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Is cradling a rabbit cruel?

S

sonnet

Alpha Buck
I wondered what people thought about cradling rabbits. At the moment I'm doing this to check Dylan's bottom everyday to make sure it's clean due to the flystrike risk. I always make sure I'm supporting his back against me as well as having a good hold of his bottom & I usually then have someone else checking his bum (they get the good job!).
However I wondered if cradling causes them alot more stress? I know some people cradle their rabbits all the time rather than holding them across their chests with bum & under front paws supported (which is what I have always tended to do although recently Dylan has tended to try & bonk my arm which is not very appealing! :oops:) but wanted to know what other bunny mum's & dad's thought?
 
Do you mean in the crook of your arm like a baby?

Lucky will only be held like that for my eldest - she carries him like a baby and he seems to like it from her - if anyone else held him like that, he'd struggle and you'd certainly know that he doesnt like that from you! :lol:

I think if your bunny really didnt like it then he'd tell you about it! :D
 
Tinker absolutely loves it, and if you talk to her she'll chatter her teeth :lol:

Dex is not so keen... :lol:
 
I cradle to do health checks and cut claws. For me it's the quickest and less stressful way for my 2 little devils! Petal will nip when she's not happy lol
 
When you say like a baby, do you mean laid on their back in the crook of your arm? Paws up kinda thing??
 
My personal opinion is that it totally depends on the rabbit.

Out of my 8 only 1 of them does it and appears to enjoy it. Can lay him on his back, check his bum, cut claws etc and nothing .. sometimes I think he snores !!
 
Just been doing it actually. Gertie's overweight :)oops:) and it's the only way we can check and clean her bum without issue. My other half sits with her supported in his lap and I get the good bit. :lol:
 
I dont think it would do that to them. Lucky often gets into that position by himself so i dont think he's do it if it would stop himself breathing??? And he always gets up fine. :?
 
I do it with Joey because he loves it! :love: The others i dont think would be so keen so havent tried it with them, i know them well enough not to bother!
 
only have one bun that doesnt mindit, but only for a short times, but i do it for all my buns when i have to do all the health checks on my own
 
yvette said:
Cradling is different to trancing......
Click to expand...

I agree. Cradling does not put bunny into a trance (tonic immobility) and is a useful way to check bottoms or clip nails with some rabbits who relax more this way. The difference between the two is that in order to 'trance' a rabbit you have to lie them completely flat until they 'switch off' into the trance state - this has been scientifically proven to cause a great deal of stress - by measuring cortisol levels.
Cradling only requires you to tip bunny gently into your arm or against your tummy so bunny's back remains curved and not flat, bunny will also remain completely awake. I prefer to sit bunny as upright as possible against my tummy.

We can not do this position very often with Nino because it can hurt his stiff hips and he finds it too distressing and will struggle and inflame his sore joints even more.
We check his bottom using our hands and leaning over him whilst on our laps. Every bunny is different to how well they tolerate this sort of handling.
 
i was told by vet that when holdng in a cradled position the buns eart slows down so you have to be careful breathing doesnt slow down to much or else he could die so i just avoid it me being paranoid
 
funnybunnyabc said:
i was told by vet that when holdng in a cradled position the buns eart slows down so you have to be careful breathing doesnt slow down to much or else he could die so i just avoid it me being paranoid
Click to expand...

I think your vet is referring to tonic immobility - most people mean this when they say cradling. But there is a difference. I personally would not cradle bunny like a baby as this is getting close to a trance position, but as I said before, I prefer to hold bunny just tipped back slightly in my lap with head against my tummy, this is less positional than cradling.
 
I used to walk round holding Ginger like a baby when he was young (and I was stupid). I always thought he liked it becasue his breathing would slow, and his eyes would glaze slightly - I thought he was asleep! Now I've learnt about trancing I would say there isn't a difference.

For checking their bottoms and clipping their claws I 'sit them up' like prettylupin, which obviously isn't great either, but it's better than on their backs.
 
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