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catching Rabbits

B

**Bonnie**

Mama Doe
Hi all,

Have alread posted about picking Holly up and she panic's - she is getting much better.

However, She is almost impossible to catch. I let the buns have full run of the garden (fully supervised of course) They have a run of 30 mins in the morning and 1-2 hours in the evening.

I cannot let Holly out in the morning now as she is soooo hard to catch and put back into their run.

instead i let Alfie out but she scratches so much to get out because she can see Alfie running around and i feel really bad but she would make me miss my train for work!

Last night they both had 2 hours run of the garden, i spend 15 mins trying to catch her. i hate chasing her around the garden because she gets scared and i saw her wee as she was running :(

I usually put a litter tray down and she jumps in it and i carry her like that but she has figured it out, same with pet carrier.

Any tips??

Thanks again

Bonnie
 
is there anyway to shut off some of the area when you want to catch her? quinn is impossible to catch if he has the whole run of downstairs so i only let him have half the room now and hes much easier to catch
 
Hi Quinn,

There's no way i can block anything off to be honest unless i just keep her in her run but i feel terrible that she can see Alfie running about in the morning!

I don't think there is going to be a magic answer to this question somehow.

I don't think she had much exercise before and is loving the garden so much bless her!
 
No food other than hay until after her run. Bunnies are easier to catch if they know it's food time afterwards :lol:

Otherwise could you add a door to the run she you can 'chase' them into it rather than actually having to get close enough to scope her up.

Tam
 
Hi Tam,

when the run isn't attached i just shoo her in to the hutch which takes a while but not that long.

But when it is i have to lift her in and she will not go near the hutch or run because she is smart and knows exactly what i am doing.

Alfie on the other hand lets me pick him up and do whatever i want with him - he is one laid back bunster!

i need to think of a cunning plan!
 
I wouldn't bother with a morning run for either of them - It won't hurt if they miss it, and it's less stress catching her once a day in the evening, when you're not in a desperate hurry?
 
i'd definitely recomend making sure they can put themselves into a run/ hutch, they soon work out that it's time to go home and often go in and out by themselves. takes five minutes to get my six home, i haven't spent ages going round the garden for years now :D
 
How big is the hutch?

Maybe you could somehow make a similar situation in the house so that you get used to cathing her and that she knows who's boss?
 
I used to have a similar problem with my two who have the run of my flat. I have now been able to get them to associate with going back in their cage with a treat of fruit or veggies and as soon as i call them and walk towards their cage they both run in and sit at the door waiting :D I definitely think getting them to associate going to bed with food would be a good idea, as would a doorway into their run/hutch or a shed may help as well. Does she need to have a run of the entire garden rather than going into a run?
 
I don't think you can ever teach a rabbit who's boss - they already know it's them! The danger with continuing to chase her like this is she may get aggressive with it if she's really frightened.

The best idea as has been said, is to feed them in the hutch, after playtime in the evening - and I would just leave them in the run together in the morning - She won't be happy in there without her fella, and I doubt Alfie will mind too much.

I'm wondering about the same problem as I'd love my rabbits to have the run of my garden, but I'm scared I'll never get them back - And fencing off half the garden would be very difficult and expensive - They are a wild bunch of girls and not used to being handled at all - I can barely touch them - so I would have to use food I guess :?
 
It's really simple. Whenever I need my rabbit to go w/ me to the bedroom, I just grab her favorite bunny treats and swing it in front of her. That way, she'll follow me directly to the room for that treat. As such, I never need to catch her.
 
Mine know the sound of food rattling in their bowl well. In fact, it's the only command they recognise. They'll follow me anywhere for food!
 
I use a pet carrier too as I also think it helps when you are taking them to the vets as they don't just associate the carrier with trips to the vets.
 
I used to panic when I couldn't get the girls in. As I got calmer, I realised
that eventually they will come in so I didn't let them out if I knew I was
restricted on timing i.e. before I needed to collect my son from school.
I just know that when I shout Daisy/Maisie, they associated this call with
good and come in. Initially we used to take the pellet bag out to the
garden and shout and shake and they would follow us halfway and then
forget why they were following, sit and stare, it was frustrating. Now
they come in for either pellets or a carrot. On the rare occasion the food
method doesn't work, we take our large carrier out and entice the one
who didn't come in into this with food.
 
Thanks all, great advice there..

I have decided not to let Holly out for her morning run as she takes too long to catch.

They have a run attached to their hutch and get 1-2 hour of the whole garden a night so its not the end of the world.

Im not sure the food thing will work as they love the garden and munching on the grass so much!

Have been reading another thread re handling your rabbit daily, i originally thought it was a bad idea to do that with the bun that gets so stressed being held, but I am going to pick Holly up on a daily basis and briung her inside to sit on my lap and then give her a treat.

maybe if i start doing that she will become easier to catch!
 
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