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BUNNY 911 – If your rabbit hasn’t eaten or pooped in 12-24 hours, call a vet immediately!  Don’t have a vet? Check out VET RESOURCES 

The subject of intentional breeding or meat rabbits is prohibited. The answers provided on this board are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet.  It is your responsibility to assess the information being given and seek professional advice/second opinion from your veterinarian and/or qualified behaviorist.

BINKYBUNNY FORUMS

Forum DIET & CARE At my wit’s end trying to pick bun up!

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    • Fidget
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        Hiya,

        Some of you might have read before about Fidget, my 2 year old adopted bun. I don’t think he had the best time with his last family so I’ve been working on that, he’s very friendly now. 

        He still won’t even tolerate being picked up though. Not for cuddles, but for weekly/monthly checks over.

        I’ve managed to pick him up once after his neuter while my flatmate had a quick check of his incisions. I tried today getting his scruff and bum (recommended by the vet who’s had trouble handling him too) and managed to get him against my thighs, but when I tried to get him on a towel so I could burrito him, he wriggled free, and I’ve got some wicked scratches on my wrist from the encounter. (He’s sulking now in his cage).

        It’s driving me mad, I want to be able to check his teeth and nails myself rather than running off to the vet every few months, but he just will not allow me to pick him up.

        Has anyone got any ideas/tricks?


      • Kbana
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          Have you tried laying a towel on the ground and waiting to burrito him until he steps on the towel? That is the only thing I can think of off the top of my head at the moment. Maybe put some pellets/treats down on the towel so he will stay in one place while eating them. Then scoop him up in the towel after you wrap him. It may cause him to struggle less because he still has his feet on the ground when he is being wrapped up.


        • MoveDiagonally
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            If the normal bunny burrito doesn’t work there’s also the modified bunny burrito for the uncooperative:
            http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zeRCMy9-voo


          • Fidget
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              Posted By Kbana on 10/28/2013 09:33 AM

              Have you tried laying a towel on the ground and waiting to burrito him until he steps on the towel? That is the only thing I can think of off the top of my head at the moment. Maybe put some pellets/treats down on the towel so he will stay in one place while eating them. Then scoop him up in the towel after you wrap him. It may cause him to struggle less because he still has his feet on the ground when he is being wrapped up.

              Tried that. I think he knows what a towel on the floor means so he darts in, grabs the treats and runs off 


            • Fidget
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                Posted By MoveDiagonally on 10/28/2013 09:50 AM

                If the normal bunny burrito doesn’t work there’s also the modified bunny burrito for the uncooperative:
                http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zeRCMy9-voo

                Hmm, I shall give that a go when he’s stopped sulking. Thanks

                Edit: It worked! For a few seconds. I think I need to get the towel around him tighter so that he can’t leap out when I uncover his head. Ah well, hopefully with a bit of practice we’ll get there!

                He’s sulking in a corner again with an empty raisin box.


              • Kbana
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                  Oh bummer Fidget. Keep practicing. It sounds like eventually MD’s suggested method might work for you! Hooray!


                • Baxter n Boos Mom
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                    Our buns hate being picked up as well. What my husband and I have started to do, is use the Xpen to enclose the bun(s) in a very small area. Once they realize that there is no place to run – they give up easily, and let us pick them up. But as long as they can take off – they will.

                    I love the bunny burrito video posted by MD – because she’s right – most videos show a very compliant bun – and I have not found those videos helpful for my naught boys 🙂

                    Good luck!


                  • Elrohwen
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                      Mine will usually run if we try to pick them up in their cage or room. I scoot them into a carrier (usually by sort of trapping them in a corner with the carrier, then putting my hand on their bum and pushing them in), then take it into the kitchen and set it on the counter. They’re much more placid in a new place up high, and are no trouble to pick up for nail trims then.


                    • Sindri
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                        These are great ideas. I myself have a horrible time picking up my male rabbit Usagi. He came from a rather large farm and wasn’t handled much or realty at all. My other rabbit Kilala use to let me pick her up but now that she has her own bunny room with lots of space to get away she has started to not let me pick her up. I will definitely use some of these methods myself.


                      • Stickerbunny
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                          I fake my buns out. If they know I am going to pick them up, they run. But, since they get picked up so infrequently, I can pretend I am just going for a pet or to give them a treat and then scoop them up before they realize what is going on. Once I have them, I put slight pressure on the shoulder blades and support the back legs/spine with my other arm. If their shoulders are pinned, they won’t struggle. Otherwise, they squirm their way out of whoever is holding them. For clippings we use either the officer chair or bed, since they don’t like to jump off either. Afterwards, they get a craisin. The craisin at the end has helped a lot, since now instead of jumping down after a clipping they start sniffing around like “OK, where is my craisin now?”


                        • LBJ10
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                            I agree with Stickerbunny, bribes are quite helpful. Say I’m grooming Wooly, he is immediately looking for his treat the second he sees we are done.


                          • Fidget
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                              Got him!
                              Thanks MoveDiagonally, that method worked perfectly in the end, I just needed a second pair of hands

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                          Forum DIET & CARE At my wit’s end trying to pick bun up!