How to Pick Up, Hold and Put Down a Rabbit Safely

By Dr Duncan Houston

Your rabbit may happily approach for a stroke, then scramble away when you try to lift them. Those reactions are compatible: enjoying your company does not mean enjoying being carried. For a ground-dwelling prey animal, leaving the floor can feel frightening.

The aim is to make necessary handling secure and predictable, while doing as much everyday interaction as possible at rabbit level. A safe pickup includes the preparation, the lift and the return to the ground. The last part deserves just as much attention as the first.

Quick Answer

When a lift is necessary, support the rabbit's chest with one hand and their bottom and hindquarters with the other, then hold them close to your body without squeezing. Stay low and lower them onto a secure surface before releasing your support. Never lift by the ears or scruff, and do not turn a rabbit onto their back to make them stay still.

Does your rabbit actually need to be picked up?

Start by deciding what you need to accomplish. Sitting beside your rabbit for attention, inviting them into a carrier or arranging a floor-level care area may avoid a lift altogether. Choosing one of these options is good handling, not a failure to make your rabbit friendly.

Rabbits can learn to participate in useful tasks. The NC3Rs guidance on cooperative handling describes training rabbits to enter carriers, step onto scales and remain on a person's lap. This guidance comes from animal-care settings, but the useful principle for owners is straightforward: teach a manageable task before it becomes necessary.

Some lifts are still needed. Ask a rabbit-experienced veterinary nurse, vet or rescue professional to demonstrate with your rabbit if you are unsure. A written guide cannot show how secure your own hands are or predict how an individual rabbit will move.

Prepare before your hands leave the floor

Choose a quiet, enclosed space with good footing. Close access to stairs and places where the rabbit could fall or become trapped. Keep other animals away from the handling area. Work close to the floor rather than on a table, bed edge or worktop.

Prepare the destination before the lift. If you need a carrier, check that it is stable, the opening is ready and the base has a suitable non-slip lining. If another adult is helping, agree who will support the rabbit and who will manage the carrier door. Avoid a handover in mid-air.

Do a simple readiness check: can you support the front and rear at the same time, keep the rabbit close, and lower them again without reaching for something? If the answer is no, change the setup or ask for help first.

How to pick up and hold a rabbit

The PDSA handling guide recommends chest and hind-leg support, with the rabbit held securely against the body. Apply that basic approach calmly:

1. Approach slowly. Get down to the rabbit's level. Avoid a sudden grab from above or a chase around the enclosure.
2. Support the front. Place one hand beneath the chest, behind the front legs. Support the body rather than pulling on the legs.
3. Support the rear before lifting. Bring the other hand beneath the bottom and hindquarters so their weight is carried from below.
4. Lift only as far as needed. Bring the rabbit close to your body in a controlled movement. Keep their back and hindquarters supported throughout.
5. Keep the hold secure, not tight. Do not let the rear end dangle or squeeze the chest and abdomen. Keep the handling brief and purposeful.

A large rabbit may require more support than a small rabbit, and an owner's reach or mobility can change what is manageable. If you cannot comfortably support the whole animal, use a suitable carrier-based transfer or get an experienced person to help.

How to put a rabbit down safely

Keep the rabbit close while you lower your own body. Continue supporting the chest and hindquarters as you bring them to the floor or the base of the carrier. Release your support only when the rabbit is securely down.

Do not loosen your hands while the rabbit is still above the surface and expect them to hop neatly out. A rabbit can push away suddenly as the floor comes into view. Planning the landing before the pickup reduces the chance of a rushed release.

If the carrier opening is awkward, adjust the carrier before lifting rather than trying to turn the rabbit through a narrow door while holding them. A suitable carrier with top access can make necessary transfers easier.

What if your rabbit wriggles, kicks or tries to escape?

Struggling is a reason to reconsider the handling, not a challenge to hold on until the rabbit gives up. Keep supporting the body and lower the rabbit securely. Never respond by grabbing the ears, tightening a hold around the middle or allowing an unsupported jump.

The Rabbit Welfare Association & Fund handling advice explains that a frightened rabbit may struggle, injure their back or legs, or leap from the handler's arms. Preventing that situation matters more than finishing a practice session.

• Before a lift, the rabbit keeps moving away: pause and choose a floor-level interaction or carrier approach.
• During a lift, the rabbit struggles: maintain full support while lowering them. End the unnecessary handling.
• You repeatedly cannot make a secure transfer: arrange a practical demonstration and an individual handling plan.

If your rabbit is already unwell, injured, recovering from surgery or has difficulty moving, ask the veterinary team how they want the rabbit handled. Do not practise a new hold or restraint technique on them.

Build familiarity in small, manageable steps

Start with short, calm interactions on the ground. Let your rabbit choose to approach and offer a small reward from their usual food. Work on one step at a time: being near your hands, accepting a brief touch, then becoming familiar with the hand positions used for support.

Move on only when the current step is comfortable. There is no required holding duration and no reason to aim for long cuddles. Returning to an easier step is useful when your rabbit starts avoiding the interaction.

The RSPCA recommends positive, reward-based rabbit training and advises against punishment or physical coercion. Keep practice separate from an unavoidable trip whenever possible. Learning is easier to organise when neither of you is rushed.

Your measure of progress is a more predictable, manageable care routine. A rabbit can have a good relationship with you while continuing to prefer contact with all four feet on the floor.

Use the carrier as a familiar destination

Before a planned journey, place the carrier in the rabbits' safe living area with the door secured open. Add familiar hay and a little of their usual food so they can investigate voluntarily. Choose a carrier that allows them to enter without being pushed through an awkward opening.

The RWAF transport guide recommends preparing the carrier ahead of a trip, using a non-slip base and choosing one that can also open from the top. Check that the rabbit can turn around and that doors and catches close reliably.

Familiarisation is different from leaving a rabbit shut inside for practice without a plan. Begin with voluntary entry and exit, then seek training advice if closing the door or moving the carrier causes difficulty. For an appointment involving a bonded pair, ask the practice about bringing them together.

Handling mistakes to avoid

• Lifting by the ears, scruff or limbs: body weight must be supported from below.
• Turning the rabbit upside down: immobility in this position is not evidence that the rabbit is relaxed.
• Leaving the back end unsupported: close contact alone does not replace hindquarter support.
• Holding through a struggle: return to a secure surface and reassess the approach.
• Using towels or face-covering as a guaranteed calming trick: these are not substitutes for correct support. Ask for a demonstration before using a wrap, and never obstruct the nose.
• Letting a young child carry the rabbit: an adult should manage necessary lifting while children interact under supervision at floor level.

Frequently asked questions

Why does my rabbit hate being picked up?

Being lifted can feel threatening to a prey animal, even one that enjoys human company. Respect that preference and practise only the handling needed for their care.

Can I hold my rabbit like a baby?

Do not cradle a rabbit on their back. Keep the body in a supported upright position and avoid techniques intended to make them become still.

Is it safe to lift a rabbit by the scruff?

No. Do not use the scruff to carry their weight. Support the chest and hindquarters from below.

Should children pick up rabbits?

Young children should not carry rabbits. Supervised floor-level stroking, feeding from the usual allowance and watching them explore are safer ways to interact.

How long should I hold my rabbit during practice?

There is no target time. Keep the exercise brief, stop before it becomes a struggle and focus on calm cooperation rather than longer holds.

Make every lift easier to finish safely

Prepare the space, support the front and rear, stay close to the ground and keep supporting the rabbit until they are down. Wherever a voluntary move or floor-level interaction will do the job, choose it. The goal is a rabbit you can care for safely, with as little fear and forced handling as possible.

Further reading

The RSPCA's rabbit-care and handling guidance includes additional advice on calm interactions, body support and rabbit welfare.

Use this ASK A VET™ guide as a reminder to keep necessary handling calm, supported and brief.