How can I make it easier to get Frankie to and from the run?

Frankie has always been pretty skittish, but recently it's become harder and harder to try and catch him when it's time for him to go to bed at night. The rabs have a separate run that they go into as soon as I get home and stay out for about 4hrs. I move them to the run with a carrier as Frankie isn't one for being carried over a distance, but I still have the problem of trying to actually catch him again from the run whe it's time for bed.

He never gets really aggressive, but he will grunt a little and even try and box if he's very cross at having to go in Any ideas how I can make it less stressful for him?

Awww, just read on another site that the attempted boxing means that he thinks I'm a real threat My poor wee boy He does really flatten down too when he finally gives up so I did understand that he really is very frightened Anyone else have a nervous bun?

Total contrast to Jen: she comes bounding over and I can pick her up from standing!

just wondering if you could try and train him to make a positive association with the box. with dogs - yes I know back to dogs - if they are having a problem crate training we use positive associations. it is a slow process but effective. basically he learns that everytime he comes near the box he gets rewarded. this could be a piece of fruit or veg, whatever his favourite is. He doesn't have to actually get in the box or even be touching it to start with, but you reward him when he doesn't react to the box. you could also try leaving the box in the run all the time so he becomes familiar with it. and vary the time of day you put him in it. Maybe sometimes you put him in it, carry him to the hutch then back again to the run. then he doesn't always associate the box with the end of his free time. another thing you could try is clicker training. A clicker is a small plastic box with a metal strip in it which makes a clicking sound. every time he does something positive you click and then reward him with food. do this a few times just when he is there to get the association that click means food is on the way. then you start to click when he is near the box, then reward. when he moves a bit closer repeat the click and reward. and so on. eventually he will learn to come to the box and then he gets a click, then to the stage where he goes in the box before he gets the click. you just hold off clicking to encourage him to try a bit harder each time to get you to click.
sorry that's a really long reply can give you lots more advice on clicker training if you like x Jess

buttons idea sounded good but I'm not sure how well it will work if he's still going to have to be carried in the box every day whilst you are trying it. Could you also consider attaching his hutch to the run or if he's a house bunny, not let him outside for a week or two.

Sooty will go into a carrier but if I move him every day or after taking him for a trip to vets he gets a little scared of it. It wears off after a couple of days and some tempting food placed in it.

My bunnies will jump through hoops for a piece of carrot, so I save thier daily carrot ration till it's lockup time, wave it in front of their nose and get them all excited, hopping on thier back legs, running around me in circles - then I make sure they see me toss the carrot into their hutch by waving it in front of their nose again and slowly tossing it (they don't have great eyesight) - and they just leap into their hutch full of joy - I'm sure if you got a bigger carrier (wilkos do really big ones for about £12) you could do the same with your boy?

Mine just run in and out of their crate but if they refuse to go in I rattle the food back and they zoom in, I then just give them a pellet or 2 for being good. Also after Jess had to go to the vets she refused to get in the carrier to be taken to the run (she is not safe to carry while walking!) and I eventually got her to go in by putting a couple of pellets in, although to begin with I had to put the actual food bag in the carrier as she thought I was trying to catch her out :roll: She now plays in the carrier as she no longer associates it with horrible vet trips

My three are funny....when it comes to getting them in at night it always follows the same pattern.

Marley will run up to me put his paws on the side of the run and wait for me to pick him up....he is always first in.

Scout then runs up when i come back to the open end and sits in the same corner, flattened to the ground facing me, but allows me to pick her up as it means tea time.

Fiver, always last, runs up and down the run three times before giving in and letting me make a grab for him. He then grumps while I carry him to the hutch and legs it when I let him go.

I always suggest using a carrier ....is he food orientated? Can you tempt him to you with yummy herbs or dandelions?

I have clicker trained Buu to get back into her hutch or run when I tell her and Beau to get into his basket when im moving him It was really easy and didnt take too long Although I have to say get in your basket to Beau a few times, the first couple of times he ignores me and pretends im not there and then when he realises im not going anywhere he kind of looks at me like oh not again and jumps in :lol:

Here's what I do with my bunny, she is incredibly apprahensive with people and hates being picked up and wont last 5 seconds in someones arms unless...
If you're bun has a fold at the back of his neck (my male rabbit doesn't cause he's big and grown into everything ) light greab it, not too rough but strong enough so he wont fall out, and when I do that she never struggles and I just pop her over my arm and carry her to the hutch.

Catching them however...
I used to chase my bunny all over the place and eventually realised that technique didn't work , rabbits tend to feel a bit uneasy if a large human being is chasing them around and their basic instinct is to just run, the only way you'll catch him is if you trap him in a corner, but then you're the enemy and he wont feel safe and radera.

So as others have said, save their favourite snack until it's lock up time, they'll soon learn!

Pippa used to be so petrified of people so when I wanted to move her to the run I used a carry case she now hops into that knowing that she'll be going in the run for grass. When it comes to her going away she knows that there will be food at the end of it. She now will let me pick her up, it did take a long time but now she's very loving.

Thanks for all of the replies and ideas, I wanted to wait until I'd had a few days to try someone of these before replying!

It's not really possible for me to attach the run to the hutch: it was like this for a while, but the weird shape of our garden (it's very steep and hence, heavily tiered and the individual tiers aren't very wide) meant that the hutch with attached run will only fit in one spot. I did move the hutch into this place but they were in full sun and too hot during sunny days and right in the path of the rain when the weather was bad. I much prefer having them in the shade / shelter of the house, but it did mean losing the attached run

elve said:

My bunnies will jump through hoops for a piece of carrot, so I save thier daily carrot ration till it's lockup time, wave it in front of their nose and get them all excited, hopping on thier back legs, running around me in circles - then I make sure they see me toss the carrot into their hutch by waving it in front of their nose again and slowly tossing it (they don't have great eyesight) - and they just leap into their hutch full of joy - I'm sure if you got a bigger carrier (wilkos do really big ones for about £12) you could do the same with your boy?

Click to expand...

My carrier is pretty huge (both bunnies can lay down together in it) so I gave this idea of Elve's a go and I have to say it works a treat! Frankie loves his food so I've starting taking two small pieces of carrot down to the run when it's bedtime, showing them to both bunnies and then gently throwing them into the carrier. Both buns hop in happily, I can shut the carrier up (without rushing, they are quite happy in there with their carrot and neither rushes to get back out :lol: ) and then carry them back to the hutch. Two happy bunnies then hop out of the carrier in their own time and there's no messing about with chasing or scaring my little timid boy. It's brilliant: Frankie seems so much more relaxed and I don't dread having to get him in anymore! Highly recommended for anyone else with a similar problem!

I use food at all times and they follow.

Ok, this evening Frankie - the little horror - charged into the carrier, nicked both pieces of carrot and legged it into the tunnel, where he gobbled them both! :lol: Fortunately curiousity did eventually get the best of him and he got in the carrier again so that I could put him to bed, but he is a little sometimes :lol: :lol:

perhaps a few more smaller carrot pieces or stick the carrot strip through the carrier vents so he has to really tug to get it.

The carrot in the vents is a good idea, I'll give that a whirl Frankie's a small, long eared furry demon, but I love him anyway :lol: