How often do y’all hold and “pet” your breeding rabbits?

[Grizzlyhackle]

Anybody ever run your fingers real fast on your rabbits back like you were tickling somebody. Couple of mine start bobbing their head, lick their front paws remind me of how a dog will kick their backlegs. One runs off then comes back for more. Of course the 2 nerds flinch as soon as you reach passed the top of their head. Rabbits go figure.

 

[Niele da Kine]

If there were any bucks intentionally spraying people around here, I'd load up a spray bottle with vinegar and spray them back. They do learn pretty quick if it's done immediately afterwards.

 

[Nao57]

The lady I got my rabbits from had them so tame they could have them around the yard with very little supervision. It looked very peaceful. And others she had in a very small two foot high portable enclosure without them trying to get lose.

She had hers really tame.

Mine...not so tame.

Mine always try to get away and not be picked up. But once I have them being held they don't try to get away then. But I think some of this is also from not making a lot of fast movements around them. You can try to go slow and be gentle. I've noticed it makes a difference to cover their eyes while I'm putting back in their cages, or halfway through they'll try to shake themselves out of my hands, and then it'll be bad for both of us.

I haven't had the time to train or condition them during winter because I couldn't be out in the winter air very long. But I'm hoping to change that a bit now that its spring.

I am not sure if there's an ideal number of times per week to hold them or use for time to condition them to accept humans or not... but my niece also has a rabbit and hers has had terrible experiences with little kids practically mauling it. And as a result of its treatment its turned sort of crazy.

So how you handle it must matter and make a difference. But I'm still figuring parts of this out myself.

 

[Grizzlyhackle]

She had hers really tame.

Mine...not so tame.

Mine always try to get away and not be picked up. But once I have them being held they don't try to get away then. But I think some of this is also from not making a lot of fast movements around them. You can try to go slow and be gentle. I've noticed it makes a difference to cover their eyes while I'm putting back in their cages, or halfway through they'll try to shake themselves out of my hands, and then it'll be bad for both of us.

I haven't had the time to train or condition them during winter because I couldn't be out in the winter air very long. But I'm hoping to change that a bit now that its spring.


So how you handle it must matter and make a difference. But I'm still figuring parts of this out myself.

I never thought about covering the eyes when putting them back. Turns into a wrestling match sometimes. Always worried they would break a toe or nail jumping back in on the wire so I put piece of plywood for them to land on.
Sounds like you're learning.

 

[Grizzlyhackle]

If there were any bucks intentionally spraying people around here, I'd load up a spray bottle with vinegar and spray them back. They do learn pretty quick if it's done immediately afterwards.

Spray bottle sounds good. I would worry about getting vinegar in their eyes though.

 

[Kusanar]

Spray bottle sounds good. I would worry about getting vinegar in their eyes though.

It burns but doesn't do damage.

 

[Grizzlyhackle]

It burns but doesn't do damage.

And that's why I'd use plain water instead.

 

[Kusanar]

And that's why I'd use plain water instead.

But plain water doesn't burn... that's part of the point. You spray them back and make it unpleasant.

 

[Grizzlyhackle]

Having spilled vinegar on my cracked dry hands unpleasant is a little mild to what I would call it. I don't see any point in causing needless pain when training animals.

 

[Kusanar]

Having spilled vinegar on my cracked dry hands unpleasant is a little mild to what I would call it. I don't see any point in causing needless pain when training animals.

I have used ACV as a fly spray for my horses and gotten it in their eyes (not much reaction) and in mine when the wind shifted so it really isn't that bad. But, to each their own. I would say having pee shot at me would be much more unpleasant for me than having vinegar sprayed at my face and also being sprayed with vinegar would be less unpleasant for the buck than being invited to dinner.