There are so many parts of a rabbit’s body that they love petting like the soft fur of the rabbits. Depending upon the type of breed you have, they have short or long fur, etc depends on it. Treating rabbits in the right way helps them to get comfortable and familiar with you as soon as possible.
But the thing is do rabbits like petting and how often they want to get petted and in what way? So in this article, you are going to know everything about the rabbits, how they should be treated and how to pet them in the way they want and love, and where on their body.
Contents
Following are the different methods to pet a rabbit
Rabbits are very docile, loving, gentle, and friendly creature and come out to be wonderful pet but they are quite nervous when bring newly home therefore needs a lot of care and attention to get comfortable with their owner. One of the simplest ways to get the trust of your rabbit is by petting them in different places with love and once you gain the interest of the rabbit, petting becomes easier for you as the pet becomes relaxed with you.
Rabbits like petting a lot but you just need to learn the technique to make the rabbit feel relaxed and calm during the time you are petting them. As rabbits love to be petted and once you become familiar with them they will sit quietly and calmly with you for a longer time and this is one of the best methods to keep a rabbit calm. Here are the different methods to pet a rabbit.
1. Approach rabbits to make them comfortable and start petting:
First of all, you have to make sure that your rabbit is comfortable with you and then start petting them the time when your rabbit approach you then it is a sign that the rabbit is becoming comfortable and familiar with you. Otherwise don’t try to touch them if they don’t like touch in the starting period.
2. Know the right place where rabbits like petting:
Rabbits are very particular about touching them and where you are touching them. So it is important to know at what places your rabbit-like to be petted and then you should start petting them. For example, rabbits don’t like it when you touch their chin so avoid touching those areas where they are not comfortable. The favorite places of rabbits where love petting is:
- Petting the head of the rabbit: Head is one of the best places to pet a rabbit and they feel the sensations of being petted and love to be petted on their forehead. Also, give small strokes and scritches on their head while petting them as it will make them feel happy and relaxed.
- Give rabbits full body massage: When your rabbits are comfortable with you put the rabbit in your arms or hands and give them a full body massage and also strokes on their back from top to bottom. Slowly increase the length and areas of the strokes when they get calm.
- By petting behind the ears of rabbits: This is also one of the favorite places of rabbits where they love petting very much. This is a kind of sweet spot for the rabbits where they want massage and on their neck very gently. You should rub the forehead with your thumb and massage behind their neck with your fingers. Rabbits love a pet in this way.
- Petting the cheeks of the rabbit: Rabbits also enjoy you are petting their cheeks just like petting their back and head. Petting the cheeks also gives you the chance to check their teeth and you can catch any sign of overgrown teeth as rabbits have the tendency that their teeth will grow always till their life.
3. Handle the rabbit with care:
It is very important to handle rabbits with a lot of care especially when it is their first time getting picked up in someone’s hands. If they are not feeling good, don’t try to touch them until they become comfortable and ready to be touched by someone else. You should gradually introduce your rabbit to being picked up by the owner for several days.
4. Sit on the floor with the rabbit:
It is not good to grab your rabbit suddenly from the ground in your hands and force them to come over. If the rabbit is new in the house don’t force him to come to you and while the rabbit is close enough he will approach you by himself and you should start petting them. Give the rabbit some time and he will start playing, jumping here and there, and approaching you on his own.
5. Let the rabbit know that you are coming toward him:
It is not good to grab the rabbit from behind suddenly because they will try to run away from you as they are prey animals. You need to give them a hint that you are going to grab them so that they will be ready for your touch.
6. Before grabbing show the rabbit your hands:
A rabbit has a vision of almost 360˚ but unfortunately, they can’t see right in front of their nose which is a kind of blind spot for rabbits. So make sure don’t approach your hands from that point they will not able to see what you are doing to try and they might get scared.
Try to approach your hands from the side of their head or above their head so they understand what is going to happen. In this way, they will not be scared and become offensive toward you.
Places where rabbits don’t like petting
Generally rabbits like petting most of their body parts but there are some places also where they don’t like the human touch and become aggressive and you need not touch them. They will jump away and run when you touch those places.
- Chin: Rabbits hate it when someone touches their chin, unlike cats and dogs. They run away while someone tries to touch their chin.
- Butt: The sensitive part of rabbits includes the area around their tail where they do not like to touch anyone and get annoyed if someone touches it.
- Feet of the rabbit: Rabbits feel shy when anyone touches their feet and do not like it at all, unlike cats and logs.
- Chest and belly of the bunny: Belly and chest are the spots a rabbit guards very closely and run away or either snaps at you if you try to pet at these places.
How to know if the rabbit is enjoying petting?
This is the simple way to know whether your rabbit wants more petting from you or not. You just have to stop petting and put your hand on either side of the head but near to the nose and if the rabbit nudges your hand softly and does not move away from you then it is the indication that they want more petting from you.
Concluding Lines
Rabbits are very friendly and active creatures and love to be pampered and want attention from their owner most of the time. Petting is considered to be one of the best methods to pamper and soothe your rabbit and they feel very calm and cool when you pet them with love.
But there are different ways of petting and many places are there where rabbits do not like any touch from humans and you need to know them. Hope this article helps you a lot on how you should pamper your rabbit by petting them at their favorite places.
