My rabbit chinned my friend but he has never done it to me
- Thread starter Coco125
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Mileybun
Well-Known Member
I'm sorry you're struggling!
Honestly, rabbits don't think like that. Remember, they are prey animals, and can take time to warm up to you.
Chinning simply means they are marking you with the scent gland under their chin. Your bunny is telling your friend "you belong to me!"
Perhaps he or she isn't chinning you simply because he sees you as a companion, on an equal footing as it were.
Can you tell us a bit more about your bunny?
How long have you had him or her?
What are bunny's living arrangements?
Honestly, rabbits don't think like that. Remember, they are prey animals, and can take time to warm up to you.
Chinning simply means they are marking you with the scent gland under their chin. Your bunny is telling your friend "you belong to me!"
Perhaps he or she isn't chinning you simply because he sees you as a companion, on an equal footing as it were.
Can you tell us a bit more about your bunny?
How long have you had him or her?
What are bunny's living arrangements?
A rabbit chinning someone doesn't mean they like that person better than another person. It has very little to do with a rabbit feeling affection. Like Mileybun said, rabbits don't think like that. They think more in terms of hierarchy, trust, territory, safety.
Chinning is all about marking territory and hierarchy. Because your rabbit doesn't chin you, it can mean your rabbit sees you as the boss, which is a good thing and the preferred hierarchy to have as a rabbit carer. In terms of rabbit body language, it can be better that a rabbit doesn't chin you, but instead respects you as 'top bun'.
Chinning can also be about getting their scent on something they want to come back to or remember, to establish as being safe, or to mark something as their territory. So it could be your rabbit already knows your scent well enough and knows you're safe, but is marking your friend as someone to remember as being safe too.
Rabbit body language and hierarchy can be complex. There can be more than one meaning behind something, such as a rabbit thumping. It doesn't always mean danger. It depends on all of the other cues the rabbit is showing while thumping, to understand the whole context of the thump.
The same applies to chinning. There is more than one meaning behind a rabbit chinning, and rarely does it have to do with affection. There are many subtle cues when it comes to rabbit body language, that we usually miss and so can misunderstand what it is our rabbits are actually attempting to communicate with us.
Chinning is all about marking territory and hierarchy. Because your rabbit doesn't chin you, it can mean your rabbit sees you as the boss, which is a good thing and the preferred hierarchy to have as a rabbit carer. In terms of rabbit body language, it can be better that a rabbit doesn't chin you, but instead respects you as 'top bun'.
Chinning can also be about getting their scent on something they want to come back to or remember, to establish as being safe, or to mark something as their territory. So it could be your rabbit already knows your scent well enough and knows you're safe, but is marking your friend as someone to remember as being safe too.
Rabbit body language and hierarchy can be complex. There can be more than one meaning behind something, such as a rabbit thumping. It doesn't always mean danger. It depends on all of the other cues the rabbit is showing while thumping, to understand the whole context of the thump.
The same applies to chinning. There is more than one meaning behind a rabbit chinning, and rarely does it have to do with affection. There are many subtle cues when it comes to rabbit body language, that we usually miss and so can misunderstand what it is our rabbits are actually attempting to communicate with us.
Wow! Now there’s a handful to think about! I had never even heard about “chinning”! But so very interesting!
I am so happy I belong to this forum! So many talented people helping us as we walk through these things with our precious buns! So much knowledge and care and time they give us. Dear Coco, I hope this has helped you understand a little bit more of this wonderful life with our buns. Hugs
I am so happy I belong to this forum! So many talented people helping us as we walk through these things with our precious buns! So much knowledge and care and time they give us. Dear Coco, I hope this has helped you understand a little bit more of this wonderful life with our buns. Hugs
Sorry she said to me "how does it feel like when your rabbit likes me more than you" i was just really mad but i has my rabbit for
Sorry she said "how does it feel like that your rabbit likes me more than you" i just got really angry and for information i kept my rabbit for almost 4 months, he free roams my whole room with a big litter box spot with hay and some time ago he flopped right beside me and came to me alot for pets, attention and food but now he just comes to me if he wants food and always lays down on the side of my bed he also hates being picked up but i only pick him up when i have to i dont know what suddenly happened to our bond
Sorry about that extra on the top it was a accident
Mileybun
Well-Known Member
I would just ignore your friend - they don't seem to understand rabbit body language very well 
It sounds to me like your rabbit is comfortable around you which is great!
Not many rabbits at all like being picked up! As a prey animal they don't like having their feet off the ground so don't worry about that.
It sounds to me like your rabbit is comfortable around you which is great!
Not many rabbits at all like being picked up! As a prey animal they don't like having their feet off the ground so don't worry about that.
I am no expert as so many of these wonderful people are who are responding to you but I think some of us, me included, don’t understand these precious buns of ours! Rabbits are not dogs or cats! I think we understand them better and how and why they act a certain way. They want to please their owners and we seem to be able to communicate with them easier. They seem to, much of the time, understand what we are talking about.
well then, there’s my bun, Minx! I often don’t know what she wants or is trying to communicate and she most often has no idea of what I’m talking about! But we hang in there and we bond as much as we can and I think she knows a little how much I love her and she loves all the hugs and cuddles and pets I can give her. They are different than most other “pets” but I love her and love to spend time with her and I believe we are both very happy with each other!
Don’t give up on Coco. Don’t give up on yourself!!! Keep doing what you are doing and enjoy all you can give to him and all Coco can give to you! It’s so worth the effort!
im here cheering you both on!
well then, there’s my bun, Minx! I often don’t know what she wants or is trying to communicate and she most often has no idea of what I’m talking about! But we hang in there and we bond as much as we can and I think she knows a little how much I love her and she loves all the hugs and cuddles and pets I can give her. They are different than most other “pets” but I love her and love to spend time with her and I believe we are both very happy with each other!
Don’t give up on Coco. Don’t give up on yourself!!! Keep doing what you are doing and enjoy all you can give to him and all Coco can give to you! It’s so worth the effort!
im here cheering you both on!
Lokin4AReason
R.I.P Little man ....
In other words , have a beer or a glass of wine
And enjoy one another(s) company
But i bet , bun will take advantage of the circumstance
As in wanting pet(s) and rub(s) . . . .
It ll give the time for you two study or interact with each other
Thats what happened with my two , i feel like i am being supervised with the tv remote . Rough in picking a show at what they like .
And enjoy one another(s) company
But i bet , bun will take advantage of the circumstance
As in wanting pet(s) and rub(s) . . . .
It ll give the time for you two study or interact with each other
Thats what happened with my two , i feel like i am being supervised with the tv remote . Rough in picking a show at what they like .
Sorry -but that's a really obnoxious thing to say. A total put down and not at all true.
Is this person a competitive type? I used to have a 'friend' who was really passive-aggressive and every time I saw her I would spend the entire next day seething. Now I try to stick with people who make me feel good. And I avoid people who make me feel bad like the plague!
Simple thing, but it makes a huge difference in your life.
(I'm sure the other person means well, but definitely don't drink alcohol if you're underage -- that was advice for an adult --and especially not if you feel depressed at any age!)
Let's make the mood brighter. It's not a bad thing if the little one chins someone. In fact, it's their way of marking their territory without peeing on it. Xiao Wu chins my finger when I try to pet her through the barrier that separates her from Loki and Erlong. Every time I go to the living room and kitchen, Rexy runs up, honks while circling my feet, and begins chinning my legs. He does this to everyone whom he claims as his. I will jokingly say, "Mine. Mine. Mine." Each time he chins something. Did that when I used to have Shen, too.
As Overhear has said, the "How does it feel like when your rabbit likes me more than you" is definitely obnoxious and I see it as rude.
Your rabbit is more or less saying, "You don't smell like my property. Mine." Because you're around your bunny all the time, his scent is all over you and he doesn't feel the need to keep doing it. He'll likely do it again sometime later, just to renew his scent on you. It's not about whether he likes you, your dad, or your friend more. It's more about him saying that they don't smell like they belong to him and so he's marking them as his. Like dogs do with trees, minus the urine.
Rabbits have a wide variety of personalities and behaviors. They tend to get a little curious when they are comfortable enough and chin things when they notice it does not have their scent on it.
As Overhear has said, the "How does it feel like when your rabbit likes me more than you" is definitely obnoxious and I see it as rude.
Your rabbit is more or less saying, "You don't smell like my property. Mine." Because you're around your bunny all the time, his scent is all over you and he doesn't feel the need to keep doing it. He'll likely do it again sometime later, just to renew his scent on you. It's not about whether he likes you, your dad, or your friend more. It's more about him saying that they don't smell like they belong to him and so he's marking them as his. Like dogs do with trees, minus the urine.
Rabbits have a wide variety of personalities and behaviors. They tend to get a little curious when they are comfortable enough and chin things when they notice it does not have their scent on it.
yep, rabbits chinning something is more often than not just there way of letting other rabbits know that this area or thing belongs to them, and like a lot of animals out in nature that mark their territory it is just a way of letting themselves and other animals know that this is now home ground. Just because your bun doesn't chin you, doesn't mean they dislike. It just means they recognise you already as familiar and part of their home and life. My Bun has never chinned me, because her scent is already on my clothes and hands and my voice and presence is familiar to her, so she doesn't need to, but anything new I put in her pen, she will always chin it.
So your bun obviously recognises ur friend and is comfortable, but now your Bun is just saying you are mine and in my territory. But your Bun already knows you and loves you and can already smell its scent on you, so it doesn't need to claim you. So don't be too stressed and worried about the chinning.
Like artistchibi said, Buns can also be curious about things that don't have their scent, but are comfortable with, and when they realize it doesn't have their scent they will chin it. I know a Bun once that chinned everything in their pen, they just went around sniffing everything moveing things, and chinning, and they didn't do this again for another few months, and then they repeated this action all over again. Sometimes Buns will just do this if they think their scent isn't strong enough. Its just a natural territory action they take.
So your bun obviously recognises ur friend and is comfortable, but now your Bun is just saying you are mine and in my territory. But your Bun already knows you and loves you and can already smell its scent on you, so it doesn't need to claim you. So don't be too stressed and worried about the chinning.
Like artistchibi said, Buns can also be curious about things that don't have their scent, but are comfortable with, and when they realize it doesn't have their scent they will chin it. I know a Bun once that chinned everything in their pen, they just went around sniffing everything moveing things, and chinning, and they didn't do this again for another few months, and then they repeated this action all over again. Sometimes Buns will just do this if they think their scent isn't strong enough. Its just a natural territory action they take.
