Preparing to walk rabbit UPDATE

Yesterday I took my bunny to a Pets at Home store and the staff - who's also a bunny owner - showed me how to put on the harness. Small size fitted perfectly, and was met with no resistence from fear and panick. :thumb: Bunny also didn't mind being held despite always thumping if I try to hold her. Maybe it's just me.

Now all I need to do is try using the lead. Will do that in several days time once the rabbit is more used to the harness. This harness has two round bits, each having a buckle, an a strap connecting the two hoops together. Think this one's a H-Harness.

Are you still planning to use that lead you mentioned on the other thread ? It's just I heard they could cause damage to a rabbit, because the bounce back

Just caught up with your other thread and agree - it is good you want your rabbit to exercise but I think you are going about it in totally the wrong way.

The only person who will get any pleasure from this idea is you and the 'idea' of walking a rabbit, which does sound cute. However, Rabbits are prey animals. I cannot think that they would willingly put themself up for wearing a harness and being carted off into the unknown. It a dreadful idea.

I sometimes think we should consider the basic needs of our Rabbits and not think of them as cute playthings. A lot of things people do for their Rabbits are more for us than the needs of our rabbits.

Just bumped up your other thread in case you never say my reply :wave:

I hate to be negative but I can't help thinking that bunny only stayed still our of fear...

If you insist on leading your rabbit then I would suggest you are prepared for several possibilities - either be prepared for her escaping from the harness and you lose her, be prepared for a significant vet bill if she panics (as you would expect a prey animal to do in such circumstances) and injures herself, and be prepared for a traumatised rabbit that may go into stasis form the trauma of being harnessed, put in a strange environment in a strange contraption.

If you truly love rabbits then I would hope that you wouldn't set such a poor example of rabbit ownership to the wider public, who see you and think they'll get their kids a rabbit on a lead too.

The fact that PAH sold and recommended the lead to you does not mean that using it is the responsible thing to do - its not.

Please take time to read up on rabbit behaviour and try to understand the world from your rabbits perspective. Only then will you realise that what you think is cute is very traumatic for a rabbit.

MissSherwood89 said:

I hate to be negative but I can't help thinking that bunny only stayed still our of fear...

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Exactly what I thought. I would perhaps next time consider whether it is worth stressing the bunny by taking it in a car to a unknown place that may have dogs and unvaccinated rabbits in it too. Please, we don't mean to keep nagging, but we're really worrying about this rabbit.

Even though this sounds very harsh and not friendly :

DON'T walk a bunny.
Yes, they sell harnesses for bunnies, but then again, they sell cigarettes too and people die of lung cancer;
A bunny can freak out and try to escape the harness and break it's back.
You wouldn't want that to happen would you?

Personally I don't think the advise is going to be listen to. All the advise on the other threads hasn't been listen to. The one about teaching rabbits to do tricks, and the other one about taking bunny out for walks :roll:

Just a word of caution - when I first had rabbits I tried to walk one of them (only in the garden) using harness and lead. Absolutely disaster - not a bit like walking a dog, rabbits run very fast, changing direction, going back on themselves etc. She was terrified - and so was I. I know better now and would never attempt again, and feel guilty that I put her through the experience. Rabbits like to run, binky etc, they do not like to be controlled.

ETA Just looked at your other thread .... and not sure why you have started another thread when the responses were so negative and people were advising you not to do it.

Babsie said:

Just a word of caution - when I first had rabbits I tried to walk one of them (only in the garden) using harness and lead. Absolutely disaster - not a bit like walking a dog, rabbits run very fast, changing direction, going back on themselves etc. She was terrified - and so was I. I know better now and would never attempt again, and feel guilty that I put her through the experience. Rabbits like to run, binky etc, they do not like to be controlled.

ETA Just looked at your other thread .... and not sure why you have started another thread when the responses were so negative and people were advising you not to do it.

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That's what I'm not sure aout:?

In the past fortnight I took my bun to the park 3 times. Went to a large area of grass where I can see any people or dogs coming from far away. It took approx 2-3 minutes for her to step out the carrier box, but after that, she was happily hopping around. Was enjoying herself so much she refused to go back into the carrier... until I lured her with treats lol. The stretchy lead with the extra shock absorber seemed to work. When she hopped to the end and felt the lead, she hopping a different direction. I just followed her around a bit.

I'm still picking up my bun each day to check her claws, bum etc, and recently she's stopped thumping when I put her back down. She still thumps before I pick her up though. Some time back she thumps again when I put her down but stopped doing that now. Also stopped trying to bite me when I do pick her up.