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rob boysen

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I own a flop eared almost 2year oldfemale namedBonnie. She is farand away the best, without a doubt, pet I've ever had and I have had alot of them. Dogs ,Cats, Mice, heck even had a goat once, but good oldBonnie outdistances them ALL by a wide margin. She's healthy,quiet, clean, and very affectionate, to me at least. When Ihave company she pretty much hunkers down in her cage.

To cut to the chase, I have 2 questions-

1.What does it signify when she rolls on herback,as if she was a dog waiting to get his/her beely rubbed,which on rare occasions she'll let me do.She SEEMS content.(On a few occasions she's stayin in that position for 3 or 4minutes.) But I'm no Amazing Kreskin so any input that youmay have would be appreciated.

2.Last year was her first spring.Since I worked nights, I would leave my windows open for her so shecould get some fresh air. Well, she became EXTERMELYamorous. She would hop into my lap, (something which hadNEVER occured before) put her forepaws on my chest, and lick myforhead, arms, and if I was wearing shorts, my legs as well.One day, as I was doing my workout, I was doing crunches, my legs wereup on the couch and the rest of me lay flat on the floor then I heardthe 'oinks' and felt her nibble my ear. My guess on why shewas acting the way that she was, is that it was the fragerance thevarious trees were sending out that caught her attention to being Mrs.Lovey Dovey. She was not too hot, because at all times duringthe summer I had a fan blowing into her cage and a frozen bottle ofwater in her cage. Well, the same thing is happening thisyear as well, albeit not with the same intensity as lastyear....yet. I don't mind because she's my buddy, a littlefurry 4 legged sister that I never had. This attitudeadjustmentlasted until around the beginning of August andthen began to taper of gradually. By the end of October allwas normal. Is it the smells they smell that set them offlike that?
 
Hi Rob Boysen,

You bring up some very interesting points. I strongly suggestyou check out the following website on The Language ofLagomorphs. It's excellent and the best website I've found onthe subject to date:http://www.muridae.com/rabbits/rabbittalk.html

There are some people that claim animals do suffer from seasonaldisorder. Perhaps your little one truly is reacting to thesun being out longer, the smell and feel of the springbreeze. It certainly has an effect on me, why not on theanimals as well? The world becomes colorful and full of lifeagain.

The other thing I wonder is if you yourself feel lighter and more freein spirit in the Springtime and she's reacting to your moods.Our animals definitely are affected by our stress levels andmoods. I'm no Amazing Kreskin either, but I would take aguess that it's a little bit of all of it mixed up.

She sounds as if she's completely at ease with you and trusts you witheverything. The rolling on the back is clearly a sign ofcomplete relaxation. What a baby!! I would saythat if she seems content, she is content. That's so funnythat she wants her belly rubbed. It sounds as if she doesn'trealize she's a rabbit. The licking you is a sign of purelove from a rabbit. It's not surprising to me that she's likethis only with you. Many rabbits do seem to gravitate towardsone person and that personbecomes the Fairest of them All.

What an excellent relationship you have with her, and what a veryspecial bunny. She's crazy in love with you. You'reone lucky man to have a rabbit love you like that.Enjoy every minute of it.


-Carolyn



 
Carolyn wrote:
The licking you is a sign of pure love from arabbit. It's not surprising to me that she's like this onlywith you. Many rabbits do seem to gravitate towards oneperson and that personbecomes the Fairest of them All.
*sigh* sorry i have another ? My bun was licking allof us lastnight me my daughters even her pj's!!! Has anyone seen them iwanna say salt licks for bunnies....they attach in there cage ormineral licks...does anyone use them? I know my dog loves to lick myhubby's arm im thinking it has something to do w/ the salt on hisbody.
 
I give my bunnies salt licks and mineral licks. Inever thought that they might lick you because of the salt, but nowthat you bring it up, that might be one reason! My bunnies love saltythings, on occasion they will lick my skin, but more often then not,they lick my clothes when I am petting them. A sure sign they areenjoying a good scratch!

Laura
 
Good Question NewMommieof4,?

I was convinced that my rabbit was licking me for the salt from myhand, but the only thing that didn't add up is that he had a salt ringand he'd not lick that.? Also, I couldn't figure out why he would onlylick me and not everyone that was loving and kind to him.? Tucker'sactually never licked anyone but me, and if it was the taste of salt onmy skin, I'd think that anyone would do.? I'm not saying that thisshould be ruled out, just passing along thoughts.? He licks thefurniture before he'll lick another person.

Grooming is also a way that rabbits establish dominance with the subordinate licking the 'high-ranking rabbit.'?

I've noticed that the times when I get the most licks from my rabbit iswhen it's quiet and I'm saying good night to him or if I stop pettinghim and he want's to continue with the affection or get my attention.?He doesn't lick me all the time, just during our mellow-out, quiet-timetogether.?

-Carolyn
 

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