Is this bunny butt?

[lashkay]

 

My bunny Buddie loves to hop up on the roof of his single level mini haven and lie down and sometimes go to sleep, which is in his pen right next to me at my PC.  I often reach in and pet him while he’s up there.  Sometimes he faces me and sometimes he lies with his side toward me but quite a bit of the time he faces in the opposite direction.  Is he giving me bunny butt?  I read a lot about that here and wonder if he’s telling me okay, if you’re not going to pet me now, here’s my behind, I’ll turn my back on you!  Actually I kind of take it as a compliment that he trusts me enough to turn his back to me, that he doesn’t feel he has to keep an eye on me.  But I wonder if he’s sending the message of bunny butt because I’m not petting him as often as he’d like?  What do you think?  Thanks!

[The Rabbit]

What *is* bunny butt? (i’m new here.)

[MarkBun]

Bunny Butt is how a rabbit shows that they’re displeased with you. It requires them to be sort of facing you. Then when you look at them or approach them, they turn their back on you but do not run away. It is too hard to tell since rabbits can often simply be interested in something away from you but if they turn their backs to you and then proceed to groom themselves – it’s the bunny butt.

Worse than the Bunny Butt is the Foot Flick – which is the equal of a rabbit’s middle finger. This is when they hop away from you but flick their back feet in your direction – as if trying to shoot a sticky poop from their toes. Sometimes people mistake the foot flick for a binky and vice versa but a foot flick doesn’t involve any front half twisting or movement other than hopping away.

A great site is the Language of Lagomorphs

[Elrohwen]

Mark gave a pretty good description. Sometimes they definitely face away just by chance – they trust you enough that they don’t need to keep an eye on you, so they just happen to face the other way. My bun will also do it when he wants me to scratch his bum.

I find bunny butt usually happens when the bun is facing you, and then, because of something you just did, turns to face away in a very deliberate manner.

[lashkay]

 

Thanks, now I get the idea.  I’ve taken to scratching Buddie’s bum when I’m petting him, so maybe when he offers his rearview, he’s asking for that.  I think I’ve gotten bunnybutt from both him and Lash but haven’t been particularly aware but sometimes he has turned his back on me and started grooming himself.   Now, I’ll be more aware if it happens.  Both Lash and Buddie have given me foot flicks immediately after reproaching them for something they’re doing.  They’ll hop away while kicking up their back heels and it’s like “Nyah- na Na- NA Nyah Nyah!  Bunnies!

[Elrohwen]

Oh yeah, you really know you’re in trouble when you get the foot flick! I don’t know if Otto gives bunny butt … it usually seems totally random when he turns away from me. But he is very clear about foot flicking! He’s almost foot flicked me in the face before. Lol

[RabbitPam]

What’s cool about bunny butt is that you can use it on them and they get it.
If you are on the floor with them and they have displeased you, (I can’t list the many reasons this could be happening), you can look them in the eye, then deliberately turn yourself around so your back is to them. It will probably startle them, and you will feel whiskers exploring you or someone coming around to look at you. Keep turning away, and the message will be loud and clear. Your bunny will probably try to make up.
(If you hang your head or drop into your hands and start to moan like you’re about to cry, they will come over to see what’s wrong.)

[MarkBun]

Note that when they are ‘exploring’ you after you give them the bunny butt, they are asking for forgiveness. They suggest that you run your hand through your hair or other such movements that make it look like you’re grooming yourself as if to say, “Nope, I’m done with you.”

[lashkay]

Aren’t we humans diabolically clever to figure out their language and give it back to them! Thanks for the Language of Lagomorphs. I have read through the whole thing and now I would be able to figure out all those numerous signals I got when I put Buddie down on the bathroom floor, and he would binky, shake his head come to me, nudge me, then hop away before I could pet him. He wanted me to chase him. That would have been a little awkward in my little bathroom, not to mention I might have stepped on the little bugger. But had I been armed with that article, I would have been able to interpret a lot of things as he ran through the entire repertoire I’m sure!

[MimzMum]

I can tell you right now, I’d be lousy at the grooming response. Even if my bunny did something to anger or upset me, I would cave under a bunny apology.
How can you stay mad at those faces??

[megan_ann]

Hm… I don’t know if I’ve ever gotten the bunny butt. Kizuna’s way of showing displeasure towards me is a) peeing in his pellet bowl, or b) tipping over his water bowl and spilling it all over the cage. He also thumped me once or twice and once he even grunted at me very quietly! I was surprised since I didn’t realize bunnies could really make ANY noise besides their scream. Anyway, he hasn’t been mad at me in a while; it was mostly when we first got him. But when he is, boy is it a mess! The water gets EVERYWHERE!

[lashkay]

Buddie once peed in his pellet dish, only once, and I put it down to an inappropriate dish as I don’t think he was angry, it happened when he was by himself in his cage at night. And he tried unsuccessfully to tip over the ceramic crock I gave him water in but, bunnies like to tip things over and make a mess, and if it displeases their bunny parent, so much the better even if they’re not feeling any anger. Mine will drag his bunch of Italian parsley from the bowl to his hole in his mini haven and scatter it all outside the hole so it’s more within reach when he’s inside the hole. Are you sure Kizuna was displeased with you? Maybe he just was feeling that rabbit urge to make a mess and see what he could tip over?

[RabbitPam]

Sammy does not bother with bunny butt. She boxes. She growls. She lunges. And yesterday, I trimmed her toenails. What a chase. I was exhausted, swearing “never again”. When I finally was done (I won by getting all 4 paws trimmed without bloodshed) I gave her a little cookie treat. She took the treat in her mouth, and then set it to one side on the rug and ignored it! Now that’s mad!

She made up with me last night. We had a good snuggle. I think the 47 treats she deigned to eat later, plus the newly trimmed nails (ahhhhh) helped.

[The Rabbit]

Posted By MarkBun on 01/22/2010 12:50 PM

Bunny Butt is how a rabbit shows that they’re displeased with you. It requires them to be sort of facing you. Then when you look at them or approach them, they turn their back on you but do not run away. It is too hard to tell since rabbits can often simply be interested in something away from you but if they turn their backs to you and then proceed to groom themselves – it’s the bunny butt.

Worse than the Bunny Butt is the Foot Flick – which is the equal of a rabbit’s middle finger. This is when they hop away from you but flick their back feet in your direction – as if trying to shoot a sticky poop from their toes. Sometimes people mistake the foot flick for a binky and vice versa but a foot flick doesn’t involve any front half twisting or movement other than hopping away.

A great site is the Language of Lagomorphs

 

My Bunny does the second when I try to get him to come in from playing in the living room, or if I try to pick him u when he doesn’t want to be. Thanks for posting a link to the website, it has a ton of good information!

[Cassi&Charlie]

I actually managed to get bunny butt over skype and a foot flick. Charlie heard my voice when talking to Rohan, came over and Rohan put the camera on the floor so I could see Charlie. He got really angry cause hecould hear my voice but I wasn’t there. It made me feel happy that he still remembers my voice! Only 7 more days until I can see him again so expect a lot of photos!

[Author]

Messages