homehandling: interacting with your rabbit.
petting and grooming your rabbit
When you first get a new rabbit you should allow them a few days to get used to their new home and keep handling to a minimum.
Many rabbits do not like being picked up, and handling should be done on the ground.
Do not overwhelm your bunny with too much fuss too soon. They need to learn to trust you. A good way to start is to offer them a treat or rattle the food bowl at feeding time, then you can pet them for a short while before feeding them.
Rabbits do like physical contact, and once trust is established will enjoy being petted. Stroke your bunny in the direction of the fur, on the forehead, cheeks, behind the ears, along their back and sometimes their belly. Avoid their tail, backlegs, whiskers and under the chin.
Rabbits also enjoy being groomed, and again once they feel comfortable with you, will happily sit still while you brush their backs (in the direction of the fur). Do not be surprised if you get tired before they do!
Regular grooming, especially when your rabbit is moulting, gets rid of all that dead fur, making your bunny more comfortable and less likely to develop a gastric hairball. Also by either blowing into the fur or occasionally brushing against the furs direction, you can check the skin for parasites.
how to pick up your rabbit
Occasionally you will need to pick up your bunny. This needs to be done confidently and firmly, or they will become scared and try to escape, and could severely hurt themselves if they fall.
You must never pick a rabbit up by the ears, legs or scruff.
You should practice picking up your rabbit, while sitting on the ground with them.
Place one hand under their forelegs across their chest, and the other hand under their bottom, then lift.
Either hold your rabbit firmly, directly against your chest, with one hand still under the bottom, the other will now have your fingers holding their upper back. Or simply hold them sideways across your body, hands still in the same position.
Should your rabbit not like being picked up, there is a good chance they will kick out, scrabble and try to get away. Holding them sideways across your body, reduces the likelyhood of you getting scratched and prevents them running up your chest and over your shoulder and getting hurt.
Wait until you are happy with the lifting process before attempting this standing up.
When putting your bunny back down, it is likely they will try to jump, so you must get as low as you can, ideally placing their paws on the ground.
