Whilst rabbits are very cute and fluffy and look as though they would be lovely to have a cuddle with, most rabbits could not think of anything worse! As a rabbit, a prey animal species, being picked up and cuddled by someone is a terrifying concept, as the only place this would happen in the wild is if they had been caught by a predator. Despite being picked up being very stressful for a rabbit, it is something that we need to do when we look after them for a variety of reasons, including grooming and inspecting, giving medications, and taking them to your local veterinarian. I hope to provide you with some methods of handling that will be safe, and stress free for you and your rabbits.
Why is safe handling important?
Handling your rabbit in a calm and safe manner is essential, as they are very delicate and easily injured. Injuries can take place at any point in the handling process, including when they are being picked up, when they are being carried, and even when they are being put back down! If your rabbit manages to jump out of your arms at any point in this process then they can cause themself a mischief, and in the worst case scenarios they could even break their bones or their backs! Good handling is not only important from a safety point of view, but also because good handling will allow you to do more things with your rabbit, including grooming them effectively to prevent matted fur from building up, clean away any matted faeces away from their back end, and also to administer any medications that they may require.
What should I do before I try to pick my rabbit up?
The best way to ensure good handling is preparation, so that you know what you are going to do and how you are going to do it. This also includes making sure you know how you are going to hold your rabbit, where you are going to put them, if you are grooming them for example, and how you plan on putting them back down without letting them jump away and causing themself an injury. Having someone else help you can make a huge difference when handling a rabbit, especially when you need to groom them, so even if it is just for a short time, getting someone else to help you can make the whole process much more safe.
My first recommendation would be to make sure that you have a ’work station’ area where you can put your rabbit down and examine or groom them, I have a countertop in my shed covered with a towel, and this enables me to put my rabbits down safely, have a hand on them at all times when I am grooming them or examining them, and provides a non-slip surface so they feel secure when they are on it. Having your assistant hold them whilst they are on the table whilst you examine or groom them can make this even more safe. Using the towel your rabbit is standing on can also be effective for handling, especially if they are particularly wriggly when you are grooming them – wrapping them up in the towel can prevent them from kicking out with their legs and reduce the risk of your rabbit injuring themselves.
My second recommendation would be to make sure you have an easy area to pick up your rabbit. If you are chasing your rabbit around the garden, or are trying to reach under their hutch to pull them out, then injuries to both yourself and your rabbit are much more likely to happen! My preferred way of picking my rabbits up is encouraging them into their hutch, where I can lift the lid and easily pick them up without any obstacles.
My final recommendation for preparation is to make sure that you have a safe area where you can put your rabbit back down again, as it can be dangerous if they manage to jump out of your arms and injure themselves or escape. I would suggest either releasing them back into their hutch or enclosure, or into an area where the ground is soft so the risk of them injuring themself is reduced.
How to pick up your rabbit
Once you have prepared what you are planning to do with your rabbit after picking them up, for example having the table ready where you are going to groom them, or having their pet carrier open, make sure your rabbit is in an easily accessible and enclosed area where you can pick them up with ease.
Throughout this whole process you will need to be slightly firm, however do not squeeze your rabbit as this may injure them. Sometimes to prevent my rabbit from trying to run off at the last second I will put my hand in front of their face to encourage them to stay still. Then using your other hand, cup underneath their chest so you can lift their front half, sometimes putting two of your fingers between their legs will help stabilise them as you lift. Before you lift your rabbit, put your other hand under their tail and between their back legs so that you support their back fully when you lift them to prevent injury. As you pick up your rabbit, bring them close to your chest so their whole body is supported and to reduce their ability to jump away. When you move to wherever you are going, make sure you support your rabbit the whole way, and try to restrain them enough so that they cannot jump.
When picking up your rabbit, it is inappropriate to hold onto their scruff as this is very stressful and can be painful for them, unless they are very difficult to handle and in need of urgent treatment. Under no circumstances should you ever try and pick a rabbit up using their ears, as this is cruel, painful, and just not needed.
How to restrain your rabbit
Once you have picked up your rabbit, you may need to restrain them to groom them, give them medication, or inspect them. If you are doing any of these things then I would recommend using your ‘work station’ as this will reduce the distance your rabbit will fall if they manage to jump out of your arms, and provides a secure area for your rabbit. Having an assistant at this stage can be very helpful.
If you need to groom your rabbit or inspect around their back end I would recommend picking them up with one hand supporting them under their chest, and the other hand cupped around their lower back, just above their tail – this hand will be supporting a lot of the weight when you pick them up. To provide additional support and stability you should rest them against your chest.
If you need to restrain your rabbit to administer medication there are two ways which you can try, the first of which is very straight forward, where you hold either side of their chest and secure their front legs using your fingers, making sure not to hold them too tight. This will allow whoever is administering the medication to be able to hold their head gently and use a syringe to give the medication. The other method is to wrap your rabbit in a towel – this is a bit more difficult to work out initially but can be very effective. Place your rabbit in the middle of the towel and fold either side over the middle, securing the legs in place but leaving your rabbit’s head sticking out. Do not wrap your rabbit too tightly as again, we do not want to injure them.
There is a method of restraining rabbits called trancing which is not recommended and actually is considered to be cruel, where the rabbit is put on their back in order to immobilise them – this is a stress response where the rabbit is so scared that it ‘plays dead’ and usually only happens when the rabbit has been caught by a predator. If this is your current method of restraining rabbits then I would strongly recommend changing to one of the other methods described above.
How to put your rabbit back down
Once you have finished grooming, medicating, or inspecting your rabbit, it’s time to put them back down again – this step sounds easy but can be where a lot of the problems occur. The best way to ensure your rabbit makes it back down to ground level safely is to hold them securely, with one hand under their chest, the other under their tail and between their back legs, and still pressed against your chest, and as you crouch or kneel down, place them on the ground – try not to allow them to jump if at all possible. If you are particularly worried about your rabbit trying to jump out of your arms (as some rabbits are really keen on getting away again), you can carry them still wrapped in the towel, place them on the ground, and unwrap the towel to prevent them from jumping away.
If you are ever struggling to handle or groom your rabbit at home, it would be worth contacting your local veterinarian or rabbit rescue centre to see if they can give you some advice. I have an article that provides more information about grooming your rabbit, which you can find here.
There are a variety of other resources that you can look at as well, including the RWAF website which has some brilliant advice about all things rabbit related.