How do I get my bunnies to mellow out?

When I go to the cage to get one out, it immediately takes evasive action. And since their cages are fairly large, it can be hard to catch them.

So what do I need to change in my approach? They're very friendly when I feed the, just hate being picked up.

You have to remember they are prey animals and being picked up can be frightening to them. I would start to announce your presence to them talking or singing to them before you get to where they are, move slowly (we are much bigger then them). When you open the cage do not immediately reach in. Let them come to you you and if you have to coax them with treats, if they run when you put your hand in, Leave your hand in the cage until they become curious again and come towards you, then give them a treat. Every time they make progress towards coming to you make sure you give them a treat, and eventually with a little patience they won't run away from you. Never punish bad behaviour even if you get frustrated it will make them frightened of you.

Aileen, was talking to maggie and brody, and along with devon's ideas....it takes rabbits a while to get used to new surroundings. AND once I take Timid away, they may well settle down faster. (fear is contagious)

How long have you had them?

I wait at least a week before even attempting to handle new rabbits. It gives them time to settle, get use to surroundings, and me.

I'm afraid I told her to go ahead and work with them. I plead STUPID! sigh. It's only been what..5 days? gah...i'm an idiot. Should have thought they'd need time to just mellow out.

It's hard to tell with some rabbits. Some are fine right away when they go to new homes, and some that are totally fine when you have them can go freaky when you sell them.

nah Ann no beating yourself up
I ask people not to handle any animal they adopt just for 24-48 hours - they have a terrible time doing that usually ... compliance SUCKS on this point

some rabbits would adapt right up

Aileen my guys are in big runs ... they come to me - even very scared rabbits come around eventually
my keys -
*predicatable routines (I feed same order, same time etc)
*predicatable habits - my rabbits always hear "hello everybunny" as I head their way
*treats and rewards at random times and before and after anything stressful .. (for me grooming, a car ride, weighing, picking up at first)
*body language - smooth slow deliberate movement - If I need to corner a rabbit a few times to handle them I use a cardboard slab (no noise no fear of injury - I just lay it somewher ein cage so it's completely unscary too) I use LOTS of eye contact - my rabbits know they are the chosen one and eventually they learn they are getting picked up once they are the chosen one - the eye contact needs to be soft - a toothless smile can help me relax
* simple start - the first time I pick up a nervous rabbit I often don't even pick one foot off the ground - normal rabbits get picked up and put back down fast .. again and again
* I respect rabbits - I don't fear them but I do think they are capable of communicating and I try to listen to them ...

I am inately lazy - I hate regular ewieghing etc so I try ot heft the bunnies frequently in a week - just a quick way to check condition and weight as well as health

hope that helps a bit

Thanks. y'all. I'll adapt my approach and help them to destress.

Rabbits often like soft music. My son used to have a pet bunny that would mellow right out with music. She had a thing for the Righteous Brothers, especially "Unchained Melody". I often played it for her when she was stressed about something and it worked wonders.

We have had good success with starting out by speaking calming words in a soothing tone as soon as we open the garage door. As we progress, we try letting them come to sniff our hands, and then slowly reaching out to pet them. With the Brazilians, having an apple in our hands helps a bunch. The Cals, on the other hand, have NO clue what to do with that round red/green object.

One of our Cal does just totally freaked out when we first got her home several weeks ago, and she was even scaring some of the 'Zils we've had for a couple of months. She's finally settling down and not hiding in the corner when we come out to the garage. DH was even able to use power tools on the driveway with the garage door open (finishing the cage rack) and she didn't freak out.

When we brought Pearl home, she was very uptight and scared. My 8-year-old son spent every possible moment parked in front of her cage, door open, playing with hay and talking, and petting her sometimes. After a while, he was able to hug her, and she would hop all around and over him on the porch. She still doesn't like being picked up much, but she is the sweet bun she is today because of him. :up:

Well, Conan, Xena and Sonya are calmer. I haven't picked them up for a few days, and I talk to them, sing to them, give them treats, etc. Tomorrow they'll get treats while I scrub out their trays, and start working on petting them every day. Ann, Conan is much mellower than his brother - guess the cats don't bother him.
THANK YOU, all!

Glad to hear they are calmer. Could be that "Timid" was upsetting them all with his fear.

There is a lot of good info here. It does take rabbits a certain amount of time to get used to a new location, and a new person taking care of them. One can't really start "working" with them untill that happens. After it does, and it may take a couple of days to a month, you can instigate more interaction. I have found that many rabbits are not crazy about being carried. My most laid-back rabbit, a FL/Flemish cross loves attention, fur rubs, she will come right up looking for it and if she doesn't get it will start pushing at you with her nose (actually, it you don't respond to that she will start nipping your fingers, very gently, of course) However, she absolutely HATES to be picked up. When it is time to breed her, I make sure I have gloves on and a heavy canvass coat, and I still sometimes get scratch marks on my wrists. I have a couple of other does, that don't much like to be rubbed, but when one pics them up, they will nestle right in your arms and be calm as can be. One things that helps is to cradle them in your left arm and place your right arm in front and over the top of them with you hands over their head an eyes. This calms them for some reason, maybe they think they are secure in a den. If they start to get excited, you can sense it immediately, and be prepared so they don't jump out of your arms.

One thing, and I don't often think about it because my cages are high with doors on the front. Rabbits do not like to have hands or bodies coming down to them from the top.... I guess it is some kind of built in fear of hawks or other predators. If you can get more down to thir level, where you are reaching "out" instead of "down" it will usually help.

I have always held and played with kits that I think I might be keeping for breeders, it is a big help to make them friendlier later. Lately, I have been walking in the rabbitry when I pick them up, instead of standing still, I hope it will aclimate them to being carried later, but I haven't had enough time doing that, yet, to say it works.

Timid darted back into the colony and ran for the tunnel :lol: Then Chocolate Bunny went in after him. I tossed in hay and romaine. Soon they were all munching greens and hay together and he was one of the bunch again. I'm trying to work with Timid more so he chills out.

I've glad Conan is doing well. He's been handled quite a bit, and has a very RESIGNED look on his face when I groom him. He would just sit on the table and let me do my thing.<br /><br />__________ Sat Feb 13, 2010 10:47 am __________<br /><br />Thought of something, Aileen. You might want to put a small box/tunnel in the cages for them to hide in. Maybe over in the corner back away from the doors...on the blue floors. Doesn't have to be big...just large enough for them to get into and turn around.

Great mindssthink alike. I added boxes on Thursday.