Petting my bunny

[LazerFace]

Hi!
i was wondering where bunnies like to be pet. my bunny lets me pet him on his back and head but i dont know how much he enjoys it... but he does love cuddeling up on my lap! I guess i just want to know if there are any places your bunnies like being pet?

 

[mallowford5]

my bunny wants it on her head. she enjoys it so much. :wiggle

 

[Aki]

She enjoys being petted on her head because being groomed on the head is the way the top rabbit is greeted by her minions. You are comforting her in her perceived superiority so she sure likes it - my doe likes it as well ^^. So yeah, rabbits generally like to be petted on their head. For the rest, I guess that depends on the rabbit. Rabbits aren't really cuddly, in general, but there are exceptions and most tolerate being petted a bit if you do it while they have their feet planted on the ground.

 

[Nancy McClelland]

I rub the head and the jaw at the same time--almost immediate teeth-purring (grinding). Some like being rubbed all over and some take great exception to any area other than the head and jaw. Varies from one to the next. We had a Checkered Giant and a Dutch, both girls, that would sit on your lap for hours if you were rubbing them.

 

[mark]

Our bun loves to be petted on his head - from his nose up to between the ears - and his cheeks/jaw. Yeah we feel the grinding too Nancy, when we massage his jaw. As a longtime nocturnal teeth-grinder myself, I can sympathize!

 

[Whiterabbitrage]

Head pets, gentle cheek scratchs, gentle ear stroking and nose rubbing. Those are Harvey's favorites!

 

[Baracuda56]

"Rosie" loves being petting on top of the head between the ears then ears lightly stroked and a light stroke down the back but sometimes when she lays on my lap upside down she likes her belly rubbed.

"Cookie" our rescue on the other hand is still getting use to all this attention that she never had befour, right now she likes the top of head stroked ears stroked and light pet down the back so far.

 

[Skavatar]

Princess Leia prefers to be petted on the head too.

 

[Baracuda56]

Our newest addition Conti "Queen Sheba" likes being petted down her back across her ears her head and light petting on the top sides of her belly. Shes very friendly and lovable and wants lots of attention.

 

[Liung]

The underside of the chin is a big no-no; there's scent glands there that they use to mark their possessions, so touching their chins is like trying to force them to declare their love for you—how RUDE!!

Most buns I find love their foreheads stroked/scratched and their cheeks stroked/rubbed. If you get your hand so that your nails point down their head toward their nose, you can get both at once! Thumb on one cheek, index and middle on the forehead, ring finger on the other cheek.

View attachment ImageUploadedByRabbit Forum1508781627.606125.jpg

Delilah loves when I do long full-face strokes.

She also loves having the base of her ears scratched, being a lop, but afterwards she goes into a frenzy of shaking her head and scratching at her ears, which makes me worried about aural hematoma or some similarly dire problem. Delilah, you have too few wits about you already to scramble them more by such vigorous shaking!

 

[Liung]

Also, remember to respect that sometimes they're just not in the mood. Lahi doesn't like being pet, period, at all. Any touching must happen on his terms or not at all! And he really gets upset when people try to touch him anyway.

Delilah is a huge sucker for petting but when it's time to explore, she's not open to petting. It's not always easy to tell when she comes over if she wants to be pet or just to climb all over me, but I usually give her forehead a swipe, and judge if she loafs or ducks my hand. I'M BUSY MUM PETTING LATER PLZ!!