Should you avoid touching your rabbit's ears? Contrary to popular belief, most rabbits don't have very sensitive ears. While most rabbits aren't necessarily going to enjoy an ear massage, they don't mind when their ears are touched either. It's a neutral area for rabbits.
Hold rabbits gently but firmly - ensure one hand supports their back and hindquarters at all times. Help them feel secure by holding all four feet against your body. Never pick rabbits up by their ears - this would be extremely stressful and is highly likely to injure them.
Bunny Sweet Spots
The nose, face, cheeks, and ears seem like safe areas to try. Under the chin might or might not be a problem area, depending on the rabbit. The back is likely safe. The belly, feet, and rear end seem like no-go areas.
Most rabbits love to be cuddled and stroked when approached in the right way. Few like being held or carried as being so high up from the ground makes them feel insecure, however, many will happily sit on your lap or snuggle up next to you for a cuddle.
Do rabbits love their owners? Rabbits can be very affectionate pets if they are given the chance. They are very social and enjoy spending time with their human companions. Once you've gained a rabbit's trust, they'll start to show you how much they love you in their own bunny ways.
Licking means “I love you, I trust you.” Lunging may occur when you reach into your rabbit's cage to clean, give food, or to take your rabbit out – a sign of disapproval.
Let her explore you first, and learn that you are not a threat. Give a few small treats as you are getting to know each other. Eating is a social activity for rabbits and eating together builds trust. Small portions of carrot, apple, herbs, or oats are offerings a rabbit will appreciate.
Most rabbits absolutely hate being held. The experience of having all four feet off the ground and being trapped in someone's arms can make a rabbit really scared. If your primary way of interacting with a rabbit is to pick them up, then they will start to run away from you whenever you come near, to avoid being held.
The best places to pet a rabbit are their forehead and behind their ears. The cheeks and strokes down their backs are also good spots. But rabbits dislike being pet on their bottom, feet, chin, and underside.
FLOPS, BINKIES, and TAIL FLICKS: these are all signs of happy, joyful rabbits. Tail flicks can be the hardest to see but they are the equivalent of the human female hair toss – a little happy flirty move that charms.
They also love getting a good back scratch around the shoulders. That said, they tend not to like being touched on the ears, neck, feet, stomach or tail.
The easiest method to help your rabbit relax is to place them in a familiar and secure environment. You're halfway there if your rabbit is already in its comfortable rabbit bed or close to its enclosure. Please turn off any loud noises and seal the door to keep other pets out of their secure place.
Scare them away. Lights, shiny aluminum pie tins, and motion scare devices can be enough to ward off rabbits, at least for a time. Dogs and cats running free in the yard are a great deterrent, too.
To survive, they have to be constantly wary and use their keen senses of sight, hearing and smell to detect potential predators. Your pet rabbits have the same instincts. Any fast or sudden movements, loud noises, unfamiliar smells or larger creatures – including their owners – can trigger a fear response.
You can try twitching your nose at your rabbit, to tell them that you are interested and curious about them. Or you can try giving your head a little shake or jumping up and down to mimic a binky and tell your rabbit that you're happy. You can lay down near your rabbit to let them know that you trust them.
Licking is a way bunnies groom each other. If your bunny licks you, it's a sign of affection as you'll often see pairs of bunnies grooming each other this way. A bunny lick is a sign of a bond.
Rabbits communicate using body language, and apologizing is one example of this behavior. Rabbits apologize by touching heads. Bonded rabbits rarely fight, but it can sometimes happen. If the rabbits groom each other after touching heads, then the apology has been officially accepted.
It is usually safe to kiss a rabbit, and many pets enjoy this display of love. Rabbits do not kiss each other, but can learn what kissing means. If grooming precedes the kiss, your intention will be clear. Many rabbits enjoy being kissed on the top of the head.
When your rabbits are happy, you might notice them do a little 'binky'. This is when they hop in the air, twist a little bit, then land back on the ground. Nose twitching. Happy and content rabbits will be constantly wiggling and twitching their noses, whether they're bouncing about or relaxing.
They also lose much of their depth perception at close ranges, seeing in two dimensions (instead of the three that we are used to). Their vision also isn't as sharp as humans' vision. This grainy vision is why it's so easy to startle your bunny – they might not always recognize your shape.
Sit on the floor a few feet from your rabbit and roll a ball slowly back and forth between your hands. The idea is to show your rabbit that the ball rolls back and forth. When your rabbit is looking at you, try rolling the ball slowly toward your pet. This might make your rabbit move away or the ball might be ignored.