Content

• To step
• Part 1 of 3: Lifting a rabbit
• Part 2 of 3: Holding and carrying a rabbit
• Part 3 of 3: Putting down a rabbit
• Tips
• Warnings

Domestic rabbits make great family pets because they adapt well to an indoor environment and are easy to house train. But when you have a house rabbit, it is important that you learn how to lift and hold it safely. Rabbits have very muscular and powerful hind legs, and kicking them is very likely to injure their spine or back. It is not difficult to handle a rabbit safely and correctly, you just have to learn it.

To step

Part 1 of 3: Lifting a rabbit

1. Help your rabbit become comfortable with picking up by petting the rabbit gently. Start at short intervals and stretch the time little by little. Consider placing a nice plate of vegetables for the rabbit to eat while you pet the rabbit to ease his fear.
   • Do not make sudden movements or noises that may scare your rabbit. Be gentle and calm when you pet the rabbit.Rabbits are prey animals, so if they feel threatened they will run and hide.
   • Sit on the floor to shrink and try not to tower over the rabbit.
2. Know how to treat a rabbit not must pick up. Never pick up a rabbit by its ears, legs or tail. Rabbits are very fragile and you can seriously injure them if you pick them up incorrectly. If you touch limbs, tails and ears, the rabbit will retreat. By doing so, they can fracture or dislocate or tear underlying muscles and other tissue.
   • Initially, a new rabbit in the household should only be picked up and held by adults. Children can pet the rabbit while walking on the floor or on the lap of the child (or adult) while sitting on the floor.
   • It is a good preventative measure to stay close to the ground for the first time. If the rabbit tried to escape, it would not fall far and injure itself.
3. Practice sliding your palm under the rabbit's chest and gently lifting its front legs off the ground, then put it back down. Reward the rabbit with a treat afterwards. This will help him get used to the feeling of being picked up.
4. Gently hold the rabbit by its scruff, the loose skin behind the rabbit's neck. Do not only lift the rabbit by the scruff of the neck, use this as a handle to prevent forward movement while using your other hand to hold the back legs under the rabbit and roll the rabbit into a soft "rabbit ball".
   • You can place your free hand that does not hold the scruff of the neck on the body of the rabbit. You have to roll the hind legs under the rabbit, towards the front of the rabbit, and hold them up with your hand. This will prevent the rabbit from hitting and possibly injuring itself.
   • There are differences of opinion about whether or not you should grab a rabbit by the scruff of the neck. Grabbing the scruff of the neck, if you do so gently, will not injure the rabbit.
5. Use two hands to lift the rabbit. Hold one hand under his chest and one under his butt. This position should be comfortable for both you and the rabbit. Make sure you have a firm (but not tight) grip on the bunny's body so that he can't jump out of your hands when you lift them up.
   • Make sure to hold the hind legs firmly by keeping your hand on the torso and folding the hind legs up towards the rabbit's head. Remember to keep the hind legs facing forward, towards the head, the opposite side of where the hind legs would be if the rabbit would kick.
   • Kneeling down to get closer to the rabbit can help, and you don't have to bend and lift. Sit on the floor with the rabbit.
6. Use the right approach. It is better to pick up a rabbit from an open top cage or a fenced-in area in your house. It can be much more difficult to lift a rabbit from the side of a cage. Rabbits will often run and hide when you approach them, so it can also be difficult to lift a rabbit in a room filled with furniture.
   • When taking a rabbit from the side or front of a transport cage, make sure to remove the hind legs from the opening first. That way, if they come loose, they will jump back into the transport cage, and not to the ground.
   • Use one hand to hold the rabbit's head away from you, towards the back of the cage, while gently holding it by its scruff. The other hand is placed over the rabbit's torso to fold the hind legs into the "rabbit ball" grip. Then lift the rabbit out, back legs towards you, and hold it under your arm so that the rabbit's head has a place to hide.
   • If you take the rabbit out of a transport cage that opens from above, you can use the same technique, just remember not to let the rabbit dangle from its scruff.
   • If it is a well-handled and calm rabbit, you will likely be able to safely pick up the rabbit with one hand under its chest and one hand against its body without holding onto the scruff of the neck.
   • However, be aware that if the rabbit feels like it may fall, it will grapple and kick and try to get free. If that happens, put the rabbit back in the cage and grab it again, or use the scruff again to stop it.
7. Lure the rabbit out of a hideout, don't pull it out. If your rabbit is tempted to run under furniture, lure it out with a treat and pick it up. Even better if you prepare the environment so that the rabbit cannot run away and hide, so that it does not have access to hiding places that are difficult for you to reach. Use a practice run to deploy the rabbit, but give it plenty of room to hop around.
   • Never pull on a rabbit's legs or tail to get it closer to you. Better to grip the scruff of the neck to prevent the rabbit from getting away, then you can put one arm around the body of the rabbit and keep the hind legs in check. Never grip a rabbit hard by the scruff of the neck or let it dangle from its scruff. This will cause injuries to the rabbit.
8. Watch for warning signs that the rabbit doesn't want you picking it up. If a rabbit strikes with a hind leg when you approach, be aware that this is a warning to you that you are in his territory and that he is not happy with your presence. The rabbit may be harder to get hold of, so be prepared.
   • Again, don't forget to use shielding in a training run or other confined area to reduce the hiding options for a rabbit and make it easier for you to pick up the rabbit.

Part 2 of 3: Holding and carrying a rabbit

1. Hold the rabbit, keeping its head slightly higher than its abdomen. Do not hold its head down as the rabbit may try to jump out of your arms and injure itself.
2. Gently lift the rabbit to the side (or in front of your stomach), under your arm. The rabbit will feel safer if it has a little shelter. Your rabbit should be held and carried comfortably nestled under your "wing".
   • If you are right-handed, hold the rabbit's head under your left arm. Fold your left arm out around the rabbit, using your left hand to hold the rabbit's hind legs securely.
   • Place your right hand on the rabbit's neck, ready to grab its scruff should it move suddenly.
   • Do not keep your rabbit away from you for extended periods of time or swing it in the air.
3. Transfer your rabbit correctly to another person. It is best to place the rabbit on a table and stop it while the other person is holding the rabbit properly. Do not try to throw up the rabbit in the air. This can cause the rabbit to break free and fall from a great height.
4. Minimize possible injuries. If you ever feel like you are losing control while carrying the rabbit, squat directly on the floor or a table to shorten the distance he can fall. This will also give you a surface on which to grip the rabbit properly.
5. Use a tote or cloth for extra floundering rabbits. Some rabbits really hate to be held and no amount of treats or hugs will change their personality. For these types, it is better to use a transport cage to move them from one place to another, rather than attempting to lift them.
   • Use one hand to grab the scruff of the neck to stop the rabbit, and wrap your other hand around the body and "fold" the rabbit into a "rabbit ball" to place it in the transport cage.

Part 3 of 3: Putting down a rabbit

1. Carefully bring the rabbit to the floor (or an opening top transport cage) while holding the rabbit in the "Soccer Stance". There is a risk that the rabbit will come off your arms and hit the ground poorly and injure itself. Make sure to hold it tight all the time as rabbits tend to jump once they see the floor.
2. Place a rabbit in a front opening travel cage by inserting its hind legs first so the rabbit is facing you. This method will reduce the likelihood that the rabbit will lunge and injure itself.
3. Reward the rabbit with a treat. After spending time in your arms without biting or jumping away, your obedient rabbit has earned a treat. Pat him gently while giving him a treat. The rabbit will realize that it is not so bad to be lifted, and it may be easier next time.

Tips

• Rabbits should be handled when they are very young to get them used to being held back and lifted from the floor and out of baskets and cages.
• Be patient. Rabbits are ground-dwelling burrowing animals. They will not be comfortable hanging high above the ground at first, because it is not in their nature.
• Don't reward bad rabbit behavior. If your rabbit scratches you, usually with its hind legs, DO NOT put it back in its enclosure or cage immediately if possible. You probably weren't holding your rabbit tight enough to your body. As long as you are not seriously injured, hold the rabbit closer to you, under your arm, until it calms down, then gently and gently put it back. The idea is not to reward bad behavior by giving it freedom. Of course you will have to keep working with your rabbit, consider protecting your arms with long sleeves while teaching the rabbit to accept restraint and grasping.
• Using treats can help when training your rabbit to accept being picked up and held. Use treats in addition to petting the rabbit gently.
• Consider asking an experienced rabbit keeper for help with a more challenging pet to avoid injuring both you and the rabbit.
• If your rabbit seems agitated, covering the eyes can help calm him.

Warnings

• If you are outside or in a public place, be very careful not to let him escape. If he does escape, try not to trip him as you could injure the rabbit.
• Do not drop the rabbit. Rabbits can be seriously injured if they fall.
• Always keep the hind legs under control so that the rabbit cannot jump out of your arms. This will also prevent the rabbit from scratching you with its hind legs.
• NEVER try to pick up a wild rabbit, there is a good chance they will scratch or bite you.