Rabbit hates being picked up

Hello,

I think I may have made a huge mistake with my 5 month old Dutch rabbit, Bee.

She originally came from P@H (very bad choice for so many reasons, in hindsight :roll: ) so she was quite skittish when we got her. She has never been fond of being handled which is now starting to worry me as I have pretty much avoided handling her. Her hutch opens from the front so she can jump in and out herself, she's not unfriendly and quite enjoys being stroked and licking my face etc. She also doesn't like being stroked with two hands (as she thinks we'll pick her up!), unless she's in a very cuddly mood. But she just will not be picked up.

The main reason I am starting to worry is because I think we'll be needing a nail trim soonish and there is NO WAY she will allow me to do that! Unless I can find a way of doing it without having to restrain her too much. I feel like it's more the actual act of being held and being asked to stay still that frightens her rather than being lifted from the ground so even if I can manage to do nail trimming/ health checks on the floor, it'd have to be on her terms completely... -sigh-

Is there anything I can do to help her complete aversion to handling or does anyone else have a similar bunny who has found an alternative?

I was thinking about trying to harness train her as this might help keep her still(er) without upsetting her too much, it'll also be a way of transporting her without carrying her. She's not an unfriendly bunny and I understand that they don't like being picked up which is why I haven't forced it onto her. But even the cheekiest, naughtiest bunnies have to be handled somehow, so there must be a way to handle this diva!

I look forwards to seeing replies to your question. I struggle with my buns in this respect also. Binky sounds like your bun, hes can't get enough pats, licks my face, is sociable, likes having cuddles but the moment he feels like hes coming off the ground he doesn't like it at all. If I have a good grip on him hes not too bad to get on my lap securely (but even struggle to get a good grip as when I slide my hand under he knows i'm going to pick him up). Winnie...well. I don't stand a chance with her, shes not even very keen on having pats @_@ Picking her up and keeping a grip is near impossible. I've frequently described her as a bar of soap.

I understand we have to be careful picking our bunnies up, its just so hard to get the proper grip when the moment I slide a hand under to support them they run off :lol:
I'd like to be able to do claw clipping, etc myself, I really would. But at the moment have to take my buns to get their claws clipped elsewhere.

Yes, it seems we have the same problem! Damn cheeky rabbits!

She seems so strong as well, for such a young rabbit, she just wriggles and wriggles and wriggles until I hurry myself back to the ground to set her free again.

Tiger-Lily is the same unfortunately... no cuddles from her unless she's feeling really nice! & she will let me stroke her only when I'm giving her food really.
The nurse at my vets does her nails for me luckily (free- i'm with companion care, £5 a month gives me free nurse checks, nail trimming, vaccinations and worming tablets... so good!)
She will let me check her bottom occasionally, usually i have to sit on the floor and pick her front up so my partner can have a look... OR maybe try holding them on a table (so it's like the vets) she's usually not too bad with that!

Hopefully you find a way! After a year there is no way i can pick her up, unless i want to be covered in scratches! so i very rarely even try :roll:

The vet care plan thing you mentioned sounds good! I might have to look into that as I've taken her to the vets so many times already- nothing serious, luckily!

I think she's just a feisty, wild little rabbit, perhaps I'll try and handle her more and see if she can get used to it. I just don't like stressing her out; she's quite a sulky rabbit as well so there's no apologising to her! Silly buns

I never handle my rabbits unless I have to, even for general health checks I just raise their front ends up so it's like they're sitting up. As prey animals they prefer to keep all 4 paws on the ground, keep picking them up and they may eventually see you as a nasty thing that puts them in a scary situation. For claw clipping my outdoor rabbits we bunny burrito them, wrap them in a towel loosely and go around each foot, it's a 2 person job here.

Rabbits can't be harness trained like dogs can, in a harness the rabbit walks you. It probably wouldn't help her, might just freak her out. Personally I don't like them as any sudden movement (bunny 500, a binky) could result in an injury. Transporting them in carriers is much safer and more secure.

Edit- if you try a bunny burrito, don't go slow with the initial picking up, just do it, don't think about it and don't give her time to think about it. That's the only way we can do it without stressing the rabbits out too much, just get it over and done with then they can have their sulk afterwards. If they start running around and trying to get away, I would leave it for a bit and let them calm down before trying again.

With my indoor buns we just have them done at the vets as they have more regular check ups than the outdoor rabbits.

_Jennifer said:

The vet care plan thing you mentioned sounds good! I might have to look into that as I've taken her to the vets so many times already- nothing serious, luckily!

I think she's just a feisty, wild little rabbit, perhaps I'll try and handle her more and see if she can get used to it. I just don't like stressing her out; she's quite a sulky rabbit as well so there's no apologising to her! Silly buns

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It really is- you get money off neutering and a whole lot of other helpful things
They've been pretty helpful for me so far too!

She sounds exactly like Tiger-Lily, if i annoy her she'll sulk for hours! & i know what you mean, she gets so stressed it hardly seems worth it!

Thanks a lot Chazzity92! I'll definitely look into this!!

Hi Aly&Poppy<3, thanks for replying. I'd completely forgotten about the bunny burrito! We have done this before with Bee, when she was poorly and needed syringe feeding. She didn't mind being wrapped up surprisingly... Though it may have been just because she was a ill :/ . I'll definitely keep that in mind. About the harness, I'd only use it for a practical purpose such as taking her outside to her run (once she's vaccinated) and things like that, she's very happy to follow me; just if we're going outside, I'd like a way of knowing that she won't get too far and I think if I carried her and dropped her I'd never find her again! I'm still deciding whether or not to try it as the carrier made her a verrrrrry unhappy bunny. Once we have a plastic carrier rather than a temporary cardboard one, I'll leave that in her 'play area' so she can sit in it and get used to it. I guess it'll be whichever she prefers, as per usual :lol:

Wrapping a bunny up is a good way, but tbh, getting a vet to do it is so much easier. :lol: Generally bunnies are a little calmer at the vets because they are out of their comfort zone.

Xena HATES nail trimming, but I just wedge her in the crook of my arm (usually getting a nice hard nip in the process) and do it. It's rather stressful, though, and I would only do this with a bun that I knew could handle it and wouldn't completely freak out.

I have recently gotten another bun..I think she'll be going to the vets for nail trims because she has black nails (which are a nightmare) and she is a bit flighty.

For picking up: http://www.therabbithouse.com/behaviour/problem-picking-rabbit-up.asp

For nails, I'd recommend doing them in stages eg a paw a week of even a nail a day. That way you aren't asking them to hold still for a long time if that's something they particularly dislike. I'd suggest two people, one on rabbit wrangling and one to do the clipping.

A carrier is the best way to move/lift your bunny if you aren't confident you can do it safely by hand

Definitely not harness training in my opinion. I honestly think we loose sight of what rabbits are - certainly not dogs! Any rabbits in harness are the exception to the rule. It is just not in their nature to be contained in that way and would only add to the stress.

If we want a rabbit for a pet we have to accept them for what they are. And if your rabbit is not unfriendly, quite enjoys being stroked and licks your face then you are very lucky

That's not to say it doesn't make it difficult for those times picking up is needed. Are you sure its nails need cutting? My rabbits have never needed nails cutting (though I must admit mine are free ranging during the day, which possibly wears nails down).

I completely cop out here and say for any 'hands on time' which is necessary, I wimp out and my husband dives in. No real method, just confidence really.

Rabbits, generally, are not cuddly pets like cats and dogs and I sometimes think our expectations are far to high in that department, dare I say

Our buns hate being picked up from the run, but they're generally ok being picked up from their hutch (which is higher up) so our assumption is the height they are going makes a difference to them. Also, we try to give them treats when they've been good and let me pick them up so they associate being picked up with dandelion leaves rather than some weird giant staring at their bum!

We have one bunny who is an absolute nightmare with nail trimming. It takes two of us to do it, and is stressful all round. We've tried everything - she can wriggle out of a burrito!
If I was on my own I would definitely have to take her to the vets to have it done. The others I can just about do on my own, though Fudge is a bit of a challenge.

I found with one of my buns that if I relocate her (using a carrier) to an unfamiliar space (the kitchen floor) she gets much less stressed and behaves more like she would at the vet. This does not work with her husbun. Trial and error? I like the sound of doing them bit by bit.

I'm probably not far from you in Windlesham. If you wanted to come over with your bunny(s) I can show you how I would handle her for nail clipping and then maybe you might be able to find a way that suits you both.

When she's spayed it might make things much easier. Dutches are pretty good at exploring their world through their teeth so this is a trait I have seen often before. I've also taken in some dutch Pets at Home buns into my rescue before and they do seem quite a bit more skittish than those who were maybe from a breeder and here handled earlier in life.

Helen

We have a Dutch who is exactly the same - I know the whole routine now.
Ears back - foot thump - grunt - run!!

He was a licker and a teeth chatterer once I got him calm but hasn't done that for a long time now and is more interested in his best route of escape back down to the floor.

He does not like his head stroked, ears go back if you go higher than a nose rub, sometimes he will cower right down to the ground.

He is curious and will come for food, especially a big savoy cabbage leaf and he will come up and eat it as you hold it, I can get to stroke him sometimes at this point, but if he can snatch the leaf out of your hand and run off to eat it somewhere, he will.

He will also eat all of his nuggets from my hand on my lap, but once it's all eaten, his attention is focused back on getting away again.

He's due to be bonded in the next few weeks with our other bun who just oozes confidence and my only hope is that some of it will rub off and he will be less bothered by being approached when he sees the other 1 queueing for attention.

Dippy_Danni said:

We have a Dutch who is exactly the same - I know the whole routine now.
Ears back - foot thump - grunt - run!!

He was a licker and a teeth chatterer once I got him calm but hasn't done that for a long time now and is more interested in his best route of escape back down to the floor.

He does not like his head stroked, ears go back if you go higher than a nose rub, sometimes he will cower right down to the ground.

He is curious and will come for food, especially a big savoy cabbage leaf and he will come up and eat it as you hold it, I can get to stroke him sometimes at this point, but if he can snatch the leaf out of your hand and run off to eat it somewhere, he will.

He will also eat all of his nuggets from my hand on my lap, but once it's all eaten, his attention is focused back on getting away again.

He's due to be bonded in the next few weeks with our other bun who just oozes confidence and my only hope is that some of it will rub off and he will be less bothered by being approached when he sees the other 1 queueing for attention.

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A rabbit that lays down on the ground with their head down is asking for nose rubs.

Vegan_Bunny said:

A rabbit that lays down on the ground with their head down is asking for nose rubs.

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Ooooh

With his ears right down too? He looks scared when he does that :?

Head and ears down is a submission. Rex hated being picked up, but he loves to eat. What we do now is pick him up to bring him out of his enclosure to sit with us. He still feels unsettled when you move with him, but as soon as I sit down I give him treats. I repeated this process for a few days and now he knows when the cage door is open, he bows his head in submission, we can pick him up and place him on our lap in the evening. He stays for treats, then goes to do his own thing. He is 2 years old, so you can train a older rabbit, but you mustn't panic but do this in a confident manor otherwise the rabbit will pick up on this.

Yep, chin/chest on the floor, ears laid back over the shoulders - means please rub my nose Being frightening is more of a crouch, no chin on the floor.

I wouldn't take running off with food too much to heart either, even cuddle buns do this. I guess if their social group was a rabbit they would be after it too, and they just assume people will try and 'share' and they want it all to themselves :lol: Scamp's a complete cuddle bun but still runs off under the table if he gets another good to eat :lol: