Cannot pick up my bunny.

[Cadbury ♡]

Hello! I am a new bunny owner, she was given to us about 2 weeks ago and she came from a home that paid no attention to her, was rough with her when they did, she would scratch and bite them. She never has done that to us tho but after all that she’s a pretty timid bunny. She’s gotten pretty used to us for the most part, we can pet her and when she comes out of her cage she sniffs us, binkies all around and loves to explore. But we can’t pick her up at all! She growls and thumps her back leg when we do. So any advice on how to get her comfortable with picking her up? Other than that she seems like a pretty happy bun now that she’s in her new home with people who love her to pieces.

[Deleted User]

I will be keeping an eye on this. Frank is the devil bun and we literally have to hold all 4 legs still whilst clipping his nails or he will struggle and leg it . It makes a horrible task 10 times worse and I don’t want him getting stressed out

[Cadbury ♡]

I feel ya! Every time I do get her picked up she wiggles around so much trying to get down, and I’m so scared that I might hurt her that I just wanna completely avoid it all together. But I know it’s something that she needs to get used to.

[Paul]

Go slow. Give her time to get used to being handled. Work with her on the ground at first. You can let her know that you’re in charge to start with by putting your hand on the back of her head and neck, holding her ears down to her back. Do that from time to time just so she knows you’re in charge. Especially do that before picking her up. When you do, make it quick. The less time her feet are off the ground or you, the better. I like to keep my bun’s front feet on my shoulder and back feet either on my chest with his rump in my hand. Keep her held close to you to let her know she’s not gonna fall. And when putting him down, I like to lay myself down on my back so his feet are never in the air.

[Luna]

I wish you the best of luck Cadbury! I’ve tried and realized Luna will never get used to being picked up – unless we are at the vet, then she lets me hold her forever! We have come to a “compromise” though with nail trimming – she gets to keep 3 paws on the floor at all times and then I can briefly lift the fourth paw off the floor to trim the nails on one paw at a time.

[Cadbury ♡]

Thanks so much for the advice! We will definitely try that.
and awhh! Luna sounds adorable! We haven’t had to trim her nails yet, but I’m dreading the moment lol.

[Vienna Blue in France]

Hi Cadbury and welcome. You can start by gently picking one (front) foot off the ground at a time then put it gently back down…. up down up down until she’s not bothered about it. If she doesn’t like it straight away then you have to go a bit slower…. then you can start gently passing your hadn (when stroking her) under her tum (without lifting) and bit by bit lift a tiny, bit, then a bit higher until shes not bothered about it then you may be able to lift just the front part of her body up a little, leaving her bottom on the floor. And bit by bit increase the height and work your way down her back and under her her tummy.
It will take time, and especially if she is in her territory and knows how to escape, then she will. I can’t pick my Zou up at all from ground level but if she’s in a strange place then she lets me….
You might be able to see if she lets you lift the weight of her body up when you cover her eyes (with the palm of your hand as if she were playing peekaboo! Lol). If she doesnt then she really may have a lifting problem and youll ha e to get o julp up on your lap by herself….

Bunnies are prey animals which means most of them don’t like being lifted and cuddled and held tight….. of course there are a few on here that BB members have who are real cuddlepots, but most are not…. i lay on the ground and have long cuddle sessions with mine because they don’t really like being lifted up… but they just looooooooove stroking sessions with their 4 paws firmly on the floor….

Hope that helps

[Cadbury ♡]

Thanks so much! We will definitely be trying that. I have heard the putting your hand on her tummy and eventually lifting her up a little at a time. I guess it’s all about working with her comfort level. I really appreciate the advice!

[Candle]

I don’t know if my technique is right or not but I found picking her up and putting her down immediately helped. I did it several times throughout the day. Didn’t lift her high off the ground, just so I was picking her up. She freaked out but started to realize she’s let down right after and would be ok for momentary lifts. Then I just slowly did it longer.
She doesn’t enjoy it but I know in case of an emergency she’d let me take her out of the house without trying to kick and escape which was pretty much my goal.

[Cadbury ♡]

We will try that out too! That’s the main reason we wanna be able to lift her, and when we need to trim her nails. I appreciate the advice!

[SeeShmemilyPlay]

Both of my buns, who have both lead very good lives (even before they came to live with me!), haaaate being picked up. I just successfully trimmed their nails for the first time since I’ve had them, and I had to wrap them up in a blanket first. It about scared them to death being held! My solution so far has been to never pick em up and avoid nail trimming (which clearly is an issue that I need to handle better:p) They love being pet and beg for attention, but being picked up is a big no no in their eyes.

[VivaLaBunz]

I think every bunny owner experiences this because most bunnies hate being picked up/held! I am trying to get my bunny Pippins to be less scared when I hold her, and I’ve had some success! However my bunny was young, around 3-4 months when I got her, and although she has been through a couple different homes I don’t think she was ever “abused” or treated roughly. She is now 6-7 months old and although she is getting better with being picked up, she still just tolerates it and doesn’t enjoy it – which is probably the best thing to strive for when dealing with rabbits. This is what I do and DON’T do when dealing with Pippins:

– When she escapes her normal, bunny-proofed rooms and I need to get her back, I do not chase or pick her up to do this. Instead I coax her with treats and food to get her back. That way she does not associate being picked up with “playtime over”.
– I’ve been practicing picking her up, but I don’t actually do it unless she doesn’t struggle. I slightly grip/hold her rump and back legs, and then move my other hand to support her front legs. If she doesn’t react to this then I know she is calm and allowing me to pick her up. I can then lift her to my chest with no problems. I always give her a treat and pet her when she allows me to pick her up. If instead she kicks or runs when I grip her I let her go. She then usually hops a few steps and flicks her back feet at me =P I will give her a treat and try again.

So far this has been helping, but luckily I really have no reason to pick Pippins up unless I want to snuggle her! I really just do it so that in case I ever truly NEEDED to pick her up it would be easier. When I trim her nails I actually just do it when she’s lounging around and lying down. She doesn’t seem to mind too much, especially with her front feet.

[Cadbury ♡]

Thanks for the advice! My bunny is only 6-7 months old aswell. I’m going to continue to use the strategy of just putting my hands on her as if I were to pick her up and see how she reacts. I know it’s gonna take quite a bit of time, but I just wanna be able to do it in case of an emergency. I have every but of faith she will learn to tolerate it, but it will take time. I really appreciate everyone’s advice and will keep updates on it. ( if you’re even interested lol)

[Rebeccamcconnell]

I just recently got my first bunny about 3 weeks ago. Im not sure how the last household he was in was, however Im presuming pretty good because he is well behaved for being a full grown bun. He has really warmed up to me and has been relaxed now. I have a feeling it will be awhile too until I’ll be able to pick him up, I am just glad Im not the only one who just wants to cuddle up to my bun and is having trouble, lol

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