Getting Discouraged

[mindy10]

I feel sad all over again.  So Im getting a little discouraged about being a rabbit owner.  I had dogs my whole life and my last dog for the last year was very hard to deal with.  he hated to be touched, held, patted.  I couldnt comfort him at the end.  He had doggie dementia.  Brushing him was touture for me (he was a shih tzu so need to be brushed often) and cutting his nails was hard becasue again he hated to be touched.  It was a struggle everyday because i had to put eye drops in his eyes so everyday I had to chase him to be able to pick him up.  I was getting exhausted over it.    So when I had to put him down i promised myself I would not go through that again.  Well here I am a bunny owner and she hates to be touched, held, brushed or nails trimed.  I tryed to hold her and play with her feet to get her use to having to clip them and she started to grunt and fight me and I had to put her down because I was afraid i was going to hurt her.    I have to brush her everyday and to pick her up its like trying to pick up the dog again its impossible to get her. Now she is starting to grunt if I try to brush her.  I really hope she does not start to bite becasue thats when I draw the line.  One thing I will not put up with is a biting pet especially when i have a 6 year old daughter.  I just believe a pet has a certain personality and if it is a scared shy bunny it will always be no matter how much time you give it to get use to you.  Sorry just had to vent feeling frustrated this morning.  Mindy

[Sarita]

So sorry you are frustrated but in all honesty this is how any rabbit that I have ever owned has been like and I’ve owned many. Yes, I have had some that bite too – this is a defensive action. Remember rabbits are prey animals and picking them up causes anxiety which is why the struggle.

I’ve never known a rabbit either that really enjoys being brushed unlike cats and dogs which don’t seem to mind this for the most part.

There is no guarantee that she will ever enjoy brushing and I don’t know of any rabbits who like having their nails trimmed (or any rabbit owners that enjoy doing this as well).

Most of my rabbits enjoyed being petted but it’s only when they have settled down and are relaxed. My netherland dwarf always grunts and lunges at me…I understand, I’m a big clumsy human and he’s a tiny little rabbit. I don’t mind the grunts and lunges really, I think it’s just part of his personality – but I’m not a 6 year old child who may not understand this behavior either.

[RabbitPam]

I understand your frustration, and unfortunately, bunnies are not lap animals either.

First thing I want to mention about a bunny regarding biting: before you draw the line, please keep in mind that a bunny is a very vulnerable prey animal, and their, well, bite is worse than their bite. What I mean is, they set their teeth without breaking the skin almost every time. They use their mouths and teeth like a 5th hand, when they seriously want you to get away, so you will feel a bit but if you look, you will barely see an indent on your skin. The babies need to learn how much pressure to use and how to back off, but they do that quickly, so it’s a sign of a serious illness in the bunny if it draws blood. I say this out of immediate experience with giving Sammy her meds this morning, and she bit my arm, and I couldn’t even see where it was. She was telling me to back off, but had no intention of doing serious damage. Your daughter’s skin is more vulnerable, so it’s time to teach her the warning signals to back off a bunny before a bite is even attempted. With a child, if the bunny runs away, have her learn not to continue to go after the bunny. Reaching hands toward the bunny to grab is the biggest invitation to a lunging bite or a growl, so if you teach her never to do that, she should be fine.

As far as brushing goes, I would recommend a bit of clicker training. You get her to have a treat every time she lets you brush her, which should be small like one pellet or a small raisin. You can try it without clicking at first, the idea being she associates letting you brush her with getting a reward for it. Bunnies are very smart, and respond well to positive conditioning. So I would urge you to try it (can use a sprig of parsley or mint if that’s a favorite, too. Keep the rewards healthy.) but it takes several days or a week or two to learn, so hang in there. But once learned, you will have your bunny cooperating with you from then on. Sometimes a simple relaxing head pet with one hand while you brush gently with the other is all it takes. Just don’t make her get on your lap to do it. Sit quietly on the floor, let her lie next to you, pet he head and brush. It will become a nice time with you for her.

[kamdynandsunshinesmom]

So sorry you are going through this. Most rabbits though don’t like to be picked up and my rabbits hate to have there feet touched. You can do a little bit of clicker training. I have tried doing clicker training my bunny sunshine didn’t like it very much. So I stopped. Most rabbits though like to be petted. Sunshine really doesn’t like to be brushed though sometimes you can brush her for a few minutes. Maybe try different brushes. My kamdyn didn’t like being brushed either so I use a lint roller and he loves it. Hope this helps and hope your days get better with your bun.

[kralspace]

sorry you’re having problems. I know you said your poor dog did it out of dementia, but unfortunately your bunny is just being a bunny and most don’t enjoy the picking up and handling. Three of mine will let me brush and do their nails by myself. I put them on the kitchen table and lean over them. I guess the strange place and the slick surface intimidates them and they sit still while I slide a hand under them to extend the paw and clip the nails.

My fourth is Pringles, a big ole 10 pound girl and she has the most attitude. It’s just her way to huff, growl, bark and lunge but she’s never even nipped a person in the nearly 5 years we’ve had her. My son holds her against his chest and I can do one paw at a time with no problem.
She puts up quite a show with the growling and all. she’ll throw her head around and whap my son across the face with those long lop ears.

[Sam and Lady's Human]

Most rabbits don’t like to be held or sometimes even pet. You can condition them to *tolerate* being held for situations like getting to the vet, but really outside that, they are a prey animal and their instincts are strong that being picked up = being carried away to their doom.
A healthy rabbit will only bite you if you push it to far, please keep that in mind.
Also, while temperaments do vary, a scared bunny will only always be a scared bunny if its owner doesn’t take the time to bond with it. I have had Samson for 8 months now, and she’s not shy, but she’s also not cuddly. When she wants pets she’ll come about 2 feet from me and stretch out to touch my hand then shrink back. I’ll pet her for a couple minutes, then she’s done with me Her idea of spending time with the family is sitting on the rug, in the same room as us. She also tends to be a little diva, letting me know when she’s mad at me with her own rabbit language (read http://language.rabbitspeak.com/). That can happen for a billion and one reasons, I usually don’t know why but a couple treats and time usually gets her back to her slight affection stage

[mindy10]

Thanks everyone, I hope you dont think im a terrible pet owner.  I love Blossom.  I think I just was a little overwhelmed this morning trying to brush her and do her nails because it reminded me of my dog at the end of his life.  I know bunnies dont like to be held or brushed so I will have to find a way to make it work for her and me.  Thats what I did with my dog at the end i found a way to put his eye drops in that worked for him and me.  I had to stick him in the sink to do it!!  I found if I put a bag of treats on the ground Blossom is to busy trying to get into the bag she doesnt realize Im brushing her.  I also found a brush online that is a brush glove so im going to try that because she doesnt mind me patting her with my hand she is afraid of the big brush.  Thanks again everyone.  The nail thing im still working on a way that I can do that.  Someone said put her on a table but Im afraid she will run and fall off and break a leg!!  Here she is all exhausted from me trying to brush her this morning!!

 

 

[Beka27]

Aw, she’s so cute!!!

Rabbits are so different from other types of house pets, but you learn to love them FOR their differences.

[LBJ10]

Even my sweet little Wooly does not enjoy being brushed. If he sees me coming with the brush, he will dash for the one place he knows I can’t reach him. I have to trick him, bribe him with treats, and pretend like I just want to pet him. If I’m just holding him, he’s fine. I can hold him and pet him and he doesn’t seem to mind. He is definitely an exception to the rule though! Just look at Leopold, he’s a much more typical rabbit. Wooly only bites and growls at the brush. Leopold will take chunks out of my arm (no, not really). He has never broken the skin, but I have definitely been bruised. He just doesn’t want to be held and it is him saying he wants me to put him down. I have tried working with him, offering him treats, getting him used to being held for the sake of nail trimmings and whatnot. But you know what? He still isn’t “used” to it. It’s just the way he is, but I still love him anyway. I’m sure you will find something that works for you and Blossom. Especially with the smaller bunnies, they probably feel very vulnerable having a big human pick them up and essentially trap them.

[bunnyfriend]

I’m sorry. I understand how you feel a bit I think. If I am remembering things correctly, your bunny is too young too be spayed. Right? It’s not a guarantee but maybe after her spay her behavior will change. Most of the time Wilbur, my 3 pound Lop, isn’t shy or anything but isn’t interested much in pets. Most of the time she follows me around nudging me with her nose, I get one or two pets in before she hops off to do something else, she just ever really stay still. Then once in a while (usually before I go to sleep) she actually wants to be petted and will sit there for as long as I pet her. Since Wilbur has been spayed she just has been different, she even wants to be pet more. I definitely felt overwhelmed when her hormones kicked in and I felt like she was just so mean and unfriendly, I felt like I had made a mistake adopting a baby bunny. You don’t sound like a bad owner!

[mindy10]

Ok so how do you do Leopold’s nails?  If he hates being held how the heck do you do it?  Thanks Mindy

[mindy10]

Yes she is a baby.  she is a little over 3 months old.  To be exact she will be four months December 1st.    She is not a bad bunny.  I just don’t understand how the heck Im going to be able to do her nails if she hates to be held.  I can’t keep her still long enough to cut them all.  Also Im so afraid of hitting the blood line if she keeps kicking at me.  Oh well I will figure it out somehow.  Thanks again everyone.  Mindy

[Mandyyy]

Being a dog trainer for abused and shelter dogs, I know many dogs who HATED people (My hound being one) but over time with the right guidance and training, turn out to be normal happy dogs. I know some may not over come it (like your pup) but that doesnt mean all who were abused and have a certain mind set on “humans=scary” will forever be like that. Every animal is an individual, and should be treated as such. We change often, so do animals.

That being said, Bunnies are a little harder to break through their shell. My two bunnies were rescued from being abused when I was a kid. I was friends with someone and I didn’t like how she handled the rabbits. She was VERY abusive and scary to them. I never really thought about having bunnies, but when I saw how she treated them I needed to rescue them. For the first year to two years I had them they were VERY shy. Sudden movements scared them. Domino would freeze and act as if she was dead. They would kick me when I picked them up, they scratched me a lot (I used to be covered in rabbits scares). Domino still can get nippy, but now they are completely different. Domino is not the smartest bunny, and is very kept to herself, but she isn’t afraid of anything anymore. In fact she’s quit brave, even willing to take on one of the dogs, or the rats when they annoy her (and she usually wins. She’s full of “Rabbitude”. Nava became the sweetest bunny I have ever met (and through rescue I have met a lot of bunnies). She was terrified of everything, but now she comes when called. She loves to cuddle with the cats and dogs, and she plays with Dharma (my hound) often. She’s also an elderly rabbit who binkies around my bedroom when she gets little hyper bursts.

It depends on the animal itself. But with time, some gentle guidance, and a lot of yummy treats you can get through to them. You also have to remember, with any animal (specially shier ones like bunnies, or abused dogs/animals) you can’t push them. You have to let them accept you, the brush, being touched, ect and move on from there. If she is an extra scared bunny, start slowly with her.

[LBJ10]

Mindy – Leopold will normally get wrapped in the towel. My husband will hold him and Leopold will squirm and do his thing. Then I will cut his nails with some cat nail clippers. It’s easy to see the quick since his nails are clear. If all else fails though (ie Leopold is being impossible), then I can always take him to the vet. There’s nothing like take a rabbit to the vet when it comes to getting them to cooperate. Then the vet tech thinks you’re insane when you say you had the hardest time trying to cut his nails.

[DanaNM]

I know this is a super old thread, but just wanted to share what has worked for me with brushing my buns, as it might be useful for you/others. 

First thing for brushing/grooming, is I will sit/lay on the floor with them. If they are already lounging, I will sit near them and pet their head and ears as though they are being groomed by another bunny. I do this until they are obviously relaxed (not tensed up and ready to bolt). 

Then I will start first with a soft bristle brush, first on their head and ears. It doesn’t do much to remove fur, but they like how it feels and gets them used to the feeling. Whenever I brush their back, rump, etc, I make sure that I am simultaneously petting their head and ears. I think this is the most important part. 

Then I will switch to using a comb (I LOVE the kind with the rubber guard at the base). With my more timid bunny, I am sure to keep the strokes very short and gentle. They have very sensitive skin! I also will use my hands to pull out the big tufts during molting, which can be more effective than any comb. 

I will alternate between the comb and soft brush if they start getting shifty/tense again, and always continuously pet their heads! 

If they run off, that’s the end of the session, I don’t chase them. I opt to do frequent, short sessions that are on their terms most of the time. If I do have to pick them up for a nail trim, I will do a deeper, longer grooming, using the same prinicipals, but with them on a towel on the table so they can’t run off. I always end with a treat, but I still usually get some “dirt kicks” once the session is over! 

. . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.  

[BinkyBunny]

Hi Dana — thanks so much for input. Great advice. The comb with the rubber base I think you are talking about is called the Hairbuster. Unfortunately, we do not allow replies to posts this old, so I will lock this thread.  You are welcome to start a new topid/thread if you’d like. 

[Author]

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