Bunny Question

[Sr. Melangell]

Olly has been nudging me with his nose then laying down in front of me, a bit like how a dog does guarding its owner, since after his illness but, I have tried to pick him up and because I’m in pain with my hip he will wriggle out of my hands, then nudge and lay down again, I try again then he will kiss me then go into his cage, is he inviting me to pick him up? He knows I have problems he sees me every day in pain, could he be teaching me how to pick him up? I know some aniimals like rats like to think they are teaching you, I have held him but on Tuesday twice to get him in his box for the vet and held him so the vet could look at him on the table. but he just came to me and stuck his face in my coat, a few people on here know I’ve had problems with handling Olly, now Olly is better and back to his old self again I’m wondering if its like ‘You held me before, lets try, oh you are in pain we’ll leave it.’ sort of thing, I know animals know when we are in pain.

[Bam]

Few bunnies appreciated being picked up. That said, my bam sometimes lets me pick him up nowadays. I can tell the difference, if I have to pick him up, he will tense up and try to get away, sometimes hyper-ventilate. But when he comes up to me and sits himself by my fot and lets me put him in my knee for strokes and pets, he’s all relaxed and happily falls asleep in my lap. It has taken something like 4 years for us to get to this point though =)

[Mimsy]

When Willow nudges me and then lays down it usually means she wants me to pet her, or better yet get out the comb and brush her.

As far as knowing that you are ill or are in pain, I think sometimes animals know this, but they don’t know what that means exactly. Such as bending over to pick him up, he most likely wouldn’t understand that it causes pain.

Willow doesn’t want to be picked up for the most part either, like most bunnies. To make her a little more comfortable with it I usually pick her up once a day in the morning and give her a little piece of apple. Most mornings she will stand up to get picked up for her apple chunk. She wants down though after the apple bit is gone though.

[Author]

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