Rabbit Ears: Are You Treating Your Rabbit’s Ears Right?

We always see magicians pulling rabbits out of hats by their ears, and the long ears seem like such obvious handles for grabbing a bunny. However, rabbits’ ears are actually very sensitive, delicate appendages that should never be used to life the animal. They are not to be used to lifting your rabbit up no matter what the circumstance is.

If you take a closer look at a rabbit’s ear, you will see how thin and capillary-lined the skin is. The dedicate skin, which tears easily, is to help the rabbit cool down on hot days. So don’t even think about scrunching up those delicate membranes in your fist!

A rabbit’s ears are not sufficient to support its substantial body weight, unlike a cat’s or puppy’s scruff (the loose skin at the base of the back of the neck).

The correct way to carry a rabbit is to put one hand securely just under and behind the rabbit’s front legs (but not too low down over the stomach), and then scoop the bunny up with your other hand supporting its bum or hindquarters. Hold firmly, because rabbits can be squirmy.

It doesn’t matter how often you see others grabbing a rabbit’s ears; just don’t do it yourself—except in a real emergency when you must save your bunny from danger, and the only things you can reach are the long ears!