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To let the bunnies out or not?

Alicia

Mama Doe
I used to let the rabbits out in the garden to free range but they weren't very easy to catch again. They haven't been out to free range for a few months now but I want to start letting them out again, do you think they'll be more difficult to catch because they haven't been out in a while? They love it so much but I don't like to stress them out when I try to catch them again. I've tried putting the food in their run but they really don't like going in :lol: I have to get them in a corner and then grab them but it must stress them out a bit, can anyone suggest other ways?
 
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well it's hard to say as myne are the same (r urs rescue) but i would probably say try taking out treats an a carrier or something to comfort them, just try to accociate (soz about spelling) the free ranging with good
 
Mine have a door on their run so we open that then when its time to go away we show them a peice of veg or carrot leaf then say 'hup hup' and they chase us to their door, could you prehaps train them to hop to you or hop in to a carrier or their cage to go away again?
 
Yes mine are rescues :) Archie was found in the woods when he was a baby and Izzy was found on the motorway last year. I might try the training thing. If I called their name and gave them a treat when they came to me, after a while would they start just coming to me when I called their name? Or do they not learn like that?
 
you could try sitting down, and they might come up to you.eg. say they were aloud out for 1 hour maybe when they been out for 45 mins you could go out and sit with them for the last 15 mins and hopfully they might come up to say hello and then you can grab them:) thats what I done a couple of times ( but that was inside ). Hopethis helps:thumb: and maybe have some veg.
 
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well i have always tried that with myne but they tend to just stop and listen rather than come so mabey just keep the treats on you and rustle the packet:D

thats so sad about your rabz, my two Archie + April, april was abuseed and then eventually abbandoned and archie was an accident litter who were all brought in into the center with serious helth problems, luckily they Are both healthy and happy buns now:D
 
I am fairly sure that if they were hungry enough they would go in. Rabbits live for their food unless you've got some really scrummy grass but even so they still love their pellets.
 
I'd try gradually increasing the space they have for free ranging, and train them to go back home when you tell them to.

I've trained mine to go home when I whistle (semi-successful, works best if I'm in the shed) and when I say "go home". It started with clicker training, which I found was a really easy way to get them to recognise when they've done what I want.
 
I can't believe some of you have your rabbits trained :shock: Amazing :thumb: I just shake their pellets and mine come running :oops: :lol:
 
Mine just go back into their house when they had enough and mine a all rescue bunnys apart from 1 :love:
 
our buns free range and it used to be a mare to get them back in, we do a double clap to get them in (not continuously) and for the most part that works really well.... they both binky in front of me as i try to shepherd them back in though...:lol:

I think more importantly for us though they are really happy in their hutch and even when the door is propped open they will sometimes head back in for a lay down and come out again a bit later...:)
 
before we let thumper out as a baby we would say hup hup every time we gave him some veg then because he was used to that sound he knew somthing nice was comming which made it easier to get him in, took a bit of ushering at first though, Betty his wifeybun has been with us since late summer and she has cottoned on to this idea very quickly
 
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