Bunny nudges and pushes

Hi, I've noticed my bunnies (and a lot at the rescue I work at) will nudge me and then sometimes nip lightly. I know the nudge can mean anything from "move" to "pet me" to "get lost" to "hello", so I thought I'd ask if anyone has any tips for interpreting rabbit nudges?

Does your rabbit nudge and if so, how do you tell what he/she wants? I think most often it's 'move out of the way' - I most often get it if I'm leaning again the side of a pen/shed and they are behind me, but my rabbits also nudge my legs when they're bent and they can get through underneath or my sides sometimes too.

Also, does anyone have any tips on figuring out what a rabbit wants when you're petting their head and they push upwards into your hand/against your hand? I've seen explanations of both "pet me harder" and "stop it" so I'm not sure how to respond to it!

Thanks!

I get nudges off Petra constantly. Namely when i:-

Breathe incorrectly / without her permission
Eat without letting her sniff / taste the food
Drink without letting her sniff / lick it
Am in her way
Don't pay her enough attention
Don't let her sit on my knee
Pet her incorrectly
Stop petting her
Go out of the room without her permission
Go out of the room and don't bring her snacks

Not much help but the nudges really can mean a range of things it's just a case of getting to know your bun.

Also, when i stop stoking her she will push her head into my hand as if to say "how dare you peasant I didn't say stop"

bunnybannanas said:

I get nudges off Petra constantly. Namely when i:-

Breathe incorrectly / without her permission
Eat without letting her sniff / taste the food
Drink without letting her sniff / lick it
Am in her way
Don't pay her enough attention
Don't let her sit on my knee
Pet her incorrectly
Stop petting her
Go out of the room without her permission
Go out of the room and don't bring her snacks

Not much help but the nudges really can mean a range of things it's just a case of getting to know your bun.

Also, when i stop stoking her she will push her head into my hand as if to say "how dare you peasant I didn't say stop"

Click to expand...

Hahaha, sounds about right! It certainly does seem to mean a lot of things, if only I was fluent in bunny etiquette! But then trying to understand them is part of the fun

NyxTaryn said:

Hi, I've noticed my bunnies (and a lot at the rescue I work at) will nudge me and then sometimes nip lightly. I know the nudge can mean anything from "move" to "pet me" to "get lost" to "hello", so I thought I'd ask if anyone has any tips for interpreting rabbit nudges?

Does your rabbit nudge and if so, how do you tell what he/she wants? I think most often it's 'move out of the way' - I most often get it if I'm leaning again the side of a pen/shed and they are behind me, but my rabbits also nudge my legs when they're bent and they can get through underneath or my sides sometimes too.

Also, does anyone have any tips on figuring out what a rabbit wants when you're petting their head and they push upwards into your hand/against your hand? I've seen explanations of both "pet me harder" and "stop it" so I'm not sure how to respond to it!

Thanks!

Click to expand...

Hi there and welcome :wave:

Yes it can mean both/either of those things, depending on their mood! Difficult, isn't?

The language of lagomorphs gives some clues

http://language.rabbitspeak.com

http://rabbit.org/interpreting-body-language-and-behavior/

http://rabbitresource.org/care-and-health/behavior/how-to-speak-rabbit/

bunnybannanas said:

I get nudges off Petra constantly. Namely when i:-

Breathe incorrectly / without her permission
Eat without letting her sniff / taste the food
Drink without letting her sniff / lick it
Am in her way
Don't pay her enough attention
Don't let her sit on my knee
Pet her incorrectly
Stop petting her
Go out of the room without her permission
Go out of the room and don't bring her snacks

Not much help but the nudges really can mean a range of things it's just a case of getting to know your bun.

Also, when i stop stoking her she will push her head into my hand as if to say "how dare you peasant I didn't say stop"

Click to expand...

I love Petra so much. She is such a diva!


So Phoebe isn't much of a nudge. She'll always come over and give a very gentle nose touch to your leg/finger to say "hi" but other that that she doesn't really interact in that way. Occasionally she'll give a real hard nudge to say "move".

Daphne on the other hand..... She'll nudge for everything. If we first come into the room it's "hi, do you have treats".
Then it'll get harder and it'll mean "pet me" then as you start to pet her she'll push your hand up as if to say "no, not like that. Just forget it".
Later she'll come back and nudge incredibly hard to say "get out my way". If you don't heed her warning she'll then nip/scratch/chew your shoes or feet to say "seriously! move out my way human!!"

It's all about getting to know bun on an individual level as to what they're trying to tell you.

Sent from my SM-G903F using Tapatalk

Thanks for the advice and for the welcome! Petra does seem like a diva, lol. I think the dominant rabbit in the pair (Lirael) is a bit of a diva too, not so much in the 'give me attention' way just a bit more feisty at food time and if she wants you to move or stop doing something or other. She can be a little nervous sometimes too - shes still a bit unsure about petting unless she's in the mood, so I tend to check first by hovering my hand near her head. If she settles, then she's ok with petting, if not, I retract my hand. They will both come and lick me though, which is adorable. Kibeth is particularly keen on licking, she usually lifts her head up when I pet her because she wants to groom me back and will hop over and lick me while she's running around or when I'm stroking her mum

I also volunteer at a rescue where I feed the rabbits there and play with them once a week - it can be harder to interpret their signals as I don't always get to know them well before they're re-homed, and some of them are a bit more unpredictable as they don't fully trust people/me yet. So part of the asking was for them too, as I expect I'll get better at interpreting my own rabbits in time, but it can be harder with the rescue rabbits. It seems like for the most part, the more forceful nudges tend to be "move" and the softer nudges are "hi" or "do you have treats?". I guess I'll have to get used to the "move" nip or dig at the rescue though as the pens are quite narrow!

Mouse is the nudger in our bunny family. If she approaches me & nudges its usually for affection but its safe for me to assume if I am in their zone its a move now nudge - she occasionally nips then too but not when she wants a fuss.

Benjamin nudges my foot when I'm sitting on the sofa, It's always because he is letting me know he is there and wants me to stroke him!

She really is a diva. I've just come home from Chester Zoo. She runs to the door like normal when i come in so i bend down to pet her and she immediately turns her back as if to say "you've been gone all day" and runs to my parents [emoji849]the worst is if I've been around other animals and animal cheated (by stroking / talking to or even breathing the same air as them) you think nudges are bad you should see her then. I get thumps and everything. And don't even mention my annual trip back to Thailand.

Don't worry about not knowing straight away what they want. You'll learn in time and if you don't well, good luck haha

I get a
a. gentle nose bump = hello [I can't remember where I read it, but wild buns do this in their warrens as a way to indicate that they have no quarrel with another bun. They're saying 'hi I'm here and don't wish to fight' ]
b. more forceful nose press = move please (followed by a nip if I'm not fast enough :lol

NyxTaryn said:

Also, does anyone have any tips on figuring out what a rabbit wants when you're petting their head and they push upwards into your hand/against your hand? I've seen explanations of both "pet me harder" and "stop it" so I'm not sure how to respond to it!

Click to expand...

If they have space to back away but are choosing to stay in contact/interact by nudging during grooming I'd err on the "pet me more" interpretation. Rabbits will insert their heads under the chin of other rabbits to request grooming and they may well be doing the same to your hand. Some rabbits will also respond if you request grooming by putting your hand on the floor near/under their chin. So I'd say your hand is acting as a stand in for the 'other bunnies' head when you are trying to interpret what would usually be grooming behaviour directed at another rabbit.