Free ranging

I'd really like to let Molly and Archie free-range sometimes (supervised) My garden is fully enclosed. I know I need to make sure they trust me enough to come back but I don't really know how to teach them or get them to come back. I was considering using a harness and lead for a little while to get them used to it but I know they aren't very good so I don't know what to do.

I use the sound of clicking ... they got used to this in the house first and I would give them love or a treat for them to understand they need to come to me when I make the sound... When they then go in the garden and run round if I make the clicking nose they know to come in/to me ... it usually works very well , only ocassionally Pumpkin is naughty and does a little run round first....

Prior to training them with clicking I used a red broom , I would walk round with it like herding sheep into a pen ..... the broom never touches the buns... If they see the broom in the garden they just associate it with going in and run in straight away... I cant remeber the last time I used this method.

Dawn

Some of my buns are easily caught with the sound of pellets being put into the bowl, the more trickier ones I have to use a barrier and herd them into a corner so I can catch them. Putting your hand gently over their head before picking them up helps to keep them calm

Josephine usually goes back inside after a while (her Highness prefers being inside). Bruce I make the sound I do for treats, and he comes running in to eat the treats, and I close the door behind him.

If Bruce is really bad though, he sometimes needs some fielding. He usually gets the hint and goes inside.

Harnesses and leads are fine as long as they don't freak out the bunny. You could always try it on your two and see how they take to it - if they calm down after the initial "what is this" then you can use the harness without concern

Thank you Every day I shake the box of pellets before I feed them and they run to their food bowl. I think I'm going to get a harness and lead and try it. If they don't like it I'll take it off

I used a harness with Felix when he was on his own but only used it a few times. He got quite panicky and tried to run. I wouldn't recommend using one as it does tend to freak them out. What you could do is give them an area to run in and as they get used to the 'going to bed' noise make the space bigger as they get compliant.

I'd be careful of a harness too, there are some buns who just don't seem to mind it (chewy ) but if they are spooked they can leg it quickly, and the harness can become dangerous.

Deffo use either clicking, or just use the pellet box method. One thing you can do with that is get them used to their names. Stand near them and have a couple of pellets in your hand. Say 'Molly - Archie' and if they look up, shake the box and give them a pellet. Keep with it, walk a bit further away, say names again, and when they come to you, shake and reward. Once they're used to that, add in 'Come' and when they do, shake and reward. This way they'll know that when you call them there's something in it for them. You can make the reward little nibbles of veges or herbs too, doesn't have to be the pellets, it's just the noise association.

For the first few days, spend 20 mins or so doing it, when they've really got it, you still need to do it every day, but just a couple of times. It's the same principal with the clicker, but a different noise that's all

This is excellent advice (above).

I would worry that if they are on a harness its not really "free ranging" and I would worry about leaving them incase they got tangled or frightened.