Picking Up My Bunny

[andyrichin]

My girlfriend and I have had Gracie for 3 months now, and she is almost 5 months old. We love her, she’s great. Very ornery though. Anyway, she certainly is independent, but loves being pet, especially when she is all sprawled out with her legs kicked out. However, she despises being picked up. I’ve read that rabbits generally don’t like this, but she hates it. We had a bunny prior to Gracie for 2 months, she died (she was very very tiny – 9oz at 3 months – so we think there was some underdevelopment from the breeder), but she loved being picked up. So we essentially went from 1 end of the spectrum to the other. She’s starting to jump up on the couch and let us pet her up there and get more comfortable in really close quarters with us, but has anyone ever had a similar situation where their bunny eventually didn’t mind being picked up or cuddled? Thanks! First time post. 

[BrunosMama]

Welcome!

Baby bunnies are pretty eager to please and are generally less feisty than older buns. They like being snuggled, like in their nest. Personalities staart kicking in more around puberty (6 months I think) that being said, some bunnies are more laid back than others. We have two that dread it. They srt fighting and shivering when you take hold. Most of the others hate the process of being picked up but relax once you have them. Sometimes they just even give up lol like ” fine, just get this over with quickly!”. You could try giving a treat when you do this, so maybe she will associate something good with being picked up. Raisins are quite the. Motivator! Lol

Good luck!

[LBJ10]

I agree with BrunosMama. You’re comparing a baby bunny to a rowdy teenage bunny. A lot of baby bunnies seem to enjoy being held. Or at least they don’t object. When puberty kicks in though, that all goes out the window and most bunnies decide being picked up is not so great. Depending on gender, size, breed, etc, hormones can come as soon as 3 months of age. Typically, it’s between 4 and 6 months though.

[andyrichin]

Thanks for the responses! I think in this case it’s just this particular bunny doesn’t like it. We picked her up from a rabitry at 2 months old and she’s never liked being held. She does however love to run and will hop up on the couch now and start to be a little more loving. I will try the treat idea with the raisins and see how that works. That might be a place to start. Thanks again for the advice.

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