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Lying flat down, good or bad thing?

S

sarahmarshadlam

Warren Scout
Hello,

I'm sorry to seem like a 'fretting new mother' but Tinker is my first bunny so I'm not really sure what his body language is saying. Everytime I put my hand in the hutch & go to stroke him he lies really flat down on the floor, tummy & chin low on the floor with his ears flat against his body - almost like a bowing position. He'll stay in that position till a few minute after I've finished stroking him.

Is this a positive or negative behaviour? I searched the net & some sites say it means they want to be petted, or surrendering to you. It doesn't mean he's scared of me does it?

It looks a bit like this: http://64.233.183.104/search?q=cach...viour+"head+lowered"&hl=en&gl=uk&ct=clnk&cd=1

Many thanks!
Sarah
 
That's how my foster bunny goes.. I know he was never handled by his owners though & we believe that he was picked up by his ears regular :cry:
He doesn't seemed scared of me just confused of me when I'm stroking him he doesn't know what the heck I'm doing to him.
 
It sounds like he's demanding you stroke him which is actually a dominant behaviour. In rabbit society the lower ranks groom the upper ranks. If you fail to groom when asked it's a bit rude and you might get a nudge or nip to remind you of your place ;)

Rabbits will flatten themselves to the floor in a submissive gesture but this is different. They are usually much more level and hundled where as asking for grooming they stretch with their head down.
 
Pic736.jpg
here is Holly doing it.
 
yay!

Hello!

Thank you everyone for all your replies, it's really cheered me up on Monday morning to hear that it is a good thing! :lol:

I feel very honoured that he's accepted me as his friend, especially as this morning he has started to do the bowing thing while he's out running around. Although he did spray me (maybe I was sending out the wrong messages! lol) which wasn't so nice, but he's getting the chop in 10 days :wink:

I can't believe how people can neglect a rabbit, they are such enchanting & amusing little things.

Thank you again for the reassurance, I was so pleased to find out that it wasn't because he was scared of me,

Sarah xxx
 
Hi,
My rescue bunny always does that and I guessed it means that they want to be stroked. He even did it at the vets and lay there for ages while the nurse stroked him!
 
My Rabbit does the same thing and i think that she likes it. Also oneday my husband started scratching her back and she laid her head flat down and put her butt in the air.
 
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