Constant Licking

[Momentslater]

My Holland Lop Oliver will not stop licking me wherever, whenever I’m in his vicinity. Even it I stress him out by chasing him trying to pick him up after time upstairs he will still lick my neck has I’m bringing him back downstairs. Is this behavior affection or is he licking out of fear, or both??   

[Bam]

It’s not really known. I have a bunny who is like that. He’ll lick my neck at the vets when I hold him and he’s severely stressed out. He will also lick my arms or hand when I pet him at home while he is very relaxed. My other bun only ever licks me in the context of cuddling.

I think licking can mean a lot of things, from being a signal of appeasement to a stress-reliever to a way to reciprocate when being pet. But it varies a lot between individuals, some buns rarely or never lick their humans.

[BananaHop17]

My bunny constantly licks as well. It could be my feet, my leg, my arms, my hands, my face, anywhere. She seems to do it out of happiness/affection though.

[Azerane]

Bandit only ever licked when he was happy/being affectionate. However I can certainly see licking occurring in stressful situations as a calming mechanism. Like how cats purr when they are unwell. Grooming is a very relaxed behaviour for any animal, especially a prey animal. If a wild rabbit is relaxed enough to groom, things must be safe. So I can see how that may have transferred into a scared or stressed rabbit grooming a friend as a means of comfort in a situation. It’s like repeating a reassuring mantra to yourself when you’re in a scary situation, positive thinking makes for a positive outcome, therefore if your rabbit thinks “relaxed” he will be.

[Author]

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