Petting

[picklezon]

does anyone know where rabbits like to be petted most?

 

[Spring]

My girls love their forheads rubbed and just their backs pet. Pepsi also loves her sides to b rubbed and Pebbles likes her ears to be rubbed.

 

[naturestee]

My three that allow petting like to be stroked from their nose up to their ears. Mocha and Loki also like to have the joints of their jaws rubbed. Loki and Fey love being petted from nose to tail.

And my more shy bun Sprite sometimes lets me stroke her nose, but petting her back tends to scare her less. She's afraid of hands because of bad experiences.

 

[picklezon]

how do you know if they dont like being petted?

 

[Spring]

They'll usually run away. Or they'll bite. They have very good ways to show they don't like something, so you'll know . Most do though.

 

[naturestee]

Sprite is very vocal when she doesn't want to be petted. She grunts, growls, bats, lunges, etc depending on her mood. She's more extreme though. My other buns will back away or just plain leave if they don't want to be petted.

Often times, a rabbit that wants to be petted will put his nose down. It's not submission, it's a demand to be groomed more. Some rabbits will also tooth purr- click their teeth together with pleasure. Also if you stop but leave your hand nearby, a rabbit that wants more petting will move forward and nudge your hand or present himself for petting by putting his nose down in front of your hand.

Have you seen this site yet? It will help you understand your rabbit's body language:
http://www.muridae.com/rabbits/rabbittalk.html

 

[brandy563]

Cairo likes her cheeks to be petted, she likes it best when i pet both sides at the same time so her head slightly goes side to side. when she's done being petted she'll start cleaning herself or run and play, but when she wants more petting she'll just stay right where she was and just stare at me :dutch

 

[picklezon]

thank you.. my new bunny Copper, whos a mini rex, is being tamed very quickly. This is the 4th day ive had him, and he's already hoping on me when im laying down, and sometimes will lay by me. When i pet him, he sometimes "purrs" then all the sudden he'll want me to stop or something and move my hand away, maybe bite softly, or hop away. So he confuses me, he acts like he likes being petted sometimes, then doesnt other times.

This morning though when i gave him hay he licked me.. he's soo cute. Once i get pictures back ill post them.

 

[naturestee]

Well, he is a baby. He probably wants to be petted for a little while and then wants to go play. Mocha doesn't usually sit for long petting sessions either. A few strokes and cheek rubs and then she's gone. She sits more now then she did when she was a baby though, barring the few weeks between ultra-hormonal-puberty-bun (her "everybody is my mate phase":shock and her spay.

 

[picklezon]

thank you all very much!

 

[picklezon]

actaully i have another question... its about my rabbits cage.. it has metal floor, and my mom didnt want it to be on a metal floor, she was afraid itd get cold, so i put cloth on it, but that dirtys up real fast. is it ok for it to just be on a metal floor, or should i do something else?

 

[Spring]

The only real problem with metal floors is if they are on them for too long they can get something called sore hock on the back of their feet from sitting on the uncomfortable metal. Are you putting the blanket where he goes to the bathroom? Maybe try moving it around? You should have some place where your bun can get off the metal to be on a solid surface.

 

[bunnydude]

You have a couple options. First, you could cover the floor with some sort of litter/bedding materials. You could also cut something like linoleum to size and place it in the cage.

BTW, you mean solid metal, right? Or do you mean a metal wire flooring?

 

[picklezon]

well its not wire floor, its solid, but metal, i have a cloth covering the whole floor right now, and i have a velvet little blanket in there, and another felt blanket.

 

[picklezon]

its like that floor.

 

[Spring]

You could try to put newspaper maybe? Then she can shred it and if she pees on it you can easily get rid of it. Maybe put a few layers?

Also, make sur ethe cage isn't in the sun because metal is a good conducter of heat so can get pretty hot at times.

 

[picklezon]

he's indoor in airconditioning so im not too worried about it getting too hot.ill prolly put some newspaper in it.. but im afraid he'll make the cage very messy by tearing it up.

 

[Spring]

Oh ok. Don't worry if he makes a mess. Newspaper iseasy to clean up, and even if he does make a mess fro me it takes maybe 30 seconds to pick up and clean up after a bad 'newspaper destroying' frenze. I have newspaper in my Pebbles' cage, and she loves to tear it up and dig in it. She has so much fun too .

 

[picklezon]

thanks for your help, ill try that!

 

[JimD]

You can also try grass mats.

or

Some members use "resting boards" to provide a place for the rabbit to get off of the wire flooring. This can be as simple as a piece of cardboard (no tape, staples, glues or chemicals!), or a ceramic tile, piece of plain drywall, or a piece of unfinished, untreated wood.

Keep in mind that whatever you use, you will need to keep it clean or replace it when it becomes soiled.

~Jim