Many people consider rabbits agricultural pests. Wild and pet rabbits alike may wreak damage to your garden or landscaping. They can eat your plants and herbs.
However, catching a rabbit poses some difficulties. You must capture and confine them to preserve your crops. The question now is, “How to catch a rabbit?”
How to Catch a Shy Pet Rabbit
Identify the reasons why your bunny is fearful
Rabbits are classified as prey animals. They easily get scared. Your bunny may seem shy or frightened because it’s unsure if it can trust you.
Boost their confidence first and show that you’re not a predator to make your pet bunny approach you. Do not chase it since it will make it more alarmed. It will foster the feeling that it should be afraid and escape.
Rabbits naturally dislike being handled even if they appear cuddly. Forcing your bunnies makes them resist and kick. This could endanger you and kill them if they drop to the ground.
Promote a favorable environment
Make the environment as quiet and comforting as possible. Transfer any other pets like cats or dogs. Switch off your television. Provide a space your pet bunny can feel safe and at ease.
Offer some delectable treats
Give your shy bunny some of its favorite snacks to lure it to come near you. Small chunks of apples, carrots, or bananas should suffice.
Allow your shy rabbit to play outside its cage
Wait for your bunny to exit its cage voluntarily. Simply sit or lie near the cage’s door. Do not try to pull it out or remove it yourself.
Your pet naturally gets curious and will approach you when the right moment comes. This may take a long time, possibly an hour. Just remain calm and quiet as possible.
Let your rabbit explore you and the surroundings
Refrain from touching or cuddling your pet bunny once it approaches you. Allow it to sniff you, leap on you, or munch on a treat in your hand. Do this with your pet every day for a while to earn its trust. Acting impatiently can undo all your efforts, so take your time.
Pet your shy bunny when it feels at ease
Start touching and petting your rabbit once you feel you’ve gained its trust. Gently stroke it on its side or flank. You can raise your hand over your bunny’s head if you don’t want to startle it.
Place the bunny on your lap
Bunnies prefer staying close to ground level since they are ground-dwellers. They hate being carried high above it. Lay your bunny on your lap once it looks happy and content with your presence. Take a sitting position and gently place it on your lap with care.
Offer its favorite treats and pet it gently. It will create a close attachment with you once it realizes you’re not a threat.
Learn how to catch your bunny quickly
You may have to catch your pet rabbit unexpectedly while still working on familiarizing it with yourself. For instance, you need to take a trip to the veterinarian. When this happens, consider doing the following steps.
First, try dropping a bath towel over your bunny, completely covering it. You can also scoop your pet into the towel. Make sure its head is covered. Your pet will find comfort in the darkness. Lastly, you can move the rabbit to a dark but safe container.
How to Catch a Wild Rabbit Without Using Traps
Plan it
Give yourself enough time. Presume you won’t be successful the first time around. It may take a few tries before the rabbit feels safe enough to allow you to come near it.
Survey the environment
Search the area for a safe direction to corral him in. Avoid wooded locations because the rabbit can easily make its way through bushes than you do.
Look for open space. Try to lure it to come up to you there. Inspect for anything like fences, sheds, and other structures it can hide under or squeeze through. Make sure to block all possible escape routes.
Steer the rabbit away from the road
Roads are hazardous to bunnies. Keep the bunny away from these spots to avoid injury if at all possible. You can use people as obstacles to keep it away from the road since it will most likely try to escape from them.
Observe the rabbit
Spend time accustoming the bunny to you if it appears to be at ease. Talk to it. A bunny’s hearing and smelling senses are sharper than its eyesight at a close distance. Talking will enable it to tell exactly where you’re at.
Be patient. Don’t try to grab the bunny on your first or second attempt. Make it more relaxed with each visit. A calm rabbit is simpler to catch than a frightened one. The bunny will take steady, regular pats on the head if it is content. You may be able to sweep it up into a cat carrier gently but firmly.
Shyer bunnies may allow you to offer them treats while they assess you. You can lie down or sit with carrots, bananas, or hay beside you. Don’t overfeed the rabbit. Make it crave and relate them with you only. You also don’t want it to gobble up and lose interest when you go back to try to trap it.
Surround the wild rabbit
Keep a close eye on the bunny to see where it goes to hide. You can use chicken wireframes or exercise pens to create a big enclosure.
Ask multiple people to hold different pieces together to create a huge enclosure. Slowly reduce the size of the enclosure by removing pieces. Maintain a tight circle to make it easier to catch the bunny. Make sure you don’t leave any gap where it can get away.
Seize the rabbit
Take the bunny in your hands when the enclosure is already small enough. Support the rabbit’s back and prop its feet towards your body. Secure the bunny’s legs. Wrap your arms around and underneath its body.
Getting down on the ground is the easiest method to catch it. Gently approach it and see if it will come near you. It will feel less threatened if you stoop down on its level.
Ask another person to corner the bunny if seizing it yourself doesn’t work. Grab it from a standing posture. Do not pick up the bunny by the ears. You’re going to injure and frighten it.
Place the rabbit in a carrier
Place the bunny in a carrier once you’ve caught it for convenient transport. Secure it there even if you’ll bring it home with you. This keeps it from escaping out of your hands. Take the carrier to the enclosure to prevent the bunny from fleeing.
Bring in the professionals
Call animal control If you’re having trouble capturing the bunny. Animal experts can help you with the job at hand. They’ll have nets to make the work easier. They’ll know how to use them to catch the bunny.
It’s difficult to capture a rabbit with a net. It’s doubtful that you can catch animals in this manner unless you’ve been trained to do it.
Don’t employ any type of net. A bunny’s limb can get trapped and can cause catastrophic injury. A rabbit can also break its bones by wriggling. Furthermore, you risk losing the trust you’ve earned if you mess up with the net.
You might be able to catch the rabbit with a net if you can lay a hand on it. You can throw a sheet or a towel, given how near you are to the animal. Try cornering it first so it cannot flee, then toss the towel over it. Grab the bunny at once but gently.
You can also mislead the rabbit by believing you have an enclosure even if you don’t have one. Extend a sheet sideway hanging down the ground. Herd the bunny into a corner and cover it with a towel.
How to Catch a Baby Rabbit
The method of catching a baby bunny depends on its age. Baby bunnies are delicate. They resemble a newborn child. So, the catching manner is similar to that of an infant.
Handle a baby rabbit with utmost care. Monitor it often. Don’t bring it home too soon. The baby rabbit may not survive environmental issues. So, it’s best to hold off on catching for a while.
Provide the best possible care for the baby bunny once it’s caught. You may use a hutch to confine it. Apply the standard catching approach when the baby bunny reaches two weeks.
First, keep an eye out for the bunny’s movements. Decide if you would like to use a single or double-door trap. Next, decide where to position the trap. Place it discreetly. Adjust your baits in response to the bunny’s movements. Finally, monitor the trap regularly.
Summary
Rabbits make excellent pets, but they can be cunning. They can be difficult to catch. But you can do it with the help of a few buddies and experts as well. You may need to capture one in the wild. Simply follow the tips outlined above on how to catch a rabbit.
