How to pick up and hold a rabbit safely

To pick up a rabbit, kneel beside it, slide one hand under the chest and the other under the hindquarters, and lift it straight against your body. Never let the back legs dangle. A rabbit's bones are only about 8% of its body weight, so a hard kick from an unsupported back end can break its spine.

Written by Justin Alcalde, AHA and American Red Cross instructor, CPR West Covina · Reviewed September 27, 2026

Read the video transcript

How to pick up a rabbit. Step 1. One hand under the chest, one under the hindquarters. Step 2. Hold it close, all four feet against your body. Step 3. Squat low and set it down facing you.

One hand under the chest, one under the hindquarters.
Hold it close, all four feet against your body.
Squat low and set it down facing you.

Can you hurt a rabbit by picking it up?

Yes, if its back end is not supported. A rabbit is built light but kicks hard. Its bones make up only about 8% of its body weight, against 12 to 13% in a cat, vet Natalie Antinoff notes in dvm360.

With nothing under its feet, a kicking rabbit can swing its back legs through a full half circle, a veterinary technician explained in dvm360. That swing is where the back can dislocate or break.

VCA warns that a rabbit lifted without one hand under the chest and the other under the hindquarters can kick hard enough to break its back and become paralyzed. Merck lists a broken lower back as common in pet rabbits.

So lift only when you need to: a vet trip, medicine, a health check, or to move it out of danger. Most rabbits would rather keep their feet on the ground, House Rabbit Society notes, and link being lifted with being caught by a predator.

How do I pick up a rabbit safely?

Get down to its level
Kneel or sit on the floor, moving slowly and talking softly.
Steady it from the side
Settle beside it, not above it, with a hand over its shoulders.
Hand under the chest
Slide that hand in behind the front legs, a finger or two between them.
Other hand under the hindquarters
Let the hind feet rest flat in your palm or between your fingers.
Scoop it to your chest
One smooth lift, straight in, so it spends little time in the air.
Hold it close
Keep all four feet against your body, held firm but never squeezed.
Squat to set it down
Lower it to the floor still in your grip, facing you.

Work over a rug or carpet. Lifting near the floor means a slip is only a short drop, the RSPCA points out. Setting the rabbit down facing you helps stop a leap for freedom, Holly O'Meara writes in the House Rabbit Journal.

How should I hold a rabbit?

Keep it snug against your chest, its weight along your forearm and your other hand under the rump. The University of Bristol vet school tucks the head into the crook of the elbow. Covering the eyes this way can relax a rabbit, the RSPCA notes, as long as the nostrils stay clear.

Hold firmly without squeezing. The Rabbit Welfare Association warns that rabbit bones snap easily and the organs are easily damaged.

If it kicks, do not let go in midair. Hug it in and use your body as a splint, in O'Meara's words, then squat and let it go on the floor. Merck advises carefully releasing a struggling rabbit rather than fighting it.

Can you pick up a rabbit by the ears or the scruff?

No to the ears. Lifting by the ears can cause pain and damage the ear cartilage, dvm360 notes, and the RSPCA calls it highly likely to injure. FOUR PAWS adds legs, neck and tail to the list.

No to the scruff at home, too. PetMD's vet author says not to, even with the bottom supported, and the Rabbit Welfare Association does not recommend it. Some vets hold the scruff while taking the weight underneath, yet Bristol's vet school still says to avoid it unless absolutely necessary.

How do I wrap a rabbit in a towel?

A towel wrap, or bunny burrito, holds a rabbit still for a look at its face, or for medicine and syringe feeds your vet has prescribed. House Rabbit Society and the Bristol vet school both teach it.

Spread a towel flat
Lay it on the floor, so a wriggle cannot become a fall.
Sit the rabbit in the middle
Long ends at its sides. Face it toward you if it wriggles.
Fold the first side over
Bring one side over its back and tuck it under the belly.
Fold the second side over
Repeat from the other side, front feet tucked inside the folds.
Leave the head out
Only the head shows. Ears and nose stay uncovered.
Snug, not tight
A wrap pulled too tight can make breathing harder.

The ears matter: rabbits shed heat through them and can overheat fast with their ears under a towel, dvm360 reports. For liquid medicine, House Rabbit Society suggests holding the wrapped rabbit against you. Slip the syringe into the side of the mouth, in the gap between the front teeth and back molars.

Is it OK to trance a rabbit or hold it on its back?

No. A rabbit turned onto its back may go still and look relaxed, which is why many owners think it enjoys it. The RSPCA explains that the rabbit is playing dead, the way it would if a predator caught it.

In a small 2006 study of six rabbits, McBride and colleagues found that heart rate, breathing and the stress hormone corticosterone all rose after trancing. The RSPCA adds that a rabbit on its back stays alert, waiting for a chance to escape.

The Bristol vet school tells students to avoid it wherever possible, and Merck says the position should not be used for grooming or exams. Vets may still use it for an x-ray when it spares a rabbit sedation, the RSPCA notes. At home, trim nails and give medicine with your rabbit upright or wrapped.

Can children hold a rabbit?

Older children can, sitting on the floor with an adult. PetMD advises that children under 7 should not hold a rabbit, and VCA wants an adult supervising any handling. A frightened rabbit may kick and struggle, House Rabbit Society notes, hurting itself or the child.

Sit down with the child in your lap and guide their hands under the chest and rump of a rabbit already used to handling. Younger children can stroke it gently where it sits.

How do I handle a rabbit that is scared or hurt?

Situation	What to do	Watch out for
Struggling in your arms	Hug it firmly to your body, squat, and release it on the floor	Letting go in midair, or wrestling
Frightened or nipping	Drape a towel over it, then lift it inside the towel with the same two-hand hold	Covering the nose
Possible back injury	Keep it still. Slide a flat board, tray or stiff cardboard under it, and carry that	Twisting or stretching its back
Into a carrier	Top door: back end first, facing you. Front door: bottom first, or let it hop in	Pushing it in head first
Out of a side door carrier	Turn it so its tail faces the door, then guide the hind end out	A cornered rabbit may brace or lunge
After a fall or drop	If it cannot walk normally, treat it as a back injury. If it can, call your vet and keep watching	Weak back legs, tooth grinding, hiding

From the University of Bristol vet school, House Rabbit Society, the House Rabbit Journal, MediRabbit and Merck.

What should I do if I dropped my rabbit?

Watch it closely after any fall, and ring your vet for advice even if it hops off normally. A rabbit can look fine at first, and House Rabbit Society calls rabbits experts at hiding pain.

Merck lists weak or paralyzed back legs as signs of a broken back, along with leaking urine or droppings. House Rabbit Society adds limping, hiding, and loud tooth grinding, which can signal pain.

Check the food bowl and litter box too, since stress can put a rabbit off its food. If it stops eating or pooping, turn to the rabbit GI stasis guide. A sudden tilt of the head or loss of balance needs a vet as well; see head tilt.

Get to the vet now if

After a fall, a hard kick or a struggle, your rabbit drags or cannot use its back legs, leaks urine or droppings, screams, or grinds its teeth loudly. The same goes for a head tilt, lost balance, no eating or pooping, or a rabbit that will not respond.

Rabbits are best seen by an exotics vet, meaning a rabbit-savvy clinic that treats them often. Call before you set off so staff know a back injury is possible. Before the next vet trip, put PetAid on your phone as well: our iPhone app covers rabbit first aid, not just cats and dogs.

Keep the steps on your phone

PetAid for iPhone, for dogs, cats, rabbits, birds, fish and reptiles. Free on the App Store.

Get PetAid

Questions people ask

My rabbit used to let me hold it. Why does it fight me now?

Pain is one possibility. PetMD notes that arthritis, back pain, a bladder infection or a breathing problem can make being held hurt. If the change is sudden, book a vet check rather than pushing on with lifts.

Can a rabbit recover from a back injury?

Some do, depending on the damage, which only a vet can judge. Merck says early paralysis may ease within 3 to 5 days as swelling around the spinal cord goes down. With hospital care and intensive nursing, some paralyzed rabbits gradually walk and hop again over about 3 months.

How should my rabbit ride to the vet?

In a hard top carrier about 2 to 3 times its size, buckled in with a seat belt and lined with a blanket, House Rabbit Society suggests. Keep the car between 50 and 75 degrees F.

My rabbit runs whenever I reach for it. How do I get it used to lifting?

Do not grab at it, O'Meara advises: follow calmly, wait until it stops, and start again. PetMD suggests getting it used to touch under the chest, belly and back legs first, then short lifts into your lap. A treat after each one helps.

More pet first aid

This is first aid, not veterinary care. Get to a vet or an emergency animal hospital as soon as the steps are done.

Sources