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Trancing a Rabbit (Rabbit on its Back) - Opinions? (NO FIGHTS THOUGH PLEASE!)

GrahamL

Wise Old Thumper
Wow i'm Mr Posty today...

I'm not advocating anything, but im being curious.

I've done quite a bit of research on the internet in the last few days, as for checking reasons, i'd like to be able to 'check' Biscuit's bum/genital area. He's not a picky up bunny, so i do my best by offering a treat, to force persicoping and also occasional tail lifting when he's flopped.

I have only ever done the trancing thing, once, by total mistake when he was ~10 weeks old when he jumped out of his hutch in an escape attempt, i have never done it since as it scared me.

Lots, and i mean LOTS of people in different websites state they 'trance' their bunnies to do these checks and just for the sake of it when picking them up :roll:

Do you / have you and if you do / don't why ?

Please please though, don't let this end up a locked / deleted thread. I'm doing this for my own personal benefit as i want to learn everything i can.

Thanks guys and gals :wave:
 
I wouldn't ever do it (but am lucky in that Alfie, Bubbles and all previous bunnies have been fairly easy to handle).

To check bums etc, it's not necessary to tip them right over onto their backs - I manage by holding them more or less upright against my body (so the spine is aginst my chest) then leaning across to have a good look. Hope that makes sense. :oops:

Trancing is a fear response - a rabbit will 'play dead' in the jaws of a predator, in the hope that the predator will release their grip and enable the bunny to escape.

There was some research done which showed that rabbits were very stressed while in the trancing position (although their appearance implies the exact opposite) and I believe the raised stress levels will have an effect for some time after too. Will try and find the old thread with the link. :)
 
Graham the breeder where my buns came from told me to handle rabbits like this as this is what they do at shows apparantly.

'research by Dr McBride, an animal behaviour scientist at Southampton University, shows that rabbits are more stressed when put into this position- their stress hormones and heart rates increase. So far from being relaxed as they appear, they are actually not enjoying it. This technique is not recommended unless it is to keep your rabbit still during nail clipping etc.'
 
Trancing is a fear response - a rabbit will 'play dead' in the jaws of a predator, in the hope that the predator will release their grip and enable the bunny to escape.

I agree with this and personally don't like trancing. My bunnies are happy to let me clip nails etc and check bums by tipping them back towards me keeping the back feet on a table or something so they feel supported. For the fussier bunnies I get someone to help.
 
'research by Dr McBride, an animal behaviour scientist at Southampton University, shows that rabbits are more stressed when put into this position- their stress hormones and heart rates increase. So far from being relaxed as they appear, they are actually not enjoying it. This technique is not recommended unless it is to keep your rabbit still during nail clipping etc.'

That's the one I referred to. :D http://webcache.googleusercontent.c...bility+study+rabbits&cd=4&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=uk
 
agree with above , my buns apart from doc who doesnt give a monkeys what you do to him get checked via a towel wrap, stress full yes but quick
 
It is unnecessary for daily bum checks and nail trimming IMO. A far safer method is to simply tip bun backwards in a curve into your tummy or crook of your elbow without needing to lie bunny flat enough to put them into tonic immobility. Bun should be held steady and totally responsive in a curve position - lying them down fully is just not appropriate IMO.

The research showed prolonged raised cortisol levels when buns were handled in this way - tonic immobility. Raised cortisol levels have an impact on pretty much every physiological system in the rabbit, most noticeably the GI tract.

The ONLY time I would advocate its use is for urgent or vital veterinary examination or procedures. For example, when Poppy choked the vet needed to position her in this way to examine the back of her throat properly without having to put her under a GA.
Or if at home you have NO other choice. But generally, there is a safer alternative.
 
I remember reading the news and coming across a so called "rabbit whisperer" curious, I read the article and ended up frothing at the mouth by the end of it :shock: He was basically charging people loads of money just to "trance" a rabbit to cure it of it's "bad" behaviour, saying he'd discovered how to hypnotise bunnies. Luckily it wasn't just me reading the article and lots of rabbit-savvy people called him out on it, not heard anything from him since :roll:

Personally, I don't agree with it. I don't thing it's worth getting a bunny all stressed and terrified.
 
I dont think Ive ever had a bun that was difficult enough to handle for me to look into doing it tbh. I had one that nipped, so I would have to glove up to check her but she was relatively cooperative. My buzzby is such a cuddle bun he's happy in your lap/arms and will nibble away on some foods whilst I have him in my lap or hold him to check thoroughly underneath. Even when I had to bathe his bottom once he just kind of lay in my arms with a very grumpy "you'll pay for that" look (and later trashed his normally spotless hutch :roll:). I was told by the vet nurses to wrap them in a towel if they stress and keep time to a minimum and there was never mention of trancing them to check them.
 
No, I've never done it based on it being a fear response, although I've never read the reasearch about it.

I don't see how it necessary for bum checks, and certainly not for nail clipping. For checking bums I tilt bunny back into my chest as others has said, or if bunny is on a flat surface I can sometimes get a quick look under the tail. I always do nails with bunny on a cushion on my lap.
 
I would never even attempt it. I read somewhere that if bunny struggles whilst you try to get bunny in the possition they can twist and/or damage their spine.
 
Thanks guys, you've done exactly as i was hoping and just given an opinion and facts with supporting evidence. I'll have a good read of the article later.

I don't like it myself either and now i know WHY it does what it does and how they react to it.

Thanks, really :)
 
OK I may sound a bit dim here but when Dizzi had her spey, when we went back for the post op check the nurse held her like you would a baby, on her back in the crook of her arm so that she could inspect her op wound.

Is that the same as trancing then? ..... Dizzi did kind of just lie there looking a bit 'vacant'!!!
 
I don't agree with trancing - I once read an article that said they are literally scared stiff which is why they freeze when they are tipped backwards.There was a guy on tv recently who was claiming to be a rabbit hypnotist :roll: It really upset me to see him putting those poor rabbits in a 'trance' & people thinking they were relaxed when they were really terrified :cry:

A definite no - no for me :wave:
 
It is unnecessary for daily bum checks and nail trimming IMO. A far safer method is to simply tip bun backwards in a curve into your tummy or crook of your elbow without needing to lie bunny flat enough to put them into tonic immobility. Bun should be held steady and totally responsive in a curve position - lying them down fully is just not appropriate IMO.

The research showed prolonged raised cortisol levels when buns were handled in this way - tonic immobility. Raised cortisol levels have an impact on pretty much every physiological system in the rabbit, most noticeably the GI tract.

The ONLY time I would advocate its use is for urgent or vital veterinary examination or procedures. For example, when Poppy choked the vet needed to position her in this way to examine the back of her throat properly without having to put her under a GA.
Or if at home you have NO other choice. But generally, there is a safer alternative.

I totally agree with this. We hold our's when we need to in the crook of our elbow there is no need to trance a rabbit.
 
I've never done it but I imagine my two would put up a fight against it anyway! When I cut their nails, I sort of put their head in my armpit (as I recall the vet doing) and they seem to struggle less. There was still the occasional kick though, so I didn't accidentally trance them! Although they struggle, they seem absolutely fine afterwards and don't seem to hold it against me, whereas I'm the one with the racing heart recovering from the stress! I'm sorry to say that I've never really done a bum check as I just can't figure out how. I know I should, but they both have perfect poops, so I don't worry too much!
 
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