New to BinkyBunny and NEED help!

[MaxandAinsley]

Hi everyone!

My name is Ainsley, and I am in terrible need of help. I have read countless posts on here in an attempt to find an answer to my… I don’t want to call them problems… because I feel like that is too harsh, but I have no other word so… “problems”. Bear with me as this post will definitely be long winded. 

My little man is named Max. He is a beautiful broken black and white Holland Lop and I love him to pieces! I have had him since he was 8 weeks old and he is now 3.5 months. I’ve taken everything with him really slow as he is my very first bunny. When I brought him home, I made sure it was during my reading week from university so that I could lay on his level for hours and hours. (seriously, upwards of 8 hours a day! hehe) He warmed up to me pretty quick, I was able to pet him for extended periods of time by about 1.5 weeks of us living together. He is very playful when I am on the floor with him, he loves to dance and do tricks and chase me. 

While this all sounds super wonderful, I think I did a few things wrong. First off, he is a free roam bunny all day from when I wake up to when I go to bed, with unlimited access to his cage, the living room and kitchen. My room/bathroom is currently blocked off for potty training sake and I only put him in his cage at night time for my own peace of mind. He basically had full free range (day) rights since the first day I got him. Potty training is still being worked on, but he only scatters poops (no pee) and I realize this will diminish once he is neutered, so that isn’t the biggest problem. 

My biggest problem is that, I think I waited too long when I brought him home to attempt to pick him up and handle him. I wanted to give him space and time to get used to me, so I didn’t even try to pet him, let alone pick him up for at least a week or so. I recently contacted the person I got him from and was told he was a dream to handle and loved being in her arms. So I think in the time I let him free in my apartment to the time I tried to pick him up, he lost his confidence and gained back his fear for being picked up by humans. Now trying to pick him us is a traumatic experience for the both of us. The breeder told me to try lifting him out of his cage every morning so that he links being picked up with the positive experience of getting out of his cage to run free for the day. I tried it this morning and it DID NOT GO WELL. I maintained my cool and confidence for the whole 30 minutes it took me to pick him up and get him out (he was going banana sandwich the whole time and was not happy in the slightest) but I broke down after – so now I am writing this in tears. I am so afraid that the episode this morning took us 10 gigantic steps back in our bonding progress. – that being said, I know I need to be able to handle my bunny in case the occasion presents itself, so here is where I need you advice. 

The breeder thinks I gave him too much space too quickly, she thinks I should go back to basics and keep him in his cage until he lets me handle him. Of course, the idea of this makes me sad, as I think it would any bunny Mom, because no one wants to take freedom away from their baby. I’m also not sure how this suggestion would make handling him easier. Wouldn’t limiting him to his cage make him resentful? And if he is only allowed out when he lets me pick him up, (I think that is what she is implying) then wouldn’t he just not want to come out at all? Alternatively, should I keep him free range and use some other method to try to get him comfortable with me holding him? – this will become a problem if it takes a long time and I need to do things with him such as clip his nails. I basically just need suggestions on how to take a free range bunny, who loves his freedom and space, and make him comfortable with being picked up – if only when necessary. Please, any suggestions are welcome!

Also any reassurance and suggestions on getting him to like me again would be great. I haven’t seen him since this morning and I am so afraid that he hates me. And will forever. Irrational, I know, but I think most bunny Mom’s can relate to me. HELP!

[RabbitPam]

Hi, Ainsley, and welcome.

I can certainly reassure you. First, understand that bunnies in general do not like to be picked up. Many people think they do when they are very young because they really can’t help it, but given a bit of growing up, they will try to avoid it. When I got Spike from a rescue he was easily picked up and held, and he let me hold him for quite a while. Until I brought him home. Then I swear I heard him mutter “She fell for it – bwahahahaha!!!” Because he stopped letting me pick him up! None of my past bunnies liked it, and only my first let me do it daily, for about 15 seconds max. It’s not you. Think of them as small prey animals whose DNA programmed them to escape large preditors like birds. Their goal is to avoid being picked up.

That said, when you want to have them do something like go in and out of their habitat, or come when you call their name, they are smart and willing to negotiate. Use small treats, and soon they will progress with training. All I have to do is rattle Spike’s treat jar and he will come running. He knows that if he jumps inside, he gets one. I never have to chase him into his house.

It takes a long time, and I mean months or years, for a solid bond with you to form. You will gradually see positive changes in his behavior. I am totally astonished to find that this past month Spike’s new thing is to jump up on the couch while I am on it and run up to my face to say hi! It’s unusual, but it was his idea. Bunnies are not lap pets, but they certainly become attached to you in subtle but discernible ways. With my skittish Sammy, she would flop in her house about a foot away from me, but for her that was a vote of confidence and affection. You have to get to know him as his real personality comes through.

It is true that you may have given him too much freedom at once, but that can be remedied in time also. Make his habitat comfy and cozy, with a hidey place like a willow tent, a tunnel or a cardboard box (nothing he can use to jump out, however). He will want his privacy for safety and sleeping.
Remember that a bunny sleeps deeply during midday and the middle of the night. So an enclosure will not bother them much during those times. They need a constant supply of water, hay, and a litter pan in there with them, but he won’t hate you if you give him free range the other times when you are there to pay attention.

Bunnies, being smart, know when they are naughty, too. Telling him NO firmly will not make him hate you. If he doesn’t want to be held after a couple of tries, don’t push it again. A gentle attempt once or twice daily, but that’s all, is better than keeping at it until you are upset. He won’t hate you. He may eventually let you again, but possibly not now that he knows he is safe in your home and company. That’s OK. He will still bond with you. You’ll see.

[sarahthegemini]

If you keep him in a cage until he is comfortable being picked up, he could be in there a looooong time. Bunnies as a rule do not like being picked up. It scares them. It has nothing to do with having “too much freedom too soon” My bunnies were free roam after having them for about two weeks (we had to bunny proof) and I don’t think that caused any problems. I have a really strong bond with Buttercup and although me and Peanut aren’t as close (he’s a shy little boy – but he’s getting more and more confident and comfortable with me. Just me though, no one else!) and picking them up is still not an option. 

[Azerane]

Don’t panic Rabbits are naturally fearful, and while your rabbit may have been ok with being picked up by the breeder, you are an entirely new person that has never picked him up before so it’s a whole new and scary experience. You handle him different, sound different, smell different etc. Part of getting him used to it, is also gaining confidence in it. I had the same issue with my previous rabbit Bandit, when I first got him he had a hutch outside but I would bring him inside to run around. For the first few weeks, picking him up out of his hutch was a nightmare, he would run from my hands, kick, scratch etc and scrabble frantically in my arms to get away. It had been a long time since I last owned a rabbit, so I wasn’t very confident with handling. As I got more confident, and we got used to each other it became easier and easier until after about a month I was pretty much just able to reach in and scoop him up. He still didn’t like being in my arms, but I could hold him and he wouldn’t kick to get away.

So part of it is practice, and part of it is also learning to trust each other. You want to be able to pick him up as quickly as possible, chasing him around with your hands for 30 minutes is only going to serve to stress both of you out. If you want to get better at it, you need to do it more quickly which I suggest by just dropping a towel over your bunny as soon as you go to reach in. With a towel dropped on him he can’t see and you can just instantly scoop him up and lift him out. As you get more confident you can stop using the towel, just reach in to pick him up. While daily handling is not really recommended simply because rabbits don’t like it and accidents can cause injury, it is good to get them used to handling so that you can pick your rabbit up when you need to (eg in an emergency or for a vet visit) or for grooming/health checks.

[MaxandAinsley]

That is exactly it. I don’t want to be able to pick him up to cuddle him – it would be nice if he liked that but I know that might never happen. He goes in and out of his cage just fine, so I don’t even need to pick him up to put him in or out. It is those emergency/grooming situations I am worried about. Because as it stands right now, if my apartment was burning down, I wouldn’t be able to pick him up to get him out.

[BanditCamp]

It’s taken me a week but I try to make bandit feel comfortable with me. I play games by putting treats in red solo cups and interacting with him in with me ways. Today was a HUGE advancement as he let me pick him up and set him on top of his cage (with cardboard and fleece over it to prevent him falling through) he let me groom him for 15 minutes and I petted him and offered encouraging and friendly words and the last 5 minutes he laid down and went to sleep while I groomed him.

I’ve learned it takes time and eventually if you respect them they will respect you. Even just sitting in my living room to watch tv he will lay down and watch it ( I like to think so at least). As my former Army sergeants used to tell me respect is a slow and tedious process the smallest grain of rice can tip the scale favorably or unfavorably it’s you though to decide what side the grain falls.

I normally let bandit have free roam just like you and he is now 11 weeks old and he loves his freedom and he’s very content in his cage when he has to be there. He’s doing zoomies at night and binkys all day and I think by those languages I’m doing all right.

[foreverfluffle]

My first bunny Marshmallow was perfectly happy being picked up – but I know now that this is an oddity. When my second bunny Aurora was young she didn’t mind being picked up too much; but when she got older she decided “enough!” and became all wriggles. It was too stressful for the both of us, so I stopped trying to pick her up.
As an alternative; I’ve encouraged her to enjoy going into her carry cage; by giving her something she likes, (like a strawberry leaf, parsley, tiny piece of pineapple…) each time she goes in. So now when I need to move her somewhere I get the carry cage out and she’s happy to hop in I would like it if she would tolerate being picked up more too though.

[Hazel]

Posted By MaxandAinsley on 4/01/2017 10:40 PM

It is those emergency/grooming situations I am worried about. Because as it stands right now, if my apartment was burning down, I wouldn’t be able to pick him up to get him out.

This is why I don’t believe in “the more you handle them/pick them up, the easier it gets”. I know there are people who have had some success with this method, but I think that’s because their bunnies are special. In my experience, more often than not it does the opposite. It destroys the rabbit’s trust in their owner, and thus makes picking them up even harder. If he knew you weren’t trying to pick him up, he would be more trusting of you, and, if such an emergency situation occurs, grabbing him should be easier because he won’t be suspicious of your approach. Besides, no matter how used you could get him to being handled, if the house is on fire, you can bet that he will be in a panic and any previous conditioning will be out the window for that moment. One thing I would recommend is that you train him to go into his carrier. Once he does this reliably, you will have easy access to him for grooming, and getting ready for a trip to the vet will be a breeze too.

[Jellie]

Me and my bun have been together for about two weeks now. When I went to pick him up, the owner removed him from his cage by scruffing him/picking him up by the ears. I was just horrified. So I think he appreciates that when I want to pick him up I do it nice and respectfully.

The first few days I left him alone in his house so he could acclimate to his new space. I’d go and sit next to his house and talk to him and let him smell me and get used to my voice. He seemed comfortable around me and liked to come up when I’d put his fresh pellets and hay in.

When I need to pick him up I make sure I’ve got some time, I never rush it. I open the top of his house and usually feed some pellets from my hand and do some pets so he knows im going to be picking him up. I tell him we’re going to do some playtime and talk nicely to him.

When he stays still in his litter box and I feel I have a good hold on him I scoop him up and hold him against my chest making sure to support his back feet and spine. He did great at first and didn’t even move, after a few days he got more ballsy and kicky. So now I put on my bathrobe he’s familiar with the smell, and wrap part of it around him so he can’t see while we walk. This seems to help him panic less.

Then I kneel down in the play area or cage and make sure to very gently set him down, making sure all four feet are going down at once. You don’t want him doing a jumping flail or it can hurt his back. If he tries to struggle or panic I hold him back to my chest, wait for him to calm down and try again.

He seems to have gotten used to this routine, and knows he’ll get s treat when it’s over. I’m hoping that we do this every day will help make him trust me and know that it usually means something good to be picked up.

[BanditCamp]

@Jellie – oh my goodness, that story’s sad I’m so sorry your bun had to do that. But the reason they kick is because they feel insecure about how your holding them. Make sure it’s firm, close to your chest (sometimes put their head in the crook of your elbow) and always try and set them down butt first to protect their spine.

[Author]

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