Adopting a rabbit is not just about letting it live on its own at home with some food and toys, right? As an animal lover, you’ll definitely want to hold your favorite bunny in your arms like a baby. You’ll cuddle it, hum into its ears, and build a loyal and loving companionship over time.
While the dreamy part is fine, however, do you know how to hold a rabbit properly? Is your rabbit comfortable in your arms?
Don’t strain yourself as we’re here to help you with the five best tips to pick and hold a rabbit correctly. These tips will work as a guide when you’re offering your bunny a loving hand.
Best 5 Tips to Pick and Hold a Rabbit Correctly
You might wonder why picking and holding your pet rabbit carries such importance. However, if you have been keeping a rabbit at home for a while, you know by now how sensitive they are.
A rabbit isn’t like a pet kitten or a puppy. You need to be extra tender when playing with one or handling one. Most rabbits are both physically and mentally soft. So, careless handling may hurt them severely.
That’s why you should watch your grip closely while you pick up your rabbit and hold it in your hands.
Let’s find out the five best tips to pick and hold your rabbit correctly, so you can avoid any unfortunate incident:
1. Familiarize Your Rabbit with Being Picked and Held
Don’t pick up your pet rabbit hastily. Don’t chase it if it runs away. It may not like to be picked the very first day it starts living with you. Allow it to become familiar with your house. It must adapt to the ambiance first.
Let your rabbit recognize you as its faithful companion. Sit next to its bedding, offer it food, handle its toys in front of it, pat its back, and let it approach you.
Don’t make a sudden noise near your rabbit or shout. You may shock and even intimidate it. Talk softly to it and rub its head tenderly, so it gets comfortable with your touch. Then when you notice some extra playfulness in it or it’s nudging you frequently, it’s time you can pick it up.
2. Don’t Pick Your Bunny by Its Tail or Ears
When you pick up a bunny, don’t pick it by its tail, ears, or scruff of its neck. Like most animals, rabbits feel pain when you do so without you realizing it. So, make it easy on your rabbit when you’re about to pick it up.
Bend and bond with your rabbit when you feel like taking it in your arms. Make eye contact with it, rub its head, and then softly pick it up. Put one hand under its chest while the other on its rear while holding it against your chest.
Remember, holding your rabbit should feel cozy to both of you. Don’t hold your rabbit in a way that it wants to run from you immediately.
3. Carry It Softly in Your Arms (Don’t Squeeze)
Sometimes, your rabbit might lift its front legs to get on your arms if it has bonded with you well. As mentioned earlier, place each hand carefully on your rabbit’s chest and rear to pick it up.
Remember, rabbits must be comfortable in their owners’ arms. So, you should help them feel secure by holding all four feet against your body.
However, your rabbit isn’t going to like it if you squeeze it against your body. Rabbits don’t need excessive pampering but a sense of comfort and safety. So, you need to keep that in mind while carrying your bunny in your arms.
4. Teach Your Kids Not to Hold the Rabbit by Themselves
A piece of friendly advice to you is not to let your children pick and hold your rabbit. Kids love rabbits and they ought to play with them all the time. So, it’s natural that they will want to hold rabbits in their arms.
But if your kids insist on it, you must help them hug it properly. Show them how to place each hand on a rabbit’s body. Tell them not to move fast or not move at all while holding the rabbit.
Let your kids know what accidents may take place if they fail to carry it correctly.
5. Be Extra Careful while Holding Young and Older Rabbits
Young animals always require extra care. You also need to be extra cautious when carrying a juvenile or older rabbit in your arms. Misplacing a hand may make your rabbit trip over from your arms. It may lead to serious injury to your little pet rabbit.
Rabbits aren’t sturdy like pit bull terriers, Abyssinian cats, or iguanas. These pets remain fine with falling onto the ground from a fair height. Since rabbits are softer in heart and body, they might meet with a mild stroke or extreme fear.
Both a young and old rabbit should be handled softly. You mustn’t press it against your body, or else, the consequence could be fatal.
Guideline By Best Friends Animal Society about Picking and Holding a Pet Bunny
Let’s take a step further to assist you in taking great care of your rabbit. Here, we’re going to consult the Best Friends Animal Society, which offers resources for animal care and rescue.
This organization gives expert guidelines on how to pick up a rabbit and hold it properly. Let’s check it below:
- Avoid picking up more than one rabbit at a time.
- Control your excitement and remain calm while it’s being picked. Don’t just scoop it up with one hand.
- Don’t pull or drag your pet rabbit to yourself to pick it up.
- Place a hand beneath the rabbit’s chest while the other hand should be under its hind legs.
- Lift your rabbit gently while embracing it softly against your body.
- Avoid pressing or squeezing your rabbit while holding it.
- Don’t hold it in your arms for too long. Let it get down and play around.
So, follow this set of guidelines to maintain a sweet, loyal, and secure bonding with your rabbit while holding it properly. Your companionship with your pet rabbit will be even more meaningful.
3 Consequences of Not Carrying Your Rabbit Properly
Most animals don’t like to be held for a long time in their owners’ arms. And even if they’re to be picked and held, the owners must be cautious. Otherwise, they’ll have to deal with unexpected consequences.
Here, you’ll get to know about 3 possible consequences of not embracing a rabbit correctly in your arms:
1. Suffocation Due to Squeezing
As advised earlier, you must avoid pressing or squeezing your pet rabbit against your body. You may find it affectionate, but it’s painful and irritating to your bunny. And worse, it may lead to fatal suffocation.
2. Injuries Due to Falling over
It’s as important to put your rabbit down on the floor safely as it is to hold it in your arms. Carrying it longer than usual or holding it against its will may make it kick and squirm. Furthermore, it may even jump from your arms, resulting in a head bump or broken legs, etc.
3. Isolation Due to Shock and Fear
If anything unfortunate takes place as we’ve shared above, your rabbit may feel the need to isolate itself from everything. It may slip into a hiding place, rejecting to eat, drink, or respond to your calls. This is alarming as it might lead your rabbit to depression, health deterioration, and even death.
Final Thought
So, our article is near to the end as we’ve covered pretty much everything regarding picking and holding your rabbit. It will be a pleasure for us if you’ve found it helpful.
Being a responsible pet owner, you must help your rabbit bond with you first before it is picked. Let it walk, run, and play around in the house and the garden. Don’t make your bunny nervous.
Remind your kids of the possible consequences of not being careful with the rabbit. Finally, explore more about showing love to your rabbit without hurting or scaring it. Best of luck!