• Forum/Server Upgrade If you are reading this you have made it to the upgraded forum. Posts made on the old forum after 26th October 2023 have not been transfered. Everything else should be here. If you find any issues please let us know.

Bunnies that lick us

Becca24

Mama Doe
why?

is it because of the whole salt thing or is a sign of affection and grooming?

I have been to my brother and sister in laws this evening, they have Emily a 9 year old unneutered lion head. They asked me to clip his nails etc so I sorted his nails and cut some matted bits out and generally gave him a good look over (no problems except he his losing a bit of fur on his ears and his testicles were very wrinkly (old age perhaps?)). Anyway after that was all done I was holding him ready to put him back in his run and he was having a right old lick of my arm and neck/chest and Jane was like oh he has never done that before.

So it just got me thinking why they do it?
 
Our housebun Solomon does it.

He does it particularly after we have stroked him / given him nose rubs so I really feel he is doing it as a sign of affection (or at least I want to hope!)
 
I like to think it's affection, Harvey is very affectionate and he covers me and the OH with licks, all over our hands and faces :lol: the others don't really bother so I don't think it's the salt
 
I think it's affection~ Definitely more licky after cuddles. And if it was a salt thing, I'd expect most buns to be licky rather than only some. :)
 
I was hoping and did think it was more related to grooming than salt as I know more rabbits who don't lick than who do!

I think my sis-in-law was a tad envious (but then he doesn't get that much attention now bethany is 14) me and chloe give him lots of nose rubs and fuss when we go round!

He really is a lovely bun and would love to have him at mine, but he is not neutered and not sure I fancy doing it at his age plus he doesnt eat hay he eats grass 24/7 and I cant give him that! :(
 
Pickles grooms me loads - by the expression on his face he's more exasperated by my grubbiness than anything else! :oops: He's forever grooming Ginger as well, which is just as well as he's clearly never heard of soap and water either! :lol:
 
I think there might be an element of salt in it too, my OH has sweaty horrible feet and that's the only part of him the bunnies lick :lol:
 
Marnie licks us ALL the time....especially my feet :oops:
She licks everyone though. J is her favourite for kissing....little hussy :love:
Blue lick when we are having cuddles. I'm going with affection...although Manrie is almost obsessive about it :?
 
I believe its affection, princess doesnt lick me, she used to have a salt lick till I heard a few people say they dont need them, so IMO if it was salt they were after then princess would lick me for the salt shed been used to getting IYGWIM?
 
I remember there was a thread about this before and we noticed it seemed
like predominantly male bunnies who do it?

Crumpet used to LOVE licking us, especially my nose hehe! He also used to suck things :love:

However Illy and Chinook who are both girls will only rarely lick our clothes, nothing more.

I think it's affectionate :love:
 
I think it's an affection/trust thing. Inca licked me all the time within a few days of us having her. She would do it time and time again and always immediately after some fuss. We would alternate, 2 mins of me fussing her then 2 mins of her licking me and so it went on, sometimes for 30 mins or more! She would only lick me though, no one else :shock:
 
Kermit used to lick me loads, my hands, face, arms, clothes! And not just me, he would lick Chris and my sister.

Herbie licks me now and again, and Inca has just started licking my jeans.

I think it is a trust / grooming thing, means they love you :)
 
Rimmi licks me..... my hand, face, neck and sometimes even head, whereas Winter will lick my jeans or hoody!! I usually think its a sign of 'dont stop - thats nice' although Winters licking is pretty random, and not for affection, as she hops away as soon as she has had 3 or 4 strokes!! :lol::lol: I wish I could get into the bunny mind :love:
 
Oliver used to groom me lots but all that stopped when we got him a wifey bun

Now the pair of them just attack my feet and ankles!
 
Mischa grooms me. The others arn't so fussed and if they lick me by accident stop pretty quick as if they are saying 'ew, thought that was dressing gown not human flesh, ew, ew, ew.' They all tend to lick my clothing though.
 
My bunny will groom me excessively, but only after I've groomed him. I doubt it was salt he was after, he had a salt wheel and ignored it completely. Firefly didn't groom me as much, but he started licking my nose once after I finished cleaning a small wound on his chest, so I find it's the "scratch my back and I'll scratch yours" thing, since rabbits like to take turns grooming each other and that to them we're just very large rabbits :lol:
 
well I felt very special after he done it, to have a rabbit for 9 years and never be licked and then for me to get licked by him made me rather chuffed! :)

I wondered if it was his way of saying thank you for actually bothering to cut my nails (they were rather long) and remove my matted fur etc
 
I NEEED to believe it's a salt thing!!:lol: I do everything for my boy and have only ever received a couple of licks from him - but it was suddenly like he realised what he was doing and ran off! Yet he can quite happily spend ages grooming the OH! Even waking him up in bed doing so!:?
 
Back
Top