such.

I can barely lift my 13 pounder – it’s extremely awkward for both of us.

[bunnytowne]

yes I still got scars too my wrist and pinky I had new zealand whites as a kid and I was like 12 , 13 and those rabbits were something for a little girl to handle they would swing those hind quarters around and wham my arms were scratched all the time. til I learned to grab their hind legs to protect myself.  we were country people then and I didnt’ know the proper way to pick up a rabbit we did the scruff thing til I learned better. poor buns. I dont’ recomment grabbing their hind legs they could hurt themselves. like I said I didnt’ know better til I got some more rabbit smarts on how to pick them up properly.

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