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can anyone pls advice?

Dobbin

Mama Doe
Most evenings Dobbin comes into a bunny proofed lounge with us for a few hours, he loves his time in here, i sit on the floor and he constantly comes over to me, nudges me, stands up against me and last night three times he jumped on my lap had a quick stroke and he was striaght off again. HE loves being stroked, he nudges me lots and wants my unndivided attention!

Anyway when i pick him up to put him back out inhis hutch he is not very happy and tries to get away, i have to hold him tight, he does do this occasionally at other times when i pick him up but not as much as when he goes back into his hutch!! Please help me - why does he do this?

Do you think he does not like me?

Sue
xx
 
Its not because he doesnt like you :). Bunnies dont like to be lifted off the ground, its natural, they are naturally underground animals and hate height :wink: xXx
 
Gem said:
What about training him to hop into a carrier then transport him this way?

That's what I have to do with Clio... she hates being picked up but loves being stroked.

Or maybe it's because he loves you soooo much he just doesn't want to go back to his hutch :mrgreen:
 
I would say handle him as much as possible witha treat afterwards, you don't want to get him into the habit of not being picked up otherwise you'll have trouble if you need to go to the vet etc.
Mine do this when they know they're going ito their hutch, they're fine the rest of the time.
 
as i say he loves being stroked and if he is in the lounge he wont leave me alone - which is lovely! I love having cuddles with him and i would like him to get used to it i think!! If that is not cruel? (Please help!!) IT does just seem to be in the evenings when he goes back to his hutch - well at least that is when he is at his worse, he adores attention, he wasnt like this to begin with!! This is a very recent thing!!

I like the option of maybe he dont want to leave me - but i find that hard to believe!! I wish though!!

Sue
xx
 
Sue, My George is exactly the same. He is the most loving bun ever and rarely leaves my side when I'm sitting on the floor and follows me from room to room. However he doesn't like being picked up.
Once I have him and cuddle him in to my body, he is fine and will settle but it's the actually being picked up he dislikes.

I have found the best way is to either have his head facing you and scoop him up with one hand supporting his bottom, and put him quickly to your body, or crouch right down and hold him close while lifting him up supporting under his chest and bottom.

Also I realised that I was usualy only picking George up when he had to go back in his cage at night which sometimes he didn't want to do, so I started picking him up occasionaly when I wasn't going to put him back and giving him a treat piece of food, so he didn't always associate being picked up with going back to his cage. :wink:
 
Before he's due to go to bed, pick him up and sit him on your lap with a treat, do this a few times (a different number of times each night - obv try not to make him fat lol) and then he will behave each time (or at least he should)
I had a bun that everyone told me to leave as he didn't like being handled. He was hellish in the end. Castration made no difference, bonding him made no difference, he was a litle savage! He was a sweetie unless he needed picking up. The vet refused to cut his nails as he was so bad (not my usual vet, a useless one!) as I couldn't physically hold him still to do it. I was always COVERED in cuts. I got it so that he'd go into a carrier, but when he wanted to stay out longer, he'd just not go in.
 
It is mostly when i have picked him up, picking him up is ok its the actual holding him for about 20 - 30 seconds to begin with thats the problem - he is outside in the run at the mo - i am going to pick him up now and give him a treat and a cuddle - see how he reacts!!

I am not bringing him in with us tonight cos i dont want him to expect it every night - does that make sense?

sue
xx
 
Mine do this! I think it's because they are unhappy about going back in the hutch as I don't have the same trouble when putting them in a carrier, or any other time. Smudge used to happily be ushered into her hutch, but when we got Twix she stopped because he's still learning! But what i do now is place them by the door when it's open and they get the idea.

Otherwise I found holding them close to you and then getting as close to the hutch as possible forr them to hop in helps as they like to feel secure when being held. :lol:
 
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