Healthy bun hates head pets!

[Siadea]

Hello everyone! I’m new to the forum and come with an observation/request for help/commiseration for my Dreadful Children. Helli and Helen are my bunnies; Helen is a Checkered Giant and Helli is what we may kindly call a feed store mutt. (I did the bad thing with him and bought him, but Helen was adopted properly from a rescue.)

Helli is full of binkies and spice and adventure – he wants to sniff the kitty and come out of the bun room and take things out of my hands and throw them. Normal stuff! He is healthy and active. Very active.

He H A T E S when I touch his head. HATES IT. Normal forehead petting – the kind that Helen adores – make him duck away from me and avoid my hand. What is this??? He doesn’t mind being petted on his back or even his butt – Helen makes me pet her forehead before I am allowed to Touch The Butt. I feel like it might be related to his time as a feed store bunny; I think someone picked him up by the ears and broke one. Or another bunny bit him maybe? Anyway, he has one uppy ear and one floppy ear. Helen can groom his ears, but I am not generally allowed to touch them.

Does anyone else have a bunny like this? What are other ways to show him affection? He’s never gonna be the “yessss, sit here and Love Me” bun that Helen is – he’s much too On The Go for that – but I would like something to show him I love him.

[Sleepy]

Ears are sensitive so he simply might not be big on head pats for one way or another. Our lady bun used to love head pats but after we bonded her to her husbun, she has less patience of head pats since we think she’s been spoiled on proper face grooming. However, if she’s sleepy, she tends to enjoy it more and will sometimes chitter when she won’t otherwise so Helli might just be picky.

Back or butt pats is a fine way to show you love him, though. With Guinness I just pet her back or scratch at her side when she won’t let me touch her head and sometimes even stomach rubs will make her chitter. So just fiddling around and going with what he likes is your best bet.

[Siadea]

That makes sense, because he USED to let me before he bonded with Helen. (The funny thing is HE is terrible at grooming Helen; he licks the inside of her ears and bends them backwards over her head. There is no way that’s comfy. Helli no.) Thank you for commiserating, I’m glad I don’t gave the only weird bun!

[Author]

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