Do rabbits have laterality like we do? (Preference for the right hand/foot etc.)

[Ellie from The Netherlands]

Beintje and I have been working on massages for some time now. During his massages I noticed that the muscle group on his left shoulder always feels thicker than on his right shoulder. They don’t feel tense, but the muscles seem thicker in general. He has no known medical issues/nail problems to make him favour a paw. This makes me wonder: do healthy rabbits have laterality just like humans do? Do they favour one paw or hind leg, like humans are either left- or right-handed? 

Bit of background on the massages: of course it’s great for relaxation and bonding, but my long-term goal is trying to make him comfortable enough to address old-age issues. He’s 6.5 now, and for a long time he’s been a “prude”. For many years he only allowed touch on his forehead, ears and back. His cheeks, flanks, butt, belly and paws were absolutely off limits. That’s going to make things difficult if he starts to develop old-age issues like incontinence, sore muscles and joints etc. 

We’re slowly working on gentle touch, massages and other exercises to make him more comfortable with grooming, cleaning and massages of muscles and joints. The process has its ups and downs, and some days he’s more prudish than on other days. In general he is less prudish than a year ago, making tasks like fur grooming a lot easier. I can recommend this for other rabbits too, especially if your rabbit is stressed easily or prudish. It is a very time-consuming process, but it decreases grooming stress and deepens the trust between you and your bun. 

[pinknfwuffy]

What an interesting question! I love that you’re working with him on massages, too. What a thoughtful thing to do for your sweetie pie. Super smart for thinking ahead and considering his potential needs in the future. I hope he warms up to it! I may have to try the same with Olaf because he certainly hates being touched in all those sensitive areas, too.

I’m not sure if rabbits favor one side over the other by nature but any time I’ve watched slow-motion videos of them hopping/running there always seems to be one paw taking the slight lead. I never noticed if it is the same side or any kind of trend. I’ve also noticed Olaf will put one paw slightly higher than the other when reaching up and leaning for something, like the cage grids, but never paid attention to any significant pattern.

[Asriel and Bombur]

I’m pretty sure Asriel always uses his right paw first. Like when he goes up to the cage bars and reaches up I’m almost certain it’s the right paw. I’m not sure with Bombur, especially because we only really notice that his butt is like an extension of him and not a part of him. It’s almost like his butt drags along as an after thought xD

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