Bonding with our rabbits is one of my kids’ favorite activities with every new litter of rabbits we have on our hobby farm; we think that bonding with your bunnies is one of the best aspects of raising rabbits.
But how do you bond with your rabbit? And how to show your rabbit you love them? And where do rabbits even like to be scratched?
No worries, we will share all our knowledge based experience on these topics and common questions in this post, so read on to learn about the best places to scratch and love on your rabbit!
The Basics: How To Pet A Rabbit
With any unfamiliar rabbit, one of the best ways to put them at ease and initiate a bonding experience is to pet them gently.
As natural prey animals it is important to be gentle, patient, and slow moving with rabbits as they are easily startled and stressed (learn more about the real threat of an overly stressed rabbit here).
We suggest the following:
- Allow the rabbit to come to you, never force a bunny to be around or near you as this will teach them to avoid and fear you.
- Hold your hand out for the rabbit to sniff and observe, you can even offer them a tasty rabbit-safe treat such as a cucumber or dill herb!
- Next, if the rabbit stays by your side, gently pet the top of the bunny’s back. If the rabbit quickly hops away, repeat steps 1 and 2 until they remain close to you for a bit and allow you to pet them.
- For the first few times it is best to stay away from extra sensitive areas such as the tail, ears, face, or paws. Wait until the rabbit is completely comfortable around you before petting them in those heavily nerve populated spots!
You will know bonding is happening when your rabbit approaches on their own, puts their head in your lap or hand, hops up onto your lap, and/or nudges you gently with their nose.
Where Is The Best Place To Scratch A Rabbit
Once your rabbit is well acquainted with you and knows you as a safe friend, they will be very comfortable coming close and will be happy to spend time with you.
This is when you have the opportunity to learn just where your rabbit loves to be scratched and petted.
Each rabbit is individual, and we have does that love a good scratch right behind the ears while others prefer the top of their back.
Based on our history with our rabbits, some of the best places to scratch your rabbit include:
- Ears
- Top of back
- Behind the ears
- Face and cheeks
You can tell the best place to scratch your rabbit based on their reaction to you scratching and petting them there. Remember, ensure all your movements are slow and steady so as not to alarm or scare your rabbit!
Signs of Rabbit Enjoyment
One of the easiest ways to tell if your rabbit loves where it’s being petted is their body language response.
Signs of rabbit enjoyment look like:
- Relaxed, untense body
- Spreading out or laying on their side
- Closing their eyes
- Relaxing their ears back
- Teeth grinding
The last sign of rabbit enjoyment listed there, teeth grinding, may surprise you.
But teeth grinding in rabbits is very similar to purring in cats and is a sign of deep enjoyment and relaxation, so if your rabbit grinds its teeth, you are on the right track!
Signs of Rabbit Stress
Your rabbit will also communicate general stress or dislike through their body language.
And if your rabbit does NOT like where you are scratching or petting them they will quickly move away, tense their body, move or shake their head, and may even nudge your hand away or nip at you.
Signs of prolonged stress in rabbits include loss of appetite, lots of hair loss, and disease.
Where Do You Scratch A Rabbit
It is truly up to your furry bunny when and where you scratch or pet them, they will let you know if and when they enjoy being loved on.
We have learned that most of our rabbits do NOT like when we pet or scratch their neck, paws, tail, or belly.
This is because many of these places are extra sensitive and/or are blind spots, places on their body that rabbits cannot see well and instinctively protect from predators.
But one of our sweetest rabbits, Pear, loves to stretch out and allows us to scratch her belly! This is a sign of complete trust and love and we are always very gentle with her.
We also recommend offering all of your bunnies little treats during petting to reinforce the safety and goodness of the interaction.
Do Rabbits Like Their Ears Rubbed
Whether or not your rabbit likes its ears rubbed is highly individual.
You must remember that rabbits’ sense of hearing is acute, and that the loud noise of rubbing their ears may bother them more than sooth them (think about the scratchy sound when you scratch or rub your own ear!).
Pay attention to their reaction when you try to rub their ears, if they wiggle their ears or move their head they are trying to communicate their dislike!
What Do Rabbits Like To Scratch On
Rabbits are active animals and love exploring different objects and textures, especially if they can safely bite, gnaw, or scratch them!
In fact, a wooden or other natural fiber block is a great option for a rabbit scratching post that is a safe, painless and natural way to keep their nails trimmed.
If your rabbit bonds with you, has a good scratching post and energetic play time every day, they will learn to never scratch you!
Frequently Asked Questions Related To Where Bunnies Like To Be Scratched
Do Rabbits Like To Be Petted While Eating?
We have found that all of our rabbits do NOT like to be petting while eating.
This extra stimulation during feeding time tends to stress our rabbits out and they have demonstrated multiple body language cues including body tensing and heavier breathing.
For this reason, we do not recommend petting your rabbit while they eat.
Why Do Rabbits Like Their Head Rubbed?
The head of rabbits houses many nerve endings and is extra sensitive due to their whiskers and the hairs covering them.
Many rabbits love having their head rubbed because it is a soothing, relaxing stimulation of their nerves. We can better understand this by thinking of how relaxing and enjoyable it is for us humans when someone brushes our hair gently or runs their fingers over our head!
Final Thoughts On How To Pet Your Rabbit
A friendly rabbit is a joy to have and it can be equally soothing for us humans to give love and pets to our rabbits, as their warm body and calm nature is always a comfort.
We highly suggest getting to know your rabbit slowly and offering lots of gentle scratches and pets along the way. This is the best way to ensure a positive bonding experience and a happy, healthy bunny!