Trying to get Lucy to feel safe being picked up

[ILoveLucy]

So…we have made big strides getting Lucy to feel comfortable with us. It’s been about two months that we have had her, and I think she finally feels like she is “home.” She likes to be pet, she has claimed all sorts of spots around the house she feels safe sleeping and lounging, she’ll jump in our laps, let me kiss herhead, sit with us on the couch, all the fun things I was hoping she would come around to! Plus she is like 100% litter trained, no accidents in over a month. I’m starting to feel like she actually likes me!

But the one area we are still lacking is in being picked up or held. She will not stand for it. She kicks like mad and runs away. And I mean serious kicking and scratching.

The good news is she doesn’t really seem to hold it against us. She’ll come right back to you for treats or pets, so at least she doesn’t run and sulk in the corner or anything.

I understand that a rabbit is a prey animal, and that she will probably never LOVE being picked up. But what if there is an emergency and I need to grab her? Or I’m in a hurry and have to get her into her cage? Plus we are getting her spayed in a couple weeks and I know she will need to be handled lots for that. Not just by the vet, but by me afterwards to make sure she is healing well.

Any advice on how to speed up this process?

 

[Elrohwen]

It’s tough. I have two very bad bunnies and I really can’t pick them up. Otto is ok if he’s in a confined space (the bathtub, or a small cage, or his carrier) and I put him up and move him a few feet. He will not stand to be picked up and actually held onto for any length of time. Neither will Hannah. The more I tried to train them to be picked up, the less they trusted me and the more they ran at top speed whenever I came near.

I recommend just herding her into a carrier or cage and not trying to pick her up. Especially in such a short period before her spay, you’re not going to be able to condition her to allow you to pick her up. You’ll just need to do it whether she likes it or not.

If you want to work with her ongoing, you can try picking her up once or twice a day and giving her a treat afterwards. It helps if she has a specific place she stands to be picked up (like a matt, or litter box) so she knows what’s coming and you can give a clear command when you are about to pick her up. This works for some rabbits, but not all, and it can be quite a long process lasting months.

[ILoveLucy]

Yeah I was thinking maybe I should start only trying in her playpen area where she is already kind of confined, instead of out in the living room where she is of the mind set that she is “running free”

I know I shouldn’t be so frustrated, because she really HAS come a LONG way in trusting me – but gosh darn it I want to pick her up!! I kind of get the feeling that where ever she was before she was at the shelter…she was rarely ever touched or picked up.

[Minty]

My one bun (Sully) sounds very similar. He is very sweet and affectionate but doesn’t really enjoy being picked up. The easiest way for me to pick him up is to get him into his carrier first. When I do this, he doesn’t fight at all and is totally calm. It also helps to know how to hold her very securely, even if she kicks do not let her go! It’s not only dangerous, but will sometimes teach them that kicking and scratching = being put down, so will make them do it more. It also helps to be quick about it and to learn how to quickly scoop them up and towards your body. If they see you coming or feel your hand on their tummy they will already be frightened and try to run.

I’m glad to say Sully has become much better at being picked up, but I don’t do it very often. Both my bunnies are easy to handle though, and I can pick them up and carry them without much of a fuss. I understand in an emergency or after a spay it is important to be able to handle a bunny so maybe some of these techniques can help you?

[Ali925]

My bunnies are both the same. Blu was better when he was younger because I think he just gave in, but hated it. Now I can’t get either of them. It was doubly hard after Oreo’s spay since we had to give her several medicines and check her surgical site, etc. We used her carrier at first, to bring her to the kitchen countertop (unfamiliar area, more willing to cooperate, she was fine there). Then she learned the carrier meant vet, car ride, or medicine on countertop and she soon was too smart to fall for it. After trying desperately to pick her up and never getting much success (had a few times it worked…but not enough) we started having to carry her cage to the counter, let her hop out (which she did willingly) and did it that way. She never gave me trouble carrying her back to her pen.

She trusts us completely, as far as I can tell, so it’s not that. She just does NOT like being forced into anything, especially when she’s in her pen, her safe place/territory and home. So I have stopped trying, and we just deal with it being a pain when we “have” to pick her up or transport her. Finally, on a good note, she willingly took medications from me while in her pen just recently, so that gave me hope at least…less moving her around if she’ll cooperate. And like I said, I know she trusts us, we’ve had her since November and she definitely is fine with us…we just can’t pick her up.

Not sure if this is helpful, but that’s been my experience thus far and I don’t see Oreo changing. When we have to take her to the vet, etc, we have to sort of force her in her carrier. She cooperates once she’s in.

[Elrohwen]

Also, a trick for giving meds that doesn’t involve picking up:

Get your bunny in a pen where she can’t escape and has nowhere to hide. Get on your knees and come up behind her – it helps to do this when they’re facing the pen wall, so they can’t go forward easily. Get her body between your knees so you can hold her securely. Put one of your hands on her shoulder and hold it down so she can’t go forward or wiggle too much, then insert the syringe into her mouth.

My bunnies will usually take meds without me needing to hold them down, but this technique is great for critical care or meds they aren’t interested in. And no picking up required!

[jerseygirl]

Like Ali925, I use similar technique with Rumball. I can’t easily pick him up from the ground like I can Jersey. So when I need to, once he jumps into his litterbox, I carry him in it over to the washing machine. I then pick him up from that height and secure him against me.
Most just don’t like being off the ground. Some rabbits will learn that making a fuss will give them what they want – to be put back down/released so they’ll use that to their advantage.
If you find transporting Lucy to a higher surface, then picking her up from there works for you, you could practice this. Only hold her for a short time then pop her down and treat her. Repeat.

[Beka27]

Posted By ILoveLucy on 05/16/2010 02:27 PM
Yeah I was thinking maybe I should start only trying in her playpen area where she is already kind of confined, instead of out in the living room where she is of the mind set that she is “running free”

I know I shouldn’t be so frustrated, because she really HAS come a LONG way in trusting me – but gosh darn it I want to pick her up!! I kind of get the feeling that where ever she was before she was at the shelter…she was rarely ever touched or picked up.

 

Even bunnies who are “socialized” from a young age or kept as pets from 8 weeks old and handled daily, don’t necessarily like being picked up or held.  I don’t think you’re doing anything wrong. 

This is a big reason why my buns are not free roam at night.  I want to know where they are and that I could grab them if there was an emergency, rather than searching several rooms and under furniture in a panic. 

If there was a legitimate emergency, something that usually ALWAYS works to catch bunnies, is if you throw a towel or blanket over them.  They’ll stop, and you can scoop them up that way.  It’s not the best method, but in a pinch, it will work.

[Elrohwen]

Beka’s right about young buns. I’ve had Otto since 8 weeks and he was fairly well socialized before I got him, but he is not ok with being picked up. Hannah was with one loving owner from a few months of age and also does not tolerate picking up. So I don’t find getting a young bun makes any difference there.

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