Rabbit is a very lively animal and if you have any and let it roam around, it will take some effort to put it back to the cage. But it doesn’t mean that you can’t catch a running loose rabbit, especially inside your house. Catching a rabbit inside a house is way easier than catching one that’s outside. But to catch it, you might need some magic tricks to do so. And here we will give you 7 ways to catch running loose rabbit inside your house. After this, you don’t have to be exhausted every time your bunny running around the house and you need to catch it!
Is it hard to catch a rabbit inside the house?
Rabbit has various personality, from shy, active, quiet, aggressive, and others. But most rabbit will hop away when something it unfamiliar with approaches. And human, unfortunately, is one of the unfamiliar things for rabbit. That’s why to catch a rabbit we need to be patient and gentle. But actually, if you know the magic tricks, catching a rabbit is not that hard. That’s why we will provide you with the magic tricks that you need to catch running loose rabbit inside your house, so pay attention to the tricks below!
1. Understand your rabbit
As explained before, rabbit has various personality. Try to understand what kind of personality your rabbit has. It will help you to catch your rabbit in the future. If you notice that your rabbit is the pliant type, it will be easier for you to catch it when it runs around the house. But if you notice that your rabbit is the active and curious type, then you might need to do some tricks if you want to catch it. Main rule of catching a rabbit is avoid quick movements. Rabbit is very sensitive with quick movement since it thinks there’s predator nearby that want to catch it.
Also, rabbit is not an animal that loves physical contact. It also tends to fuss even more when you lift it up off the ground. That’s why you need to be gentle whenever you hold your bunny and don’t try to force it to your rabbit. The rabbit might go aggressive and can ended up hurting both you and the bunny itself. So, it’s very important to understand what your bunny likes and dislikes, it will help you to be able to catch it in the future. You can even understand your bunny’s health condition by reading effective ways to adopt a free-roam rabbit for beginners.
2. Set comfortable situation
Rabbit tends to fuss around if the environment is disturbing in its opinion, and a fussy rabbit is very hard to catch. So, if you want to catch running loose rabbit inside your house, make your house environment as quiet as possible. Turn off all source of sounds like television or radio, and also put other pets in its cage if you had other aside of rabbit. A comfortable environment will make your bunny calmer and easier for you to catch. But remember, avoid quick movements. You don’t want your bunny to run away from you after all of the effort, do you?
3. Give treats
Treats always work for any kind of animals, including rabbit. Leave a trail of its favorite snack heading to the place you want and just let the bunny eat it before you can catch it. Or you can also put the treat into your palm and let the rabbit approach you. These might need some patience but it works the best compared to other methods. And you can change the treats whenever you want to catch it, since rabbit loves most fruits and veggies. Carrot, lettuce, apple, banana, and even oats can lure the bunny into your hands! Understand more about your bunny’s favorite treats in guide to treat your skinny rabbit and gain healthy weight fast.
4. Let the rabbit explores
If your rabbit keeps on running away, you don’t have to be upset or even mad. Try to sit or lie down on the floor and just let the rabbit roam free for a while. Again, it might need some time but eventually, your rabbit will slowly come to you. Rabbit is a naturally curious animal, so it will try to find out their surroundings even though got scared at first. Don’t force them to get close to you, it will get stressed and might turned aggressive, which is not a good scene to witness. Just let everything happened naturally, and you’ll be able to catch your bunny easily.
5. Pet after it feels confident
Once you notice that your rabbit finally gets close to you without feeling threatened, you can slowly pet your rabbit. Take note that you can’t pet the rabbit carelessly since it just got attached to you. Pick a wrong move might rebuild its fear towards you. Starts with its side or its flank gently, and don’t pet its head. It catches the sight as threat and it might scare your bunny away. If the bunny stays then it’s a good sign but if it’s not then you might want to repeat the previous steps before trying to pet it again.
6. Put into your lap
When your rabbit already used with your presence, you can try to put it into your lap. But, please note that rabbit is not used when its feet aren’t on the ground. So, if your bunny starts to fuss around you can put it down on the ground again and let it calms down before you can try again. Once you able to put it on your lap, you can pet it gently on its body. You can even offer its favorite snack as reward for being obedient. Make sure your seated position is comfortable and doesn’t make your bunny feels anxious.
7. Use towel for quick catch
If you need to leave the house suddenly for an important call and your bunny is still roaming free around your house, you don’t have to be panic. You can use a large bath towel to cover the rabbit completely before scoop it up. Make sure that the bunny is covered in darkness as it will calm the bunny down. As you already have the bunny in your hold, you can safely move it into the cage or somewhere safe. This method is effective especially when you need to take the bunny for vet check-up, which is make your bunny feels afraid and tends to run away from you before you can even catch it.
Check this: How to Let Loose Your Rabbit at Home Safely
And, voila! That’s the magic tricks you can do to catch a running loos rabbit inside your house! Again, the key is patience and tenderness. If you manage to do both, catching running bunny won’t be hard for you. Hope you won’t be bothered by running bunny anymore!