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How do you handle a scared bunny?

biscuitblossom

Warren Veteran
I've just tried to bathe Kevins eye,he let me catch him very briefly this morning to look at it but escaped before I could clean it.

When I put their food down this evening I tried again,he literally screamed :(

He wriggled so much while screaming that he got away from me....he lives in my bedroom,is very nervous in comparison to Perry, and I rarely get the chance to fuss him never mind anything else.

This wasn't down to pain ,I'm 99% certain of that ,just sheer terror :(
 
Not a clue - just wanted to let you know someone read this!! I have to psyche myself up to lift mine. They dont scream, just struggle a bit and breath heavily! Must be awful for a wee baby to be screaming like that. Could you try one of those bunny burrito things with a towel? if you google it I think theres a demo on how to make a bunny burrito on utube!
 
Twinkle is very scared of being picked up at the moment.. have resorted to carrying her in and out of the run in a carrier so as not to struggle with her... she literally jumps on me and tries to run up over my shoulders.. I hate to think what would happen if she managed it...

I would definately keep to floor level just in case there is a struggle.
 
I'm not sure I'd get close enough to burrito Kevin,hes free range with his brother in my room and he runs under my bed everytime I go in the room,hes a british giant x french lop so not small!!

I just hate the fact that hes so scared.:(
 
Hopefully he'll become less scared over time, when he realizes that you just want to clean his eyes, not eat him! I've had a few like this and they do chill out a bit over time if they need regular hands-on treatment.

My top tips would be to catch him quickly without any chasing, handle him firmly so that he can't thrash around, and do the treatment as quickly as possible (i.e. have all equipment easily to hand, meds uncapped/measured out/etc).

Also give him a really tasty treat afterwards so he'll learn to associate the routine with something nice.

I'm not sure how this will translate to handling giants because I don't have any...so good luck! :shock:
 
Hopefully he'll become less scared over time, when he realizes that you just want to clean his eyes, not eat him! I've had a few like this and they do chill out a bit over time if they need regular hands-on treatment.

My top tips would be to catch him quickly without any chasing, handle him firmly so that he can't thrash around, and do the treatment as quickly as possible (i.e. have all equipment easily to hand, meds uncapped/measured out/etc).

Also give him a really tasty treat afterwards so he'll learn to associate the routine with something nice.

I'm not sure how this will translate to handling giants because I don't have any...so good luck! :shock:



I kind of hoped you might answer Amy :)

I've had him since he was a baby so its not like he doesnt know me ....I had the cotton wool in my hand and the eye drops,he knocked the eye drops out of the way!!

I might try coaxing him into a carrier tomorrow and putting him in a run outside so that it will be a more confined area to catch him in.
 
My wild bunny is a very nervous thing, though you wouldn't think it at the moment as she chases her potential new friend around the run! I am going to try her on flower remedies, I used some before on her and another rabbit and they both seemed a little bit less nervous when I was going into their run.
 
and I've had her since she was 2 days old :) she used to let me pick her up but as shes got older shes hated it!

Archie was like that, although he was 8/9weeks when I got him. He used to be fine when I picked him up but now he hates it. He loves a fuss and a big cuddle as long as he's in control and knows he can run away when he wants. :lol:
 
and I've had her since she was 2 days old :) she used to let me pick her up but as shes got older shes hated it!

My wildie is the same. She used to love a cuddle, but now she has a bunny friend I'm just an annoyance to her. She was fine with me until she reached a year old (around the beginning/middle of May), and now she growls at me if I try to make her do anything she doesn't want to do! I wonder if she's getting hormonal? :(
 
I'd agree with the fim, confident handling thing. Can you block off most of his access under the bed so when you go into the room he can't just bolt under? Have you tried cleaning his eyes while he's in the carrier? Or making a very small area so you can just fit in whith him and clean them without lifting him? Try to put all you need in the area first too, so you're not worrying about dropping things while holding/rounding him up! :)
 
I agree with Gertie with the firm handling and get it over asap followed by something nice.

I also agree with trying to block the under bed are off - part of the problem will be in "the chase".
Ideally you'd want to be able to walk in the room and go straight to him and pick him up - they know when we're coming to get them!

I have a couple here that hate handling, so I only handle them when necessary, but being confident and quick makes it far less hassle, and they're slowly calming down more each time.
 
If you manage to get him into a carrier, could you try to put him in the bathroom to see to him, if this is a small area?

Usually bathrooms don't have many places to hide and are fairly small and quiet. Maybe see to his eyes as he comes out of the carrier?

Just a suggestion.
________
Lashay cam
 
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I'm very confident handling bunnies and used to ones that don't like handling,I had a french lop who hated it but managed to treat several abcesses and also get her through myxi ,I've just not had one scream like Kevin did last night.

The only other time I've heard a rabbit scream was when it was dying.

I have to add that I didn't let go when he screamed,I was trying to calm him down but he just wasn't having any of it,he carried on screaming even after he'd got away from me.

As for 'the chase ' bit, on both occasions when I held him yesterday there was no chase involved I just walked over and quickly grabbed him.....he spends most of his time under a king size bed and runs back under if he knows people are about,not sure how I'd manage to block it off without blocking him in!!
 
As for 'the chase ' bit, on both occasions when I held him yesterday there was no chase involved I just walked over and quickly grabbed him.....he spends most of his time under a king size bed and runs back under if he knows people are about,not sure how I'd manage to block it off without blocking him in!!

Try blocking most of it off, so if he's under there while you're doing the blocking, he can get out. Leave it half an hour, and hopefully he'll emerge and you can grab him while he's trying to find the only bit unblocked! If that makes any sense at all! :lol:
 
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