Explain this behavior to me…!

[LizzieKnittyBun]

I know bunnies usually only like their heads scratched, but Remy seems to LOVE having his back and butt scratched.  When I scratch his back, he hunkers down into a bunny puddle and then starts furiously licking whatever’s in front of him, including me if my leg is there.  When I stop scratching, he stops licking and looks up at me like “Why’d you stop?”

This may be a stupid quesiton, but he likes it, right?  I read that usually bunnies don’t dig back and butt-scratches, but he seems to love it.  He even hops up to me and turns around sometimes as if offering his back to be scratched.

What do you guys think?

[Beka27]

My mini rex LOVES to be pet. Anywhere. If someone is going to give her attention, she will puddle out and accept that attention. Buns can also hunch down if they’re feeling threatened, but since he is licking (grooming) what’s in front of him, that means he is contented.

[tabalab]

sounds to me like he loves it.

[bunnytowne]

A very contented bunny.  Must really like those rear scratches and pets.

[RabbitPam]

“In all the world, tis none so rich
As a man with a scratch for every itch.” – Ogden Nash

Make that a bunny. He is very happy, and you are well trained.

[heather122]

My bunny also likes to be scratched down her back and close to her tail… Its almost like she just melts!

[LizzieKnittyBun]

He’s too funny. I love it when I’m scratching his butt and he stretches mid-scratch and it flattens out. HEE!!

I really am trained. He zoomed into bed in the middle of the night last night to see me and I, of course, woke up to pet him. It stills amazes me how much I love him. He is truly my child. I miss him during the day and love all over him when I come home from work.

[megrat7]

Indy likes it too, unless Im trying to groom him. He never can get enough pets, but there arent enough hours in the day… man I wish I could leave work and go lay around with him the rest of the afternoon!

[MimzMum]

You are most fortunate. Whereas my Fiver (minirex) loves his head pets, he is NOT partial to having his rear end touched in any way, shape or form. This makes even basic grooming extremely difficult. I can’t even get a surreptitious butt fluff plucking accomplished without him wheeling around, ears flat and teeth at the ready to be bared and that accusatory look in his eyes…”And just WHAT do you think you are doing??”

Mimzy likes to be snuggled and pet only in certain ways also, but is much more accustomed to me doing that. We have a better bond. He’s become an almost complete love bunny in the last year.

Pip is just easy as heck. The minute your hand is nearby, it must either pet or feed treats…that’s all your hands are good for in her royal opinion. ^_^

[RabbitPam]

Mm,
Sammy has the same reaction as Fiver, but here’s a tip I’ve tried that seems to help: Pet his head with that slight pressure that you use when holding their shoulders down with one hand, so they like it but it’s a wee bit dominating, then use the other hand to stroke the back and rear. She stays still for it, but won’t let me just go for the back end otherwise.

[Elrohwen]

Otto isn’t very interested in head pets (and seems annoyed after a few seconds), but he loves to have his back and bum petted. He especially likes when I kind of massage my finger tips into his hindquarters. I think some buns are just more comfortable with it than others.

[MimzMum]

Thanks Pam. I’ll give that a try. He’s still pretty jumpy after almost a year now, but he does trust me more than I ever thought he would. And I am beginning to see a possible desire in him to have a friend, so whether it’s one of the other bunnies or even the cat, he’s looking outside of himself for companionship, which will be great if I can swing it.

Mimzy is actually so comfortable with being petted, he will beg for a full body bunny massage. (He begs by digging on my leg so hard it hurts, but I get the message.) ^_^

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