Fertility & Holding Question

[LilFish_JWQueen(:]

ok wow im sorry you totally took what i said personally.
it was kinda inappropriate to just pick apart what i posted as if i was only speaking to only you. i was talking Everyone. again im sorry you took it personal.

i DIDNT say you dont know how to pick a rabbit up. I said i would show you what i meant by the way i pick up a rabbit...OTHERS had posted saying they didnt know what i meant when i explained it.

ok either way picking them up or holding them by the scruff you are pulling away at the skin...take that how you wish.

i didnt say YOU said it was impossible. again i was talking to everyone.

i agree you do have to change your way of picking them up to fit a different situation.
again im sorry you took what i said personal...i was talking to EVERYONE.

 

[OneAcreFarm]

ok wow im sorry you totally took what i said personally.
it was kinda inappropriate to just pick apart what i posted as if i was only speaking to only you. i was talking Everyone. again im sorry you took it personal.

i DIDNT say you dont know how to pick a rabbit up. I said i would show you what i meant by the way i pick up a rabbit...OTHERS had posted saying they didnt know what i meant when i explained it.

ok either way picking them up or holding them by the scruff you are pulling away at the skin...take that how you wish.

i didnt say YOU said it was impossible. again i was talking to everyone.

i agree you do have to change your way of picking them up to fit a different situation.
again im sorry you took what i said personal...i was talking to EVERYONE.

One of the problems with written electronic communication is that it isn't done face to face... Since your post came after I posted mine, I DID think you were replying to me directly and that I had somehow offended you. Glad to know that was not the case...

 

[MamaSheepdog]

Hey LilFish,

I tried your method, and it worked well for me with the younger rabbits, but one older one in particular got freaky and I had a hard time holding it (I have the scratches to prove it! LOL!)- anyway, I had to shift my hold to the ears/scruff with that one. Do you grip their shoulders really tight? My hands aren't big enough to get very far down the rib cage.

P.S. To LilFish and Oneacre- glad you worked that out! One of the things I really enjoy about RT is that it is such a friendly forum. : )

 

[LilFish_JWQueen(:]

yes i agree lol i hate convos lik this on the internet or through texting cause well you cant hear the persons tone of voice or anything so you jus have to almost assume so its very easy to take something wrong.

 

[OneAcreFarm]

Pick the rabbit up by taking ahold of the back of their shoulders

Lil, can you post a pic or two showing how to do this? I am having a hard time visualizing it...Always willing to try something new....

 

[LilFish_JWQueen(:]

well i think if a rabbit is freaking out too bad they deserve to be handled i dont wanna say by manhandling it but idk in a rougher way if you dont mind. again i guess it matters what works for you. and yeah my hands cant reach down to the rib cage and i try not to crush them lol but damn idk how to explain how i do it but i agree its easier to pick em up by hand under belly and other on rump but lik you said the rabbit was acting up so you have to switch to holding it by holding the ears and scruff. im not saying its wrong. but i just believe it ruins the flesh condition. thats my own opinion...its a tough subject.<br /><br />__________ Tue Nov 22, 2011 2:29 pm __________<br /><br />oneacrefarm, yes i can tomorrow before work.

 

[Cattle Cait]

I'd be interested too...my Checkereds are a pain to carry anyways, I'm open to learning a new way to carry my bucking broncs.

 

[MamaSheepdog]

LilFish,

I moved a few more rabbits around yesterday, and with most of them it worked great! One young buck was naughty, but overall I am pleased. Since we are working with living beings, there is bound to be a lot of variation in their behavior.

I remain skeptical that gently restraining by the scruff causes damage, but I can see where with a large heavy bodied animal being suspended by the scruff while it is flailing around could cause separation between the skin and muscle tissue. When working in veterinary practice I saw some cases where animals that had been flung about in fights would develop air pockets under the skin. I forget the medical term at the moment, but when you ran your hand over the area it felt "crackly" where the air bubbles were. But the trauma had to be quite extreme to cause that.

One point in favor of the theory you are discussing that comes to mind is the fact that rabbits do not carry their young about by the scruff, so rabbits may very well be more delicate in that area than dogs and cats.

Thanks for the heads-up anyway... since we have meat rabbits which I hope to show at some point, avoiding even the possibility of damage is wise. The more buns I grabbed that way, the easier it became.

I think the main thing to do, whether grabbing scruff or shoulders, is to support well with your other hand and get that rabbit into a football hold as quickly as possible!

Happy Thanksgiving!

 

[ottersatin]

*holding* by the scruff and supporting with the other hand under the rump or hindquarters is not damaging to the rabbit.
This is the way I have always picked up my rabbits and the way that
I taught my 4Hers to pick up their rabbits. Their Rabbits
always placed well and never a comment on "Loose skin over the shoulders".
I guess some are a bit rougher when grasping, but I always considered
the ears and scruff to be the control hand and the hand on the rump/hindquarters
the support hand. Oh well, what works for one does not always work for another.
Ottersatin. C.V.R. ldtimer:

 

[LilFish_JWQueen(:]

ok so i proly wont be able to take pics after this weekend because of the holiday and im busy with work and school and this weekend i am secretary of a show and ill be gone the whole weekend then i have to work on monday so...

LilFish,

I moved a few more rabbits around yesterday, and with most of them it worked great! One young buck was naughty, but overall I am pleased. Since we are working with living beings, there is bound to be a lot of variation in their behavior.

I remain skeptical that gently restraining by the scruff causes damage, but I can see where with a large heavy bodied animal being suspended by the scruff while it is flailing around could cause separation between the skin and muscle tissue. When working in veterinary practice I saw some cases where animals that had been flung about in fights would develop air pockets under the skin. I forget the medical term at the moment, but when you ran your hand over the area it felt "crackly" where the air bubbles were. But the trauma had to be quite extreme to cause that.

One point in favor of the theory you are discussing that comes to mind is the fact that rabbits do not carry their young about by the scruff, so rabbits may very well be more delicate in that area than dogs and cats.

Thanks for the heads-up anyway... since we have meat rabbits which I hope to show at some point, avoiding even the possibility of damage is wise. The more buns I grabbed that way, the easier it became.

I think the main thing to do, whether grabbing scruff or shoulders, is to support well with your other hand and get that rabbit into a football hold as quickly as possible!

Happy Thanksgiving!

wow the crackel thing is weird lol but kinda interesting and i agree would take alot to do that. Id love to maybe do a study of my own on this sence parker (aka on here runninmi) does butcher rabbits and could help me lol
And right thats one of the reasons i stand by my opinion is that unlike dogs and cats, rabbits dont carry their young by the skin on the back of the neck other words called the scruff.
I am really talking in the show aspect of this so thats why i even posted.
Im not here to tell someone their wrong or criticize anyone. I just posted so I could share my information on what i know from showing rabbits for 10 years. Through being a teen leader in 4-H thats what i learned to do, share what you learn. Some people wont because they want to be the one winning and no one to beat them. Ive always been someone that even though ive been very successful through rabbits in 4h and ARBA ive shared with anyone willing to learn what i know.



Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving!

 

[Secuono]

Haven't posted in awhile for several reasons, but will update.
I cannot lift most of the rabbits I have in any way other than the scruff. Once they are up out of the cage, they usually can be held head under my arm like a football. My little Lop is fine w/being carried and lifted in any way, she's growing up on with me, unlike the rest. The SF buck I can lift out in any way, though I never grab him by the scruff, he never freaks out. The new Cali buck seems more calm as well. But the other three does are still iffy and up by the scruff is how it will have to be to get them at least out of their cages.

 

[OneAcreFarm]

I remain skeptical that gently restraining by the scruff causes damage, but I can see where with a large heavy bodied animal being suspended by the scruff while it is flailing around could cause separation between the skin and muscle tissue. When working in veterinary practice I saw some cases where animals that had been flung about in fights would develop air pockets under the skin. I forget the medical term at the moment, but when you ran your hand over the area it felt "crackly" where the air bubbles were. But the trauma had to be quite extreme to cause that.

In people this is called, "subcutaneous emphysema"...<br /><br />__________ Wed Nov 30, 2011 8:08 pm __________<br /><br />I have also been working more with my squirrely ones...still cannot lift a few of them without also holding gently by the scruff, but a couple of them are really warming up. Which is good, because I really don't need any more bunny scratches, thank you!

 

[MamaSheepdog]

[/quote]

In people this is called, "subcutaneous emphysema"...

__________ Wed Nov 30, 2011 8:08 pm __________

![/quote]

Not the term I'm looking for... but an accurate description, as I just learned...
em·phy·se·ma/ˌemfəˈsēmə/
Noun:

1. A condition in which the air sacs of the lungs are damaged and enlarged, causing breathlessness.
2. A condition in which air is abnormally present within the body tissues.

I think the condition I'm looking for begins with 'c'.

 

[OneAcreFarm]

In people this is called, "subcutaneous emphysema"...

Not the term I'm looking for... but an accurate description, as I just learned...
em·phy·se·ma/ˌemfəˈsēmə/
Noun:

1. A condition in which the air sacs of the lungs are damaged and enlarged, causing breathlessness.
2. A condition in which air is abnormally present within the body tissues.

I think the condition I'm looking for begins with 'c'.

I think "Crepitus" is the word you are looking for....

 

[MamaSheepdog]

NyaHAH! You are correct! Thanks- I've been rolling long 'C' words through my head! Crepuscular... no... Cretaceous? No...
You get to be the Honorary Dictionary for the day! May I call you Webster?

 

[Bramble Hedge]

In a pinch I have used oven mits on an over protective mother lol