I just got my first pet rabbit "Houdini" and he doesn't bite. He does kick and scratch when you go to set him down. He is fine while being held against your body but when it is just your hands underneath him he starts squirming and kicking. My hand is all tore up from his back claws. Does anybody have any advice on how to get him past this? Thanks.

-Paul

Paul, see my response to your question on your other post, on which you have the pic of your rabbit

Paul seems like you want instant love. You only had the rabbit 2 days and already, you a perfect pet. Calm down, spend a couple of hours with the rabbit every day. Love him and he will come around. If he knows where he get his food from he will really cuddle up to you.

Consider having the rabbit de-clawed at some point. Only the front paws. This will have him loose some of his confidence. Don't have the rear ones removed as this will leave him no choice but to bit.

Bonding takes a little time, give it a week or so.

Thanks for the comments guys. wmhegbli it isn't that I want instant love, I just want to make sure that the bonding and handling that I do is being done correctly.

Paul,

For what its worth.

I spend a lot of time (especially in the beginning) hold my bunny close to my chest, one hand underneath him the other softly stroking its head. I talked to him at the same time. I am not sure, but always wondered, since I held him close to my chest hearing my heart beat, if that had an influence on him remaining calm.

I was most concerned about him being comfortable with me. The show stuff will come later, much later.

Good luck. I know you will enjoy the little fellow.

Max

Hold him and work with him as much as you can. Once he gets tamed down he will become more calm. Also, he should settle down more as he ages, but it may take a year or two for his hyper-youth state comepletly leaves him. Then againh, it may not. I have owned many, and they are individuals, but as a rule mine have always become less hyper when they become adults.

There os no need to declaw. A rabbit will not use his front claws as weapons. It's those back claws you have to watch, and that is just because they use their powerful legs and feet to kick, squirm, balance, etc. You do need to cut the claws....front and back. Just be very, very careful and do not cut into the quick. You can see the blood vessel in the nail, so stay far beyond that and the bunny will not feel a thing. You may need help holding him so you can cut his nails safely and correctly.

Always support your bunny under his bottom when you pick him up! If his feet are dangling he will feel frightened and he will kick. Scratches will occur! That's why he don't kick when he is against your body. If you will support his rear end, and rear feet by putting your underneath he should not kick. It's hard to describe, and I guess it's just something learned with experience, but it's very easy for me to pick up a rabbit in this manner. You just have to get a knack for it and you weill be able to do it in an instant.

You didn't mention what kind of bunny you got. As I told you in the PM some breeds are harder to tame and control than others. The new Lionhead I recently got seems to be slower to tame, and certainly more difficult to control than any Netherland Dwarf I have ever owned. She is very young still, so I don't want to make a final judgement just yet. Of course larger rabbits may be more difficult to hold than smaller ones, but sometimes the smaller ones are more squidish.

Regan

Regan,

My new rabbit "Houdini" is a dwarf hotot.

Hi Paul.
The bunny needs time to settle down in his new environment.
Did you get the book on training a bunny. I emailed you the information some time ago.
Sit the bunny on your lap everyday and slowely pet him with your hand on his back very gently.
The bunny will learn to trust you and eventually let you hold him without a struggle.
The bunny sees you as a predator and will try to get away as soon as you go toward him. Its up to you to build that trust.
Ricky

I've never worked with bunnies, but I work with hookbills (parrot family) and I imagine in at least one regard they are the same in that they are both prey creatures and know it. Cats and dogs are predators and thus naturally more self assured. prey creatures are nervous by nature. Be consistant, but don't try to force it.

It took a bit more then 2 months for Pickles, my Macaw, to even let me touch him. He was older, with a younger animal it hopefully will take less time, but be patient. The reward is that, once a creature like this learns to trust you, it will love and depend on you in a very close way.

I had three dwarf hotot's I used in my shows; they took a long time to work with. In the end I retired them placing each in a separate home away from the stage. Regrettably, I never had them fixed. If you get/have a rabbit I highly recommend this. It helps calm them down and you won't have as many issues with them being territorial. If you have more than one rabbit living together, make sure to get each one fixed otherwise you will continue to have problems. Once fixed, female rabbits will generally live longer (I've read the average is about five years). As with any animal in your show, make sure to treat him/her as a pet and spend as much time with them as you can. Sooner or later you will build a bond with your animal and things will begin to progress. Good luck.

When you buy rabbit, test it out by handling it.

I ordered from pet shop a certain kind and sex rabbit. He was beautiful but was a nut so I gave him away.

Keep handling it and the rabbit will calm down. And if not give it away at your next show. And get another calm one.

I presently have a Himalayan and all of the breed is mellow. They look cool too.
Black ears, black nose, white body and red eyes.

They reason they have red eyes is because they drink RED coolaide. that's what I tell the audience.

Good luck

Having a Rabbit myself, He is a cuddle bunny, loves to be held, petted, hand fed etc but Rabbits do not like to be off their feet without a secure platform to rest on. When I am holding my rabbit he is fine for hours in my arms cuddled up wanting to be petted but the moment I return him to his cage he wants to JUMP out so fast and so hard he could hurt himself. What I did was Made a little ramp so that when you place the rabbit down he can walk into the cage on his own. It was told to me by a friend that they need to feel secure on their feet other wise they will kick and try to jump away from you.
I hope this helps in your situation as it helped me out a great deal!

>> Consider having the rabbit de-clawed at some point.

According to my Vet, you should not declaw a rabbit. Cats and rabbits paws are different.

keep in mind when you declaw a rabbit you are actually cutting off part of the toe, not just the claw.

Billy The Clown
Bill Tedeski
Pittsburgh PA

Hi Paul.
How is Houdini coming on..
My new bunny is now very tame and doing quite well in the show.
Tricky Ricky

Glad to hear that Ricky!

My bunnies are doing well also. My newest Netherland Dwarf Himilayan is about 2 years old now, and he is doing good in the shows. I have also used my new Lionhead in some shows. She is natured differently than my Netherlands, but she does pretty well. She is still really young, so I expect she will get better as she ages. My old favorite that I retired this year is doing well too. He is over 8 years old now, but still healthy as far as I can tell.

Paul, I hope your Hotot is coming along good!

Regan