New Owner, how to pick up

[Bun_Frien]

So I’m a new owner. I adopted my boy about a week ago and things have been great. Hes using the litter box mostly, hes comfortable around me, etc. I’ve bunproofed his area and he is fixed. Hes about a year old.

Anyway, I cant figure out how to get him to let me pick him up easily. Hes very Comfortable with me. He likes when I hold him (usually) walls on me, flops next to me, begs to be pet, and let’s me put my hands under his stomach and on his butt. Its just the second I start to go up he jumps away. Not angry with me just not letting it happen. I’ve had to pick him up a few times for necessity and he was not happy as I did it. Idk how they did it so easily at the sheler. Any upward pressure and hes off. I know hes comfortable with me, hes bumping me for pets and purring as I inevitably cave to the cute pressure as I write this. So what do i do?

Any other tips for a new owner are also appreciated

[Sirius&Luna]

Hi and welcome to bunny ownership!

Most bunnies don’t like to be picked it up – it’s an instinct, as in the wild the only time they would be picked up is by a predator. For this reason, lots of people try and avoid picking up their rabbits unless it’s essential. That said, personally I think it’s very important to be able to handle your rabbit, so that you can get them into a carrier quickly in an emergency, and to do necessary but unpleasant things like brushing and nail clipping.

The first thing is to be confident and quick. I scoop one hand under their belly and one under their butt, then bring them close to my chest. My bunnies will scrabble and try to run away if i’m not quick enough, but once I’m holding them, they normally feel secure enough to let me brush them or do whatever else needs to be done. It’s important to support their feet so that they feel secure. I also make sure to give them an extra good treat afterwards. My girl Luna will actually sit at my feet and wait for the treat after being put down, rather than running off stomping like she used to.

One way to get bunnies used to being picked up is to do it slowly in stages. Get him used to you putting your hands under his belly for a week, then lift him a few centimetres of the ground for a couple of seconds for another week and so on. Some people have had success with this method, but I personally haven’t.

You can also teach bunnies to go into their carrier, if you’re not able to pick them up. You can do this by having their carrier in their environment and placing treats in it, eventually using a word or motion to teach them to go into it when you want them to.

[Wick & Fable]

I want to highlight (S&L, correct me if I’m wrong) the hand under the butt phrasing S&L used, because I think that’s important, as opposed to putting your hand under their feet. If you try and scoop a rabbit up by putting your hand under their back feet, it’s easy for them to then kick off it, and this can be dangerous. Alternatively, scooping up from the butt (behind the back legs) ensures you still have stability and the rabbit cannot kick off.

The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.

[Asriel and Bombur]

I never pick my boys up, but when I watch my vet and the techs pick them up its always a butt scoop. They go so quick it makes Asriel a bit cranky he can’t fight back xD

[DarthVadar]

It is necessary as a bunny owner to know how to pick up your rabbit. If he gets into a dangerous situation, being able to pick him up may be life or death. I put one hand under their chest, behind their front legs, and the other under their butt. Some of my rabbits despise being picked up with a deep passion, but this works very well. For the little ones, I carry them with their feet against my upper body, and for the big ones, I use my arms as a platform to rest their feet on.

[Bun_Frien]

Ok, so its normal for him to not like it. Heres my plan then.

I’ll get him more and more comfortable being touched.
I’ll keep one hand under his chest while I pet him
Periodically I’ll try lifting his chest up and inch or so
After a week I’ll get some bun treats and scoop him up and give him a treat

Sound good?

[Bun_Frien]

Ok, so its normal for him to not like it. Heres my plan then.

I’ll get him more and more comfortable being touched.
I’ll keep one hand under his chest while I pet him
Periodically I’ll try lifting his chest up and inch or so
After a week I’ll get some bun treats and scoop him up and give him a treat

Sound good?

[Bun_Frien]

Ok, so its normal for him to not like it. Heres my plan then.

I’ll get him more and more comfortable being touched.
I’ll keep one hand under his chest while I pet him
Periodically I’ll try lifting his chest up and inch or so
After a week I’ll get some bun treats and scoop him up and give him a treat

Sound good?

[Bun_Frien]

Ok, so its normal for him to not like it. Heres my plan then.

I’ll get him more and more comfortable being touched.
I’ll keep one hand under his chest while I pet him
Periodically I’ll try lifting his chest up and inch or so
After a week I’ll get some bun treats and scoop him up and give him a treat

Sound good?

[DarthVadar]

Sounds great! Its so easy to get caught up in the cuteness of a new bunny and have the urge to carry him around and pick him up all the time, but that only gets you a distrustful and terrified bunny.

[sarahthegemini]

Posted By Wick on 1/10/2019 12:19 PM
I want to highlight (S&L, correct me if I’m wrong) the hand under the butt phrasing S&L used, because I think that’s important, as opposed to putting your hand under their feet. If you try and scoop a rabbit up by putting your hand under their back feet, it’s easy for them to then kick off it, and this can be dangerous. Alternatively, scooping up from the butt (behind the back legs) ensures you still have stability and the rabbit cannot kick off.

I think I’ve been doing it wrong then. Whenever I pick Peanut up, I scoop one hand under his butt (the other hand goes under his chest) and then I slide it under his back legs to support them as I thought that was necessary but what you said about it giving them something to kick off from makes sense. Luckily Peanut is pretty okay once I’ve got hold of him and he doesn’t try and kick off but I’ll keep this in mind for the future. Especially when I try to pick Buttercup up.

[Wick & Fable]

@sarah – It’s a common belief and it is true — they feel secure when their feet are firm on the ground, so giving them your hand as a platform can be calming, but I do that once they’re actually in my arms; not during the pick-up process for that reason.

The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.

[sarahthegemini]

Posted By Wick on 1/11/2019 2:37 PM
@sarah – It’s a common belief and it is true — they feel secure when their feet are firm on the ground, so giving them your hand as a platform can be calming, but I do that once they’re actually in my arms; not during the pick-up process for that reason.

Ah I see. That sounds like what I do then – I scoop under butt and immediately pull him against my chest and THEN I move my hand to cup his feet

[Author]

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