Home

Bunny Blog

Search

Rabbit Care:

Hair Raising

Disabled Rabbits

Rabbit Anatomy

Buns in the Sun

Bunny Digs

Rabbit Diet 

Litter Scoop 

Litter Boxes

Rabbit Talk

What's Up Doc? 

Too Many Rabbits

Holidays & Pets

Fix Your Rabbit

Wild Rabbits

Trancing Rabbits

Resources:

Adopt A Bunny 

Rabbit Fact Sheet

Jump to Links  .

We're All Ears

Rabbit Reader

Hopperhome's Buns:

Hops & Dill

Bad Hare Day 

Harley Girl

The Cabbit for Kids

More Bunny Stuff:

Rabbit Friends 

Rosemary's Rules

Greyhound Racing

Year of the Rabbit 

Feral Rabbits

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Trancing Rabbits

 

Why & How of

"Hypnotizing" Your Rabbit

 

 

Putting your rabbit on his back and watching him seemingly completely relax is often called “trancing” or “hypnotizing” your rabbit.  Actually, it is neither one.  Is your rabbit in bliss? Not really.  The state you have put your rabbit in is part of a bag of instinctual tricks to escape a predator.  When a rabbit is grabbed by a predator the rabbit will “freeze” and imitate prey that has been killed… a dead rabbit.   By doing this the rabbit will boost its chances of escape and fatal injuries.

 

When the predator drops the supposedly “dead” rabbit or just relaxes its hold a bit, the rabbit will burst to life and try to escape.  Rabbits will fight as a last resort if this fails.
 
Should you “trance” your rabbit?  Yes, but with caution.  Putting a rabbit in this position makes clipping nails, checking the body and head for abscesses and other problems easy.  It is a useful way to restrain the rabbit for a few minutes.  I do it once a month.
 
Gather everything you need such as nail clippers, etc. close by before putting the rabbit on its back.  Put a towel on your lap and turn the rabbit over. Be gentle!  The rabbit will struggle, but this normally doesn’t last long.  Be sure the rabbit’s rump is higher than its head.  Soon the rabbit will drop its head back and become immobilized.  If the feet are shaking, just touch them and they should stop. The picture on the left shows Pogo in the initial stages of a trance.

  
Can your rabbit wake-up while tranced?  You bet and in a burst of energy just like it would if it were escaping a predator.  It can feel like your rabbit just exploded to life in your lap!  If I am clipping nails, sometimes I put my forearm gently in front of the rabbit in case he wakes up.Be sure the head stays lower than its hind end, but there are no guarantees. Pogo is completely “tranced” in the picture on the right.

 
I work fast when I have a rabbit on its back.  Check for any problems with:
Teeth, Ears & Hocks (feet) Then I carefully: Clip nails and clean scent glands located on either side of the anus (just a slit in the fur).  Use a moistened cotton swap or cotton ball for this.  All this in less than 7 or 8 minutes…10 minutes tops!


I hold the rabbit firmly and gently turn over when finished.  Once on the floor my rabbits normally hop away flipping out back legs at me.  Mr. Bumble always thumps once at me! Fortunately, I am forgiven quickly. 

 

 

Back to Home                                                           connie@hopperhome.com

 Click on Banner to Learn more.  

  © Connie Andrews 1998 - 2008 All Rights Reserved.