Help!! Rabbit hissing/spitting!!

I'm having a nightmare trying to clean Bridget. I left her alone for a few days after the vet trip and just used the pet freshner. This morning I got up early to give her a clean down-under. she is very strong so its hard to keep her still but then she started making a spitting/hissing noise and I had to let her go. I tried again 10 minutes later and she did it again.

I obviously don't want to stress her out but she is very smelly down-under and I don't want her to get any sores from not cleaning it. She is on a hay and water diet so she has no more sloppy poos it really is just her urine.

Help please!!!

I have the same problem with Ollie when I try to get her from he hutch...

Someone recommended I make a high pitched noise when she does it and it has worked absolute wonders.

Really? She doesn't actually scratch or bite me when she makes the noise she is just struggling and upset so I let her go in fear that she has a heart attack or something!! :shock: I will give it a go now.. thanks xxx

romy can you restrain here comfortably with her weight, i have a bun that doesnt like being handled, so i bear hug her most mornings to get her used to it, i have had her a year ish so as much as she doesnt enjoy it she will tollorate it, so when i want to take a look at her i catch her hold her on the floor with my hand firmly over the top of her neck, (not hurting her) but she holds still.

but with bertie big bun i do need a second person, is there anyone to help you, boyfriend :?: :?:

Eve x

I just tried screeching type noise but it didn't work

Bridget loves cuddles and is used to me cuddling her but when it comes to cleaning she goes mad.... I just dont know what to do

No boyf to help with this unfortunatley, just me!! I couldn't ask my mates to help with this as they're not animal people - I wouldn't know which task to give them - try and hold a spitting rabbit or clean her dirty catch!! :shock:

I'm really at my wits at this morning...I can't keep spraying her with pet freshner....

Romy said:

I just tried screeching type noise but it didn't work

Bridget loves cuddles and is used to me cuddling her but when it comes to cleaning she goes mad.... I just dont know what to do

No boyf to help with this unfortunatley, just me!! I couldn't ask my mates to help with this as they're not animal people - I wouldn't know which task to give them - try and hold a spitting rabbit or clean her dirty catch!! :shock:

I'm really at my wits at this morning...I can't keep spraying her with pet freshner....

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is she is not gonna bit you romy, i would just let her get on with her hissy fit :lol: and if she is just buy some gardening gloves so if she is going to bit it wont hurt so much, i know it dont sound great but what choice do you have with no one available to help!!!

or hold her down with a towel!!!

eve x

Right I'll get some gardening gloves today...!!! Thanks!

Hissing fits won't hurt her tho will they??

Jessica went through a stage of grunting and lunging, she never bit anyone so we just ignored her. In the end she realised we weren't going to go away and gave up.

So maybe if you just ignore her she'll realise its not working and stop.

Hope she settles down soon

Betty

Hiya Romy

when handling bunnies it is important to hold them firmly so that they feel secure, you wont hurt Bridget, but she could injure herself if she is allowed to wriggle.
What I tend to do, is push the bunny onto their side into a large pice of vetbed, lay my arms across their back legs so they cannot kick and prise their legs apart at the back to access their bot. It is hard to describe, i wish I could send you a picture over.
I find putting bunnies on their side and pinning them to the floor :shock: works well, and is less stressful than putting them on their back.
If you really cannot clean Bridget, I suggest as a last resort that you ask the Vet to do a clean up for you :wink:
If you lived closer I would pop around and show you how to do this myself... :?
you need to get Bridget used to being checked and cleaned up, if you do this each day, they soon settle into it, and allow you to pop them onto their side, to do the task.
I wear sunglasses when handling rabbits incase they try and kick me... :lol: and cover my arms so I do not get scratched.
I think you just lack a bit of confidence , but please do not be afraid to have a go , it is very important that you clean her bot, else she risks getting infections and fly strike.
Dont let her hissing put you off, and try not to react to this if possible, but instead gently but firmly continue to clean her underside. :wink:

If Bridget is smelly and this comes from the urine, I would ask teh Vet to do a urine test, as bladder infections are common in Does especially and often missed during a routine vet check.

Keep some Rescue Remedy in and give her one drop directly into the mouh five minutes before you attempt to clean her and after you have done the deed.
play some calming music, and dot some lavendar around onto pieces of cottonwool or tissue, create a soothing, calming environment each time you try and clean Bridget, and she will soon see that there is nothing for her to be worried about. Bridget will pick up your uncertainty too, so try and be confident around her, and speak to her gently as you turn her onto her side etc.


I hope this helps a bit??
Love and best wishes to you and the beautiful Bridget

Where abouts are you? Perhaps there is someone near you that could come and give you a hand.

As Adele says rather than trying to hold her upside down you might find it easier to roll her on her side.

Tam

Ben kicks and struggles a lot i you need to clean his behind. The best position I have found is to get him on my lap, lift his front legs and put my left arm under so that his head and front paws are over my arm and he is essentially sitting up with his back feet facing away from you. That way, you have hold of the head and front feet so no scratching and biting, the bum is supported in your lap and the kicking feet are facing the other way from you if they decide to have a go. It also keeps their head the right way up, so not as stressful as putting them on their back, and leaves you with a free view of what needs cleaning down under !! :shock: :lol:

Just make sure the wet wipes are within reach as once you are in this position, you won't have free hands to look for things !

Thanks guys. Even Darcy is getting frightend of me picking him up now... I picked him up for a squidgy cuddle and instead of nesting his head under my chin he looks me square in the eyes with an idignant stare that said "don't think you're wiping my backside either!" :shock: :lol: :lol:

Oh poor Romy...sorry no advice ....AND then your last post about Darcy has just got me in stitches...I can just imagine him...Don't you dare think you are going to try that on me

Marlene said:

Oh poor Romy...sorry no advice ....AND then your last post about Darcy has just got me in stitches...I can just imagine him...Don't you dare think you are going to try that on me

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:lol: :lol: laughing over their funny little faces and attitudes is the only thing keeping me sane at the moment!! I didn't manage to get gardening gloves today so thought I'd just try a sneaky wipe with the baby wipes as Bridget hops past me (not a great or efficient clean but it does for now) she just whizzes round to sniff at the offending baby wipe in my hand as if I'm about to do god knows what!! :shock: :roll: :lol: :lol: :lol: I said to her do you not think that pong is worse??? :shock: :lol: :lol:

We had to clean our S'mores poopie butt last weekend.
She doesn't like to be handled in the first place. We wrapped her in a blanket and made a "bunnie burrito". We still had to manipulate her back legs, but it was a lot easier to control her.
She didn't really freak out, but she did whimper and cry the whole time we were cleaning. I think she could sense that we were trying to help.

:~) Jim

Romy wrote

laughing over their funny little faces and attitudes is the only thing keeping me sane at the moment!! I didn't manage to get gardening gloves today so thought I'd just try a sneaky wipe with the baby wipes as Bridget hops past me (not a great or efficient clean but it does for now) she just whizzes round to sniff at the offending baby wipe in my hand as if I'm about to do god knows what!! I said to her do you not think that pong is worse???

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You would think a LADY would take the hint wouldn't you???

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

What makes it worse is that I have her on the hay and water diet to lose weight and also stop runny poops which have cleared now thank heavens....I see her looking at me like "how could you be so cruel, first you wipe my backside then you don't even give me some treats to make it worthwhile!" :shock: :lol:

Romy said:

What makes it worse is that I have her on the hay and water diet to lose weight and also stop runny poops which have cleared now thank heavens....I see her looking at me like "how could you be so cruel, first you wipe my backside then you don't even give me some treats to make it worthwhile!" :shock: :lol:

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:lol: :lol: :lol:

I have the same problem with my oldest French lop doe Martha. She is really really overweight at 9.3kg and although I have tryed dieting her it never really works.

I think it is more difficult to clean frenchies as they are so big and just don't feel safe being handled. None of my french lops like being picked up, but would quite happily sit next to you for hours for stroking. With Martha I either do as somebody else said and sit her on my lap as if she is sat up or I put a towel on the draining board of the sink and sit her so most of her is on the towel with her back end in the water. She used to splash abit but has now just resigned herself to the fact that it is going to happen whether she likes it or not.

I often worry whether she will cope with it or not especially since she has such a large dewlap I often think it gets in the way of her breathing when she is held on her back, but she is still with me! We also use the same approach when we clean rabbits at the surgery!

Hey Romy,

Dunno if uve seen a pic of Mitsy but shes a big rabbit and very strong, when shes in a good mood shes fine with being picked up but when she doesnt want to be she really creates. She knows iv never hurt her and wouldnt so i dont kno what the fuss is about.. apart from shes very moody :roll:

What i find works to control her when she struggles, (she contorts her whole body), is scoop her up from behind with ur left arm as a barrier across her chest n tummy, also use those finger to hold her arms inplace. then kneel down and ur knees will secure her bum so u have ur right arm to clean or move her legs.

Sound complicated written , but is very simple n its just using ur body strength against hers and cleaning her ,even tho she may grunt as Mitz does, but its not them in distress i think just her letting u kno shes hacked off, and honestly if it needs to be done i dont care if shes hacked off, i just get on with it n she calms down soon enough!