[ajlyche]

My rabbit Sho'Nuff won't let me pet him, or hold him. he comes up to me to sniff me, and hops away. how am i supposed to brush him?

He does groom himself, but Sometimes (like today) he doesn't have any poop, I'm afraid it's either because he doesn't eat enough hay, or he's getting fur balls stuck. I know this can be fatal! So I'm worried? He eventually does poop, should I be brushing him more, or giving him different hay to see which one he eats alot of?
what can I do? I will call a vet, if he does not poop, but it seems he is leaving 1-3 droppings in random little places, when I put down a fresh vacuumed rug.

 

[caitlin14]

when my bunny got backed up a gave him some papaya (as recommended by purple hops) and it helped him a lot. I would just always have the brush with you and try to get in as much as you can when he hops by, or try to brush him while he is laying down.

What works with my bun is sitting in a chair and i have my bf bring him to me in a basket or litter tray type thing just so he is not being held and then i hold him on my lap and he just relaxes and doesn't try to jump down!

good luck!

 

[Jess]

Yeah, papaya and extra hay should help. Smudge hates brushing too, so I usually just sit him on my lap and "pluck" him when his fur gets a little wild. He hates that too, but I find it to be faster and more thorough than brushing.

 

[ajlyche]

The problem with Sho'Nuff is, I cant even catch him to hold him, or barely touch him! he won't let me anywhere near. He just hops away and starts stomping his feet.

 

[Jess]

Can you lure him into a basket or carrier with a treat, and take him out from there? What I do with Smudge is start petting him like normal, and once he is relaxed I cover his eyes/face with my hand (A bunny will lay over the head of another bunny to signify dominance, so doing that encougares them to be calm and submissive) and scoop him up.

 

[ajlyche]

he's very hard to even get to pet... but I will try that! thank you!

 

[Purple-Hops]

My bunny is hard to catch usually too. I find she goes to either her cardboard cave outside the closet so I have to chase her into her cage (easy since she knows "go home") and then I have to trick her. You get used to knowing their fail-proof "hiding places" then you just lean in from the side as much as possible (coming from the top = predator) and gently put your hand over his head. Then scoop and voila!

I know it's hard sometimes to get them and they freak out and some jump! But the key thing here is to remain calm and let them go if they threaten to jump, that way there'es less chance for injury. Remain calm and assertive. All bunnies react differently to situations like this, since Sho don't have a cage or pen it might be worse. Get your bf to get a hold of him perhaps, take him outside and brush his fluff off in the wind! GL!