I threw blankets over them and then gently lifted them up. Punishment free. Same goes for the flying parakeets I had.

They say you should never force a rabbit into his cage, especially if you are litter box training him in there. HAve you found something he really likes? a little nibble of something? A Toy? The trick is to find something they like even more than freedom. You could try placing that in the cage and see if he goes in after it. And don't just slam the door shut. DO it slowly. Then he will learn that going back to his cage gives him a reward. Rules for his cage, to make him feel like his cage is HIS territory and he is king of it: 1. Do not do things to his cage that he doesn't like, or things to him that he doesn't like while he's in the cage. 2. Don't reach into the cage to take him out; open the door and let him come out if and when HE wants to come; 3. Don't catch him and put him back in the cage or it will be his prison, not his home. Herd him back gently, and let him choose to go in to get away from you (I walk behind my buns, clap my hands, and say "bedtime." They know that I'll not stop harassing them with this until they go into their cage, so they run in except when they feel they haven't gotten their fair share of time outside the cage.) 4. It's a bit like a child going home and closing the door, because someone is calling her names. They may make the playground an unpleasant place for her, but they can't bother her in her own home. 5. If the rabbit has been snuggling with you, it's okay to carry him to the door of the cage and let him go in--just don't put him directly into the cage, and never chase and trap him and put him in the cage. 6. Don't reach into the cage to get food dishes--anchor them near the door of the cage so they can be filled with a minimum of trespassing into the cage, or wait until the rabbit is out to fill them. 7. Don't clean the cage while the rabbit is in it--wait until he comes out. He'll come over and supervise you, even help you move things around that you've set down outside the cage, but as long as he isn't in the cage, he won't see your cleaning as an invasion of his territory.