Hi Felise,
Proper handling and restraint of a rabbit is important in your case.
We would like to cite some citations for proper handling and restrain of rabbits.
1. Utmost care must be taken consideration when handling rabbits. It is crucial and so important to support your pet's hindquarters at all times. One way of handling a rabbit is by grasping the skin over the shoulder with one hand and gently lifting it with the other arm cradling the body, the head nestled in the crook of your arm. Another method is to hold it upright by the scruff of the neck with one hand while the other hand supports it hind quarters. A towel wrapped around the body can also be used for restraint. The towel may also be draped over the face. Do NOT lift a rabbit by it ears.
When placing the rabbit back into the cage, the hind end should go in first. This will prevent the rabbit from trying to leap into the cage.
2. Flipping over the rabbit is fine and are usually done by professional groomers when doing nail clipping. However, we suggest to be very careful when doing such thing as injury may happen. When nail clipping, instead we suggest to have at least 2 persons, one doing the normal restrain while the other is doing the nail clipping. Make sure you squat down near the ground, in cases your rabbit jumps away from you, it is still low near the ground to avoid injuries to your rabbit.
For nail clipping, it is important NOT to cut beyond the "quick" of your rabbit's nails, as it may bleed. We suggest however, to have a "stop bleed" products in cases whereby you accidentally cut its' nail quick. Be gentle and careful enough, as pain stimulus upon nail clipping may prelude to "unwillingness" of your pet on future nail clipping sessions. Use treats or rewards after each nail clipping sessions.
3. In relation to potty training, we suggest to use potty training spray and use it on the pee/poo tray (if your pet's cage have) which may be located on the corner of your rabbit's cage. Usually they respond well to the potty training. Reward them with good treats/snacks to entice and reinforce such desired behavior. One more thing, seclusion is important for potty training as a start, which means, you need to put your rabbit inside her/his cage.
For other related information, please visit and talk to our Pet Care Consultants in all our PLC outlets.
With best regards,
Eliezer M. Bauzon, DVM RN
