How to Train a Rabbit to Sit Still

How to train a rabbit to sit still won’t be easy unless you are determined to do so. Most rabbits won’t choose to come and sit still whether on the floor or in a person’s lap without being taught to do so, but they can be lap trained using a simple luring technique with one of their favorite treats. Some rabbits will learn to love snuggling onto your lap, while others will prefer to hop on and off as they please

Rabbits are wonderful pets who usually love to be pet while snuggling safely on the floor. If you want them to cuddle in your lap, though, many rabbits will protest. They are not quick to trust any type of scenario where they can be easily trapped or picked up. To convince your rabbit to sit in your lap, you need to make it worth their while and give them many positive experiences.

Rabbits, also known as bunnies or bunny rabbits, are small mammals in the family Leporidae of the order Lagomorpha. Oryctolagus cuniculus includes the European rabbit species and its descendants, the world’s 305 breeds of domestic rabbit.

WHAT IS A FAMILY OF RABBIT CALLED

Leporidae is the family of rabbits and hares, containing over 60 species of extant mammals in all. The Latin word Leporidae means “those that resemble lepus” (hare). Together with the pikas, the Leporidae constitute the mammalian order Lagomorpha.

RABBITS THAT ARE DIFFICULT TO TRAIN

As a general rule, very large rabbits and young rabbits are more difficult to train how to sit on your lap. Very large rabbits are simply more difficult to lure onto your lap in the first place. They might be able to stretch all the way across your lap without ever hopping up into it, so getting them past step two may take some patience.

Young rabbits are simply more active and have a shorter attention span. You may be able to train them to hop up into your lap easily, but I wouldn’t expect them to stay until they are at least one or two years old.

I would focus more on teaching you how to train your rabbit to sit still on your laps. once you follow the steps/techniques that would be describe in this article below then you would have accurate knowledge on how to train your rat to sit still on your laps.

HOW TO TRAIN A RABBIT TO SIT STILL

How to train a rabbit to sit still is an amazing thing to do for your rabbit. To train your rabbit to hop into your lap, you’ll want to have some high value treats. These are treats that your rabbit will absolutely love! You will use them to lure your rabbit and lead them where you want them to go. Fresh or dried pieces of banana, carrot or strawberry are often good options for rabbits, but it all depends on what your rabbit likes best.

You also want to be sure to cut these treats into very small pieces. Too many sugary treats can be bad for a rabbit’s digestive system, so you don’t want to give them more than 1-2 Tablespoons total in a day. This means, if you want to work with your rabbit more, and potentially even get them to hop into your lop on day one of training, then you’ll need to use small pieces of your rabbit’s favorite treats.

STEP ONE: The first step is to get your rabbit used to coming up to you and performing a small act of trust to get a treat. Simply lure them to your lap and get them to put their front paws up on your leg. Many rabbits will do this naturally, but some will require you to lure them up a little bit. To lure your rabbit, hold a piece of treat in front of their nose and lead them toward you until their paws are on your leg. Immediately when their paws touch your leg, give your rabbit the treat. The better the timing you can get, the sooner your rabbit will realize why they are getting the treat, and they’ll be able to repeat the trick.

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STEP TWO: you are going to lure your rabbit so they are stretching all the way across your lap. Most rabbits will be hesitant to take the jump and hop onto your lap with their back feet. Instead they will stretch as far as they can as you lead them across your lap with the treat.

You want to get them to stretch just a little at first before giving them the treat. Then try to get them to go farther and farther every time. This will let your rabbit know that you are not trying to trick them, they will eventually get their yummy treat, but they have to reach for it.

STEP THREE: As your rabbit reaches farther and farther, you want to start keeping the treat a little bit out of their reach so they will be forced to hop up onto your lap in order to get the treat. If your rabbit gives up and goes away without hopping up on your lap, then you need to go back and spend some more time on step two.

Eventually as your rabbit stretches they will get desperate enough for the treat to decide to hop up onto your lap all the way. When this happens, you want to immediately give them their treat. This way, they’ll learn why you’re giving to them.

In most cases, the rabbit will hop off your lap right away after this. Take the chance to lure your rabbit again until they hop up for the treat. With this repetition, your rabbit will eventually learn that hopping on your lap will get them a treat.

It’s important to remember that once your rabbit is on your lap you should never hold them or trap them there. That is how you would ensure your rabbit never hops up on your lap again. They’ll start to believe that laps are dangerous and will avoid yours so they can avoid being held. If your rabbit wants to leave, you need to let them leave so they can learn how to trust you.

STEP FOUR: If you want your rabbit to become a lap rabbit, you’ll need to teach them how to calm down once they hop on your lap. The treats that you use to lure your rabbits and train them to get into your lap make them excited, so they are not going to want to stay in one place. To teach them to calm down, you’ll need to start petting them.

As I mentioned earlier, not all rabbit personalities will be willing to sit on your lap. If your rabbit decides they do not want to be a lap rabbit, then that’s okay and you should respect their boundaries. Welcome them with treats and petting if they hop on your lap, but don’t force them to stay.

Some rabbits will also be unwilling to stay in your lap when you are sitting on the floor, but you can try to lure them into sitting on your lap on a chair or sofa to see if they want to sit with a while up on one of these places.

NOTE: Rabbits are meticulously clean animals and are easy to house break and train. Much like a dog, a pet rabbit can be taught to come to his/her name, sit in your lap, and do simple tricks. Happy rabbits practice a cute behavior known as a “Binky:” they jump up in the air and twist and spin around!