Aggresive/scared behavior or playing

[bigsis7]

HI! Well Jackie is my little baby now!! . I respect that she is more of a hands off bunny then a cuddle bunny. I do have a few questions about her behavior though. When I let her out of the cage she thumps her feet and when I do something she doesn’t like (for example picking her up) she growls. When I walk towards her or by her she runs away, but binky’s when she does this (most of the time). When I go to pick her up she will run away or if I have a hold of her she kicks and I am afraid she will hurt her self because she kicks so hard. Yet after all this she flops, binkies, and gives me kisses.  Jackie hates to be held and petted. Is she scared ,aggresive, or just a little stinker? I know my friend (her owner) doesn’t play with her a lot and doesn’t handle her the way she should sometimes, so maybe this is all new to Jackie. The 2+ hours of playtime and love!

P.S. Jackie doesn’t stink, hasn’t pooped on the floor at all, and hasn’t marked her territory at all! I asked my mom if I could pet sit another bunny sometime and she said maybe! Jackie’s owner is coming to pick her up tonight though (tears).

[MooBunnay]

Hello!

It sounds like Jackie is actually a pretty normal, happy bunny. I have 7 buns, and not a single ONE likes to be picked up, and will growl, and kick and sometimes scratch me. Many bunnies are also quite independent and don’t like to be petted to often. A way that I have found gets them more used to being pet is to pet them while hand feeding them some small treats. The fact that she flops and gives kisses and binkies tells me that she is very happy, and just has a more independent “rabbit-tude” personality. It is good that you are learning how to deal with all types of bunnies – and bunny sitting is a great way to learn what type of rabbit personality you prefer, as well as how to deal with all types of rabbits. Perhaps after your mother starts to get more comfortable with the idea of rabbit sitting, you could invest in a few things for rabbit sitting, like building an NIC cage, and getting your own water dish and food dish for the visitors. It could be your own mini-business, and I know that rabbit people definitely appreciate their bunnies being taken care of.

[Lisa_43]

My buns don’t like being picked up either, I have never heard them growl but they do scratch.

[BinkyBunny]

I’m glad your mother was able to see…er smell…that rabbits don’t actually “stink” I ditto that Jack sounds normal. Most bunnies dislike being held. Her binkies while she’s running could also be her way of thwarting off unpleasant gestures. Though binkies are usually considered happy dances, bunnies will also do this when they are trying to escape something, hence when they are running away.

She sounds like a dominant diva girl. Not all bunnies are like this, but her behavior is not abnormal.

[Author]

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