How to walk a bunny??

[lunavenus]

I wanted to try taking my bunnies out for walks once I fly home because we have a big park in the middle of our neighborhood. 
I read somewhere that collars are a big no no… and that harnesses are okay for bunnies. 
I can’t let them loose obviously because of safety reasons and I DO NOT trust any of my neighbor’s dogs so no playpen for them either. 
I think it’d be a great experience for them to experience the outdoors and the sun a lil bit since they are house bunnies… 
But the question is… how do you put a harness on a rabbit? Do they not squirm and scratch?? 
Do some like the harness? Why is a collar bad for them? 
I wanted to clip like a tag with their microchip numbers on it just in case they run off but how would I do that?? 

[Mikey]

Collars are bad because they binky and run when they are happy. With a collar, they can easily choke themselves or even snap their neck. Harnesses are better since its around their torso instead of just their necks

Youll want to harness and leash train around your house first to get them used to it. Most rabbits are not ok wearing a harness and will become stressed out or even go into a full panic trying to get it off. I started my three with just having the harness on the ground while they were out to play. After they got used to seeing it, i put it on the one who would be wearing it (Blue). I pet him, and after a few minutes, took it off him. Repeated that a few times until he didnt care if he was wearing it or not. Then i introduced the leash the same way: on the floor. After they got used to seeing it, i attached it to Blue’s harness and let him run around with it for a few minutes, then took it off. Once he got used to that and didnt care about it, i would walk around the living room with the leash in hand with him leading me. We are still working on me leading him; he likes to loaf and pout if i dont walk where he wants to go, but he does good most of the time. Hes even better when he knows i have treats in my pocket lol The process of getting him used to it all took a good few months. He never hated the leash or harness so i probly could have moved a bit faster, but i have witnessed a blood curdling scream come from a harnessed rabbit who was pushed to wear one too soon, so i wanted to move very slow with my boys. My other two will be harness trained and leashed trained after we find ones in their sizes

[tobyluv]

A lot of people will advise you not to use a harness either. If your rabbits get suddenly spooked by a noise or a person or seeing a predator, they can take off fast and the harness can injure them. Other things to think about if you take a rabbit outside are parasites. There are fleas and ticks that they could possibly pick up, there are also flies, mosquitos and other biting/stinging insects. A rabbit can get worms from eating vegetation where other animals have used the bathroom. There are a lot of dangers outside that you need to be aware of and think about before deciding to take your rabbit out there. Many people think it’s a lot safer to keep rabbits in the house.

[Brittany]

My bunny is almost 3 months now and loves putting her harness on to go outside!

When I first got her, the breeder showed me how to hold her in a “bunny ball” to show dominance. Basically just holding her in my hands on her, putting my thumbs on her back feet to feel secure, until she’s content.

Eventually she started getting used to that and would behave while holding her much better.

I’ll get my harness ready and lay it out on my lap while sitting down, I’ll then hold her in a bunny ball until she’s settled, then gently, while still making her feel secure and holding her hind legs, I’ll lay her on my lap on top the harness so all I have to do is make sure she lays and then snap the straps together. This got a lot more easy with time because she now understands that when I’m snapping the harness it means play time outside.

You can not “walk” a bunny.
Bunnys walk you.
I usually go out in the grass and just let her hop around.

I let her leash just drag behind bc it never pulls and that way she can go binky around.

[Author]

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