We just redid our floor in our indoor colony yesterday. Had to catch and crate 17 rabbits. It was much easier than we expected... didn't feed them the night before, set out a pan of pellets, and were able to simply ease up to them and grab most of them. I tried a technique I had read about: get within grabbing range and use your hand to quickly cover their eyes, they immediately scrunch down and either stay still or back up, then grab them around the middle with the other arm. Worked very well. No scruffing necessary. I was glad I had a winter coat on though. We did have one escape out of a crate and start running around like a lunatic, we used a bass net to simply scoop her up no sweat. I don't think she even saw it coming. the whole process took maybe five minutes. So much better than having to crawl half way into a hutch through a tiny door, corner a growling doe at the back and drag her out by the scruff. After we finished lining the floor with stall mats we let them out while we were laying down some shavings, aranging shelters, etc., one of the large does (new zealands) got spooked and tried to jump over the wall- she went six feet in the air straight up. I had no idea they could jump that high and am very glad we chose to wire to the ceiling. Being indoors, they are dependent on me for feed, and usually bombard me as soon as I walk in. I have tried to spend some time in there, letting them sniff me, offering a hand and maybe a little pet on the back without trying to pick them up... so they have gotten used to being around me, and assume I am not going to grab them. I think a few minutes a day with a few treats is a worthwhile investment for the ease of handling if it is necessary. They seem to like me a lot more now that they are in the colony, it's nice to have them come running to me instead of away. We did a basic health check while we had them and everyone looked awesome, not a single problem and zero signs of ear mites... which was a constant problem when they were in hutches.
