So, here are the ways I am allowed to pet Sophie:

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BINKYBUNNY FORUMS

This topic has 8sd replies, 7 voices, and was last updated 14 years, 8 months ago by LoveChaCha.

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- 07/14/2011 at 3:47 AM
  caudex
  Participant
  104 posts
  Generally, she just runs away if I get too close. However:
  
  She may be petted from inside her cage. (I thought she wouldn’t like this, as it’s her space? Hmm.)
  
  She may be petted by my foot.
  
  She MIGHT, on a very special day, accept pets during a raisin bribe. She’s catching on to that one though, and declining more and more.
  
  And she will always, ALWAYS love being groomed by her stuffed partner in crime, Jamie the Gerbil. She only has only ever purred when “he’s” doing it. If I switch to my hand, after a second she comes out of her trance and foot flicks me for being sneaky.
  
  I do not understand her at all. It’s not that she dislikes being petted. If she did, I’d just learn to deal with it. She just doesn’t allow it except under special conditions. And she’d REALLY rather I never touch her, and let her buddy deal with it. How can I persuade her that it doesn’t need to be a full moon on a Tuesday for her to enjoy the contact?
- 07/14/2011 at 10:38 AM
  LoveChaCha
  Participant
  6634 posts
  That’s how my gal is too.
  
  She does not like to be touched, only on her terms. Rabbits are prey animals and are naturally scared of us.
  
  I would not take it personally.. some bunnies need time to warm up to their humans, and some just don’t like to be touched. Monkeybun has a little girl who doesn’t tolerate pets much.
- 07/14/2011 at 2:48 PM
  Stickerbunny
  Participant
  4128 posts
  My girl may be petted if she feels like it, if she doesn’t feel like it, it’ll be run away, foot flick, thump, nip, whatever. When she does feel like it, half the time she walks over to me and flops on my foot though like “Ok, you may pet the royal presence now”
  
  Rabbits like things their way or no way
- 07/14/2011 at 3:06 PM
  Zap
  Participant
  77 posts
  Remmy also likes to be pet in the cage, and if I can be sneaky, then I can pet him while he is eating a treat! He caught on the that though so now most times he just grabs the treat and runs… LOL! He likes to make me work for it, though. If he feels unloved he’ll nudge me with his nose and then jump into the cage with his head stretched out for a petting, and I had better do it or I can look forward to a facefull of bunny butt!
- 07/14/2011 at 5:27 PM
  CapnRis
  Participant
  23 posts
  Rory will usually let me pet him in his cage, though I don’t know if he likes it or simply tolerates it. He’ll also allow momentary pets when he’s roaming about, but only for a moment before calmly moving on to his next activity, scheduled immediately on the other side of the room. He will sit still for small chunks of apple, however.
- 07/14/2011 at 5:29 PM
  LBJ10
  Moderator
  17231 posts
  My boys know they have to come up to the top level in the morning for a kiss before they can get their nanners. This is also the only time I can grab one or the other for grooming. Once I let them out, I can forget it.
- 07/15/2011 at 2:37 PM
  mint
  Participant
  91 posts
  At least you can pet Sophie with your foot! I can’t even get in 5 feet of my big girls. I also can barely pet them in their condo before they go to another part of the condo. I can pet Moomoo while I give her a raisin. Lulu will charge and grunt at my hand with the raisin to avoid the raisin-pet thing. It’s been years but I’m still not giving up!
- 07/20/2011 at 11:21 AM
  caudex
  Participant
  104 posts
  And just as I complain, she has decided that she loves treats enough to trade pets for them, and I may continue to pet her for the rest of the time she’s out, provided I bribed her adequately. I can touch her back feet and everything!
  
  Of course, that’s yesterday and today. Tomorrow is a whole new day in Sophieland. She might be scared of me.
  
  Also, she’s developed an amusing tendency to foot flick as soon as she’s out of her cage. Not at me, I could be far away for she could come right up and nose me, it’s just as though she’s saying, “stupid cage, who needs you anyway?” Silly girl.
- 07/20/2011 at 11:23 AM
  LoveChaCha
  Participant
  6634 posts
  The footflick That is some attitude that she is showing.
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