# Doesn't want to be picked up



## Dutchbrothers (Jan 26, 2013)

Bunny, my shelter bunny, is friendly and tame, loves to be petted. But no way will she let me pick her up. What is the best way to teach them that? They live in a large enclosure and I don't want to have to chase or corner her to make things worse.


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## JBun (Jan 26, 2013)

Try training her with treats to come to you, give her the treat, then scoop her up. I hold mine against my body with a hand on the rump and a hand over the shoulder area, some I have to hold a little more firmly than others. Some rabbit's just do not like being held and you just have to experiment a little to find what way of holding them works the best. My most wiggly one has learned to tolerate it because he knows something good is involved when I do pick him up, like playtime, treats or nose rubs, but even then he's a little difficult to hold and I have to keep a firm hold on him. Just find something that is a good motivator for your rabbit.


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## LakeCondo (Jan 26, 2013)

Now & then, pick her up for no reason other than to get her used to it. Put her down in a minute & give an immediate treat.


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## lagomorph (Jan 27, 2013)

Be patient, and if she never comes to like it, just accept it. These are small prey animals who evolved to be extremely fearful of being picked up, because in nature that often means being carried away in a fox's mouth.


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## OakRidgeRabbits (Jan 27, 2013)

Skittish rabbits are usually that way because they have not been handled much, or have not been handled properly. But being able to handle and carry them is important- it makes rabbit ownership more enjoyable to be able to spend time with your pet, and it is necessary for regular health checkups.

If you have a smaller cage available, I'd recommend bringing the rabbit inside your house (or garage, somewhere protected) for a few months. Make a point of touching the rabbit daily. It is more threatening to reach around and pet the body than it is to touch the head/ears. So I usually spend a week or so just tempting nervous rabbits to me with a treat. Once they're comfortable with eating from your hand, you can start slowly reaching up and scratching their forehead while they nibble on the treat.

There is no smooth transition from that to picking up/carrying, so it's something you just have to commit to and carry through. Most rabbits will want to back into a corner before you pick them up, and that is okay. Let her back up, then reach in and lift her belly with one hand and rump with the other. Hold her firmly and lift her quickly to your chest. From there, I usually walk around for 5-10 minutes scratching their head while carrying them.

Do this often, daily if possible, for a few weeks and things should turn around. I handle babies from birth, so they often grow up used to handling and attention, but I'll occasionally purchase a rabbit that has not been handled much and is fearful or nervous. Those are the steps I take with them. Bucks are very, very easy to overcome and often turn a complete 180 into attention-seekers. Does are a little more difficult and still may only "tolerate" it, even after a lot of work. But that's good enough and will allow you to handle your rabbit when necessary, or just for fun, without problems.


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## Dutchbrothers (Jan 28, 2013)

lagomorph said:


> Be patient, and if she never comes to like it, just accept it. These are small prey animals who evolved to be extremely fearful of being picked up, because in nature that often means being carried away in a fox's mouth.



Makes sense. Bunny came from a hoarding case so I am pleased/surprised that she likes to be petted. I will crawl in the hutch with them to try some of the techniques offered here. Good that nobody can see me do that :craziness


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## lauratunes12 (Jan 28, 2013)

Our bunny bred in a good breeding situation hates being picked up. That is just how some bunnies are. We usually pick ours up with two hands on her sides, then put one hand under her bottom and one hand on her side to prevent her jumping out of our arms(she has done it before, freaked me out). Or we hold her against our chest. She is all sniffing us when we open up her cage, but as soon as we go to pick her up, she runs and hides. We usually coax her out with a treat on a blanket, then grab her with the blanket, but she has gotten wise. She stretches out just enough to grab the treat then bolts back to the corner of her cage.

I have noticed it helps to get her from the side or front of her cage rather than the top. Or if she is running free, I get down to her level, then pick her up. Big humans reaching at you when you are so small has got to be frightening.

It's weird, because she loves running free, but she refuses to come out of her cage.


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## indianavex (Jan 28, 2013)

I can't help too terribly much, as Cassie hates being picked up too. She'll be all sweet on me when I approach her cage until I make to lift her, then she shoots under her hide. She'll try to struggle free most of the time, but she's easy enough with one-and-done kind of quickie lifts to get her out and on the floor. She absolutely hates being held suspended in the air, though. That's when the tussles happen. 

However, just try to make it comfortable, quick, and painless. Any amount of reward you can make it about helps. I always give Cassie treats or fresh greens before she gets lifted up, then spend around an hour petting her in my lap and having a grooming party after. She still hates the act itself, but doesn't act so offended when it's over if she knows she'll get something in return.


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## ams1786 (Jan 28, 2013)

Try covering her eyes with your hand or burying her head in the crook of your arm. If she can't see and grass/hutch/food that she wants to go to, she's less likely to jump out. It also might help to pick her up from a sitting position - if she's affectionate then let her come up to you or sit on your lap, then pick her up from there and give her a raisin before carrying her off. A lot less scary than being chased and cornered by something.


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## Nancy McClelland (Jan 28, 2013)

All good advice. Just be very patient and very persistent. Some of ours are cuddle bunnies and some were very skittish when they first arrived--mostly never handles as a kit and forward. They all accept it now even though some don't care for it as much as the others, but, they do need to tolerate it otherwise you'll play Hobb trimming toenails and such.


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