funny head gesture

[Ralph]

Hi again,

I was wondering about some rabbit behavior if you would indulge ^^
My rabbit (not neutered yet) must be around 1 year old now, and is showing all the classic signs of an adolecent male animal ( I guess)
I often offer hay to him, meaning one straw for him to cut with his teeth, he positions his teeth directly at the base of the hay straw right
at my finger tips where I am holding it. Why is he cutting hay and not eating it when I offer it. Now, here comes the funny part, recently I have noticed
that he is showing a non concernin but funny gesture. When offering a stick of hay into his face , he might cut it , but if he doesn’t feel like it ,
He lifts of scratch-like motion his lower jaw over the stick. It is the most funny motion I have ever seen in the rabbit until now, what could it mean?

Have any of you observed any kind behavior?

Anyway , just wanted to share this , should have teken a movie and put it on youtibe , oh well…

Regards,

Ralph

 

 

[Beka27]

i can’t really picture what you’re describing… so i’ll leave this for someone else to answer.  i did want to say, as always, i love the pic of your little guy!  you always post such precious photos of him!

[Ralph]

Imagine that I were to give you chocolate , but you don’t like chocolate , then I would offer you it again , then you would hold up your hand toward me, my rabbit seems to hold up his head because he doesn’t have hands. Makes sense this way ?

 

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

Have you ever seen a cat rub his cheeks on something, like a person’s legs, to scent it? Is that what he’s doing?

[babybunsmum]

yeah… it seems to me as well that you might be describing ‘chinning’ .  your bun may not want to eat hay out of your hand but when you present it to him he rubs his chin on the piece of hay.  is this what he’s doing instead of eating it?  my bun rubs her chin on everything.  its very cute.  it’s like she’s saying “my night stand”, “my mop handle”, “my chair leg”.  lol.

[sarah bowden]

I’m not sure what it’s called but we call it chinning at my house. I have a little (uneutered) male and he rubs his chin on just about everything. But particullary the things he considers his, the door to his pen, his willow tunnel, his litterbox, sometimes my shoes or ankles. I always imagine him hopping around the room saying “This is mine and this is mine and oh! what’s this it’s mine too”

[MarkBun]

My bun also cuts individual stalks of hay at my fingers. It is instinctive for them to remove anything like that in order to keep his fleeing space free. Hence why wires get the business. Think of it as the bun saying “Hey! You could put out a bunny’s eye with that!”

[babybunsmum]

ahha!  i think i know what you’re talking about now ralph & markus.  everytime i hold up a piece of paper ot cardboard or hay (‘cept sometimes she just eats the hay because she’s a hay monster) pinky grabs onto it and rips it out of my hand and drops it down.  lol.  very cute. 

[Author]

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