bummed out.

[mzsunshine]

 Sometimes do you guys ever feel like you’re a bad bun-parent? You try your hardest, but there are some days that you just feel like the most horriblest mom/dad…

Today I noticed that Buster had a small crusty thing near his eye. I wanted to check it out and since he wouldnt stay still I tried to pick him up to put him on top of the cage so he couldn’t run around so I could get a better look. While I tried to pick him up he struggled and managed to get free and fell!  It wasn’t a big drop ( I wasn’t standing up yet), but it still made my heart skip a beat (not a good way either). I just felt awful…

THen just a little while after… Lola jumped on top of her cage and jumped over the xpen!! I’ve noticed that she’s capable of doing this now, so when I’m not here to supervise I place two boxes on top of the cage so she won’t be able to jump on top. Anyway so I’m in the room watching them and she jumps out of the xpen, tries to make it onto the bed but ends up on the floor instead. I follow her and try to pick her up but she just prances away, and when I finally get a chance to pick her up, she ALSO mangers to wrangle free and just fall! 

It’s just disheartening after spending hours at the animal shelter, taking care of these rabbits with little to no problem, and you come home to your bunbuns and it’s just a disaster. 

Just wanted to rant to some other bunny people… thanks.

[RabbitPam]

We’ve all had pet slippery eels when we thought we had bunnies – you’re not alone.
It’s hard to pick up a bunny, and you need to be very careful about their backs, which are quite fragile, but you actually did the right thing letting them land rather than trying to hold on too tightly resulting in their twisting. That’s what often hurts them even more.
It might help to watch a video or two on picking up and holding a bunny correctly, since it sometimes helps you to know exactly where to grasp them to get them supported immediately and to make them feel secure fast.

I found a couple on YouTube:

This one tends to be the position the vet holds them in prior to examining. I was surprised when Sammy was ill last week that she allowed this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jdt0XKNlfRY

Turn up the sound for this one, but I especially like her demo. of picking up two rabbits with different temperments. She puts them into the position that is most recommended, the football hold in the crook of your arm against your chest. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZHhCkOl-0I

The important thing to remember is exactly what you did – squat down low to get them secure first, then stand. You avoided a struggle and fall from a height by doing that.

And sometimes they need to learn it for themselves, so don’t blame yourself for your silly girl, Lola. Just secure the xpen. Try covering it with a sheet held down by clamps.

[LBJ10]

Rabbits aren’t like hamsters. LOL What I mean is, a hamster can take quite a fall for such a small animal. I had hamsters escape when I was a kid and they would jump down to the floor from on top of my dresser. =O Oddly enough, Wooly took a bit of a tumble when he was a baby. He was still separated from Leopold and he was in a little cage on a stand. I opened to top of the cage to get him out one day and he was still upset about the vet. He literally leaped out of the cage and landed on the floor. He bounced on the carpet! I thought I had killed him! But he sprang up and took off like a rocket. He was fine. The point of this story is that these things happen, so don’t feel too terrible about it. I think Pam has some good suggestions and is right about not holding them too hard and letting them twist.

[bunnyfriend]

Don’t worry. I was about to set Wilbur on the ground and when I was lowering my arms I didn’t have a good hold of her and she jumped right out of them like 3 feet off the ground I think it’s likely to happen at least once or twice.

[Stickerbunny]

The buns are really hard to keep hold of sometimes, I haven’t had mine actually jump out of my arms, but my boyfriend is hopeless at keeping the slippery things secure and every time I clip them he ends up losing hold of both of them (we do it on the bed, so it’s not dangerous for them). As long as they are fine, don’t feel bad – their fur is slick and a struggling rabbit is hard to keep when they don’t want you to!

[GrumpyBun]

Yup, I’ve had rabbits throw themselves from my arms too! Don’t beat yourself up about, and Pam’s suggestions are really good

[mzsunshine]

thanks guys for the reassurance i’ll def. check those videos out!

[Author]

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