Content

• Steps
• Part 1 of 3: Raising your rabbit
• Part 2 of 3: Holding and Carrying the Rabbit
• Part 3 of 3: Letting go of the rabbit
• Tips
• Warnings
• Additional articles

Domestic rabbits are great pets, as they adapt well to keeping in the walls of the house and are easy to train to the litter box. However, when you have a rabbit in your home, it is important to be able to properly lift and hold it. Rabbits have very powerful muscular hind legs, and if they kick them, they can injure their own back and spine. However, it is not difficult to properly and safely raise a rabbit, you just need to carefully read this article.

Steps

Part 1 of 3: Raising your rabbit

1. 1 Help your rabbit get used to human touch by gently stroking it. Start with a short social time and gradually increase your time with your rabbit. Consider giving your rabbit a tempting plate of greens while you pet it to reduce potential anxiety.
   • Do not make sudden movements or sounds that could scare your rabbit. Be gentle and calm when petting your rabbit. Predators hunt rabbits in nature, so when frightened, they run away and hide if they have the opportunity.
   • To reduce your size, sit on the floor and do not hang over the rabbit.
2. 2 Find out how it is forbidden take a rabbit. Never lift a rabbit by its ears, legs, or tail. Rabbits are fragile enough that you can seriously injure them if you handle them incorrectly. If you try to lift the rabbit by the paws, tail, or ears, it will resist. In this case, he may experience joint dislocation or rupture of the affected muscles and soft tissues.
   • A rabbit that has recently appeared in your home should first be handled only by adults. Children can iron him when he is on the floor, or sits on their (or adults') laps, while they themselves are also on the floor.
   • Taking a position close to the sex is a precautionary measure. If the rabbit decides to run away, then he will not have to fall from a great height, which is potentially dangerous with injuries.
3. 3 Practice placing your palm under the rabbit's chest and lifting its front legs off the ground, and then letting it go back. After the procedure, reward the rabbit with a treat. This will allow him to get used to the sensations that arise during lifting.
4. 4 Gently grab the loose skin around the rabbit's neck to grab it by the scruff of the neck. Do not lift the rabbit solely by the scruff of the neck, but hold onto it to prevent the rabbit from trying to get ahead when you grab its hind legs from below with your other hand and gently twist the rabbit into a “fluffy ball”.
   • The free hand, which does not hold the rabbit by the scruff of the neck, must be brought under the rabbit's butt. At the same time, you should twist the hind legs of the rabbit under its body and slightly forward, while providing its bottom with reliable support with your hand. This will prevent the rabbit from kicking, which could potentially injure itself.
   • There are various opinions on whether or not to grab a rabbit by the scruff of the neck. However, if you do everything carefully, holding the rabbit by the withers will not harm him in any way.
5. 5 Use both hands when lifting the rabbit. Place one hand under the bunny's chest and one under his butt. The position you take should be comfortable for both you and the rabbit. Make sure you hold the rabbit's body securely (but not too tightly) so that it cannot slip out of your hands if you pick it up.
   • You should make sure to securely restrain the rabbit's hind legs by keeping your hand underneath its bottom and guiding its hind legs forward closer to its head.Remember, you must hold your hind legs so that they are facing forward towards the head (in the opposite direction from the direction in which he can kick with them).
   • It may be more comfortable for you to kneel down so you don't have to bend over to lift and carry your rabbit. Take the rabbit down to the floor.
6. 6 Take the right approach. The easiest way to lift your rabbit is from a top-opening cage or from a confined area on the floor of your house. It is much more difficult to remove the rabbit from the side door cage. Rabbits will often run and hide when approaching them, so trying to pick up a rabbit in a room with a lot of furniture will also be difficult.
   • When removing a rabbit from a side or front door cage, first pick up its hind legs and carry the rabbit with its hind legs forward. In this case, if the rabbit slips out of your hands, it will simply jump back into the cage, and not fall to the floor.
   • As you gently grasp the bunny by the scruff of the neck with one hand, additionally support the bunny's head so that it looks in the opposite direction from you at the far wall of the cage. The other hand should be brought under the rabbit's bottom to twist its hind legs and roll the rabbit into a “ball”. Then you can lift the rabbit and take it out of the cage, booty forward, and then bring it to your body and allow the rabbit to bury its head under your arm to hide this way.
   • If you are taking the rabbit out of the top-opening cage, you can use the same approach, just remember not to lift the rabbit solely by the scruff of the neck.
   • If you have a well-tamed and calm rabbit, you can probably lift it safely by simply placing one hand under its chest and the other under its butt, without touching the withers.
   • Be aware that if the rabbit feels that it may fall, it will begin to pull out and kick to be put back. If this happens, lower the rabbit back into the cage and grab it again, or resort to supporting the rabbit by the scruff of the neck to make it less moving.
7. 7 If the rabbit is hiding in a shelter, lure him out of there, rather than trying to pull him out. If your rabbit tends to hide under furniture, lure him out of there with a treat before trying to pick him up. It will be even better if you protect the area from the penetration of the rabbit under the furniture, so that he does not have access to hiding places from which you can hardly get him. Try to let the rabbit run in the play arena, which will limit his territory, but it will still be enough to allow him to jump to his heart's content.
   • Never use the legs or tail to pull the rabbit closer to you. It is best to gently grab the rabbit by the withers to keep it from escaping, after which you can wrap your other arm around the pet's body to restrain its hind legs. Never forcibly drag or lift a rabbit by the scruff of the neck. This can injure your pet.
8. 8 Pay attention to the warning signs that your rabbit will not let you lift it. If the rabbit starts stomping with its hind foot when you approach it, know that this is a sign that you have entered its territory, and it is not at all happy about your presence. A bunny that is so combative can be difficult to handle, so prepare yourself for a challenge.
   • Again, use a confined area or playpen to make it easier for you to spot and pick up your rabbit.

Part 2 of 3: Holding and Carrying the Rabbit

1. 1 Hold the bunny curled up in a ball so that its head is just above the bottom. Do not turn his head down, as this may cause the rabbit to try to jump down from your hands, which is dangerous for him to injure.
2. 2 Gently bring the rabbit to your side (or belly), covering it slightly with your hand. This will allow the rabbit to feel safer and have the ability to hide a bit. The rabbit must be held securely and carried close at hand so that it feels comfortable under your “wing”. Some people refer to this method of holding a rabbit as a “football grab”.
   • If you are right-handed, let the rabbit hide its head under your left hand. Circle your very left arm around the rabbit's body while continuing to securely support the pet's hind legs with your left palm.
   • Gently move your right hand to the rabbit's neck so that you can quickly grab it by the withers if it suddenly decides to move.
   • Do not hold your rabbit at outstretched arms or carry it in the open air.
3. 3 Pass your rabbit into the hands of other people correctly. Ideally, you should place the rabbit on a table and hold it while the other person grabs the rabbit. Do not try to pass the rabbit to each other in the air. This can cause the rabbit to slip and fall from great heights.
4. 4 Limit the likelihood of injury. If you feel yourself losing control of your rabbit when carrying it, immediately squat down or otherwise reduce the height from which your rabbit can fall. This will allow you to find a surface on which you can more reliably grip the rabbit.
5. 5 For especially nimble rabbits, use a carrier or swaddle them. Some rabbits do not like to be handled, despite any treats and caresses that cannot cope with their temperament. For these rabbits, it is best to use special carriers to transport them from one place to another, rather than trying to carry them by hand.
   • To transplant the rabbit into the carrier, hold it by the withers with one hand, and place the other hand on the butt and “twist” the rabbit into a “ball”.

Part 3 of 3: Letting go of the rabbit

1. 1 While continuing to grip the rabbit with the football grip, gently lower it to the floor (or top carrier door). There is a risk that you will loosen your grip and the rabbit will slip out of your hands, falling unsuccessfully and injuring itself. Try to hold your rabbit securely at all times, as rabbits tend to try to jump when they see the floor in front of them.
2. 2 In a carrier with a front door, plant the rabbit so that it goes into it with its booty, and its head looks at you. This will reduce the likelihood that the rabbit will kick and injure itself.
3. 3 Reward your rabbit with a treat. After spending a certain amount of time on your hands without biting or trying to escape, your obedient rabbit deserves a treat. Pet him lovingly while you give the treat. The rabbit will understand that the lifting procedure is not so bad, and may behave even more obedient next time.

Tips

• Don't reward your rabbit for bad behavior. If your rabbit scratches you (usually with its hind legs), if you can, DO NOT put it back in the cage or playpen right away. You probably didn’t hold it firmly against your own body. If your scratches are not very serious, gently hug the rabbit, hugging it slightly under your arm until it calms down, after which you can gently and calmly release it. The point is not to reward bad behavior by giving the rabbit an instant freedom. Of course, you will still have to work with the naughty rabbit, so consider protecting your arms with long sleeves while you continue to train your rabbit to be comfortable with being picked up.
• Rabbits need to be tamed at a very young age so that they can get used to being picked up from the floor and from their cages and carriers.
• Consider using the help of an experienced breeder to handle a particularly difficult pet and prevent injury to him or her.
• Be patient.Rabbits are land animals that like to dig holes. They are uncomfortable with being lifted off the ground, mainly due to their innate characteristics.
• If your rabbit seems scared, covering his eyes can help calm him down.
• Using treats can help ease the process of getting your rabbit handled. Also use treats to complement your gentle strokes and caresses.

Warnings

• Always restrain the bunny's hind legs so that it cannot jump out of your hands. This will also prevent the kicking rabbit from getting scratched.
• Don't drop your rabbit. Rabbits can be seriously injured if dropped.

Additional articles

How to train a rabbit How to play with a pet rabbit How to set up a rabbit cage How to please your bunny How to cut the claws of a bunny How to understand your rabbit How to get rid of an unpleasant smell if you have a rabbit How to determine the age of a rabbit How to transport a rabbit How to understand that a rabbit is sad from loneliness How to calm a rabbit How to catch a pet rabbit How to make your rabbit get used to its owner How to toilet train your rabbit