Bringing home a pet rabbit for the first time can hold a lot of excitement for you and your family, especially when you have young kids around. Rabbits are such bundles of joy, some great pets to have around the house particularly because of their calm and playful demeanors. However, handling your rabbit correctly is a skill you should learn to enjoy their lovely companies.
Before you consider bringing home a pet bunny, you must be mentally and physically ready for all that is involved in taking good care of it. Rabbits are very fragile and sensitive animals. They require a lot of care and attention to remain strong and healthy.
This means providing them with the proper shelter, rich and balanced meals, and loads of fun activities to keep them occupied throughout the day. To reiterate lastly, you must learn how to handle them properly.
In this article, we will discuss the following topics:
- Where do rabbits like to be petted the most?
- How often should I handle my rabbit?
- What is the process of picking up a rabbit?
- How do you pick up a rabbit that hates it?
Follow up now to learn all you need to about handling your rabbit correctly.
Where Do Rabbits Like To Be Petted The Most?
Rabbits are very cute animals. You almost cannot resist touching their furry bodies. But you must be careful how you go about it since they are very sensitive animals. Rabbits do not enjoy being touched in all areas around their bodies. They are certain areas however that your pet rabbit enjoys being petted.
It is being proven that petting a rabbit from time to time is good for its general wellbeing. But the question remains: where do rabbits like to be petted the most? There is not one straight answer to this question as several factors come into play here.
Age for one is a strong determinant factor. The older a rabbit gets, the more it is likely to allow you to pet it in specific parts of its body. Younger rabbits are known to be squeamish when you try to touch or hold them. Older rabbits, on the other hand, are a lot more mature and are more open to being touched or handled.
When a rabbit enjoys being handled by its owner, it develops certain sweet spots over time. It is your duty as a rabbit owner to observe these sweet spots and focus your attention on these areas.
But developing sweet spots is not only limited to age alone. The sex and breed of the rabbit are also strong factors to consider. Some rabbits will prefer to be touched than be handled. In either case, you must learn the following few tricks about handling your rabbit correctly first before you begin to pet it.
But where are rabbit sweet spots?
As stated earlier, sweet spots vary from rabbit to rabbit. If you go on popular online rabbit forums, you will see various comments and opinions on this issue and it is hard to say for sure which is which.
Whatever the case, there are still a few areas in a cross-section of a rabbit’s body that share sweet spot commonalities and there are also those areas that are a no-no for almost all rabbits.
Areas around the face, nose, cheeks, and back regions are safe sweet spots for rabbits. On the other hand, rabbits most times don’t like to be touched in regions around the belly, buttocks, and feet. They may feel vulnerable when touched in these areas so it’s best to stay clear off.
How Often Should I Handle My Rabbit?
It is recommended that rabbits require a large amount of playtime and exercise to keep them strong and healthy. You should make adequate provisions for your rabbit to keep them engaged and happy. These include making their environments spacious and conducive for them to run around, providing them with pet toys to play with but most importantly, you must also be present to shower them with love.
An integral part of a rabbit’s day must include your involvement as they like to feel wanted and respected. Take out few minutes each day to find out how your pet bunny is doing. Participate in their play and exercise time to keep things interesting for them. Pick them up and pet them now and then. This has a way of strengthening the bond between you and your pet rabbit.
But how often should you do this? Knowing when and how to handle a pet rabbit is crucial to their general wellbeing. The way you play with your pet bunny will differ a lot from the way you will a dog or cat. Remember, rabbits are very fragile animals and one rough handling can send them into a fix which may not be too good for them.
While it is certainly normal to pet, massage, or cuddle your pet rabbit, there are rules to this practice. Not all rabbits enjoy being petted for very long. Yet some enjoy it very much and would not want you to stop.
So there is practically no rule-of-thumb when it comes to how often and how long you should handle your rabbit. Therefore, handling your rabbit correctly depends on the preference of your rabbit. You have to watch out for what works and what doesn’t for your pet bunny.
How Do You Pick Up a Rabbit?
Handling your rabbit correctly is very important. Rabbits are extremely sensitive animals and can interpret your intentions wrongly even where you mean no harm. Before you attempt to pick up the rabbit, it is always best to study their mood to determine if they are receptive. Where they appear to withdraw from your advances, you should leave them alone. Otherwise, adhere to the following rules below anytime you want to pick up your pet rabbit:
- Always approach gently and with the most caution so you don’t startle your pet rabbit.
- First, begin by making it feel comfortable.
- Stroke its ears and nose to make it trust you.
- Once you have achieved this, get down to ground level and try to pick it up.
- Getting on your knees to pick a pet rabbit will make it feel a lot more comfortable since it sees you as a friend and sort of a contemporary.
- Hold it firmly then start to cuddle gently.
- Never try to restrain it. Allow it to dictate the terms and conditions.
- Lastly, as soon as it starts to show signs that it wants to be left alone, obey its wishes.
How Do You Pick Up a Rabbit That Hates It?
Not all rabbits enjoy being picked up. Some rabbits will run away as soon as you attempt. There are a few reasons for this. Sometimes, it could be personal preference, other times, it may be that they don’t like or don’t trust you.
In either case, learning how to pick up a rabbit that hates it could be very helpful in the long term especially if you are trying to build a stronger bond with you and your pet bunny.
Now how do you go about this? The trick is to first make them feel very safe and comfortable. Rabbits are prey animals by nature so they are always wary of predatory instincts. Being picked up without their consent is one of them.
Typically, rabbits are not used to being picked up. Even mother rabbits don’t pick up their young as other animals such as cats and dogs do. Picking up a rabbit requires a certain level of skill and patience on your part for it to go successfully otherwise it’s best to leave off it.
Now, for a rabbit that hates being picked up altogether, you must try to make it see reasons why being picked up is quite fun by doing the following:
- Start by caressing it a little bit for a few minutes. You must do this by getting on your knees first.
- Don’t force your attention on it. Allow it to run back and forth as you touch it.
- Once you sense that it is more relaxed and enjoying your touches then you can attempt to hold it.
- Don’t attempt to raise its legs off the floor at first.
- Watch how it reacts to your grip first.
- Most times, it will attempt to wiggle off your grip.
- If it does this, let it be then try again.
- Repeat this process again and again until you are confident that it is calm.
- Then you can lift its feet gradually but not far off the ground.
- With time, it will get used to this routine.
Remember, even after doing all of these, your rabbit still may not like being picked up. Where this is the case, it is best to leave it alone.