Looking scared after head pets?

[mellykins]

Hi everyone! I just brought home a new foster-to-adopt bunny that I’ve named Thalia, on Friday. I brought her home after her and my boy bunny Ari (whom I’ve had for a year today!) groomed each other for about six hours (they’ve since been fighting, but that’s a topic for another day). Anyway, Thalia was not a favorite at the rescue. She lunges and grunts and growls, but for some reason, she “seemed” to have bonded to me immediately. The day at the rescue, Thalia grunted and lunged at me but the second I started petting her she lay down and seemed completely relaxed and didn’t growl or lunge at me again. She instantly stole my (and Ari’s heart). Well since I’ve brought her home she has only lunged at me a couple of times. She has even flopped while I was sitting in her cage! 

My concern (maybe I’m over worrying) is that after I am done petting her she will sort of get up, and sit super still with her ears pinned back and not move. It seems like she is either really mad or really scared. This has led me to be concerned that she is not in fact relaxed when I pet her, but scared. She doesn’t seem scared at all when I pet her, though. She doesn’t shake, she closes her eyes, she lets me rub her cheeks, her face, her belly, her ears are up not back, honestly it kind of seems like she is in a trance. Could she just be angry that I am done petting her? 

Also, she has gotten to the point where she no longer growls/grunts/lunges when I pet her, but she does when I try and give her a treat. Any explanation for this? I have resorted to trying to give her treats by holding them up to her face on a grass mat, but she refuses to eat any of them. 

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

Is her head low when she has her ears pinned? If so it’s the ‘groom me’ stance-that’s what it sounds like from what you wrote!
This website is great reading http://language.rabbitspeak.com/yeah-baby-i-like-it-like-that/

The grunt may be to intimidate you into dropping the treat-try dropping them instead of handing them to her. Don’t drop if she’s grunting though-you don’t want to reinforce that.

[LittlePuffyTail]

Ditto. Sounds like the “You’re not done grooming me position”.

[vanessa]

Ditto and ditto. Sounds like a real spunky character 🙂 Guin use to grunt at me. She has since learned that she won’t get her way by grunting. She’s a real snuggle bunny now.

[mellykins]

Thanks you guys for your responses! My friends also thought she might be mad at me for stopping petting her. It’s so funny how two bunnies can be so different! Ari is not a fan of being petted, he lets me do it out of love for me I think, but I know he doesn’t care for it too much, so I think I’m just being paranoid that she secretly hates it. I’ve added some before and after petting pictures to be sure. 

As per the treats, she refuses to eat them. It’s so bizarre to me. I’m not giving her any more till she eats the others, so I’m not quite sure about the grunting…perhaps she just doesn’t like the treats I’ve given her. 

[mellykins]

Wait, do you guy see the pictures? or is it waiting to get approved? I’m confused, it says they’re there but I don’t see them

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