calmolly1 has something there. In fact if your BP is striking it shows just how uncomfortable it is. A good way to handle your animal is to start by forcing it into the balled up position. This starts the animal out in a comfortable safe feeling position.

Then just hold it for a while, it will eventually open up and start looking around and exploring. At some point it may start doing something that I call running, the anywhere but here kind of behavior. This is the point that I think they have had enough and if it gets to this point, do everything I can to get them back.