{"id":503,"date":"2020-03-29T11:50:31","date_gmt":"2020-03-29T11:50:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bunnyparents.com\/?p=503"},"modified":"2024-01-07T15:34:40","modified_gmt":"2024-01-07T15:34:40","slug":"how-do-you-know-if-your-bunny-loves-you","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bunnyparents.com\/how-do-you-know-if-your-bunny-loves-you\/","title":{"rendered":"How Do You Know If Your Bunny Loves You?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Bunnies are loving animals. Since they are naturally shy animals, they may take a while to warm up to you before showing you love. However, much like cats and dogs, they will show affection and love towards you if you\u2019ve given them the time and love they deserve. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In fact, our experience with Grooty is that she is just as affectionate as a puppy dog! But how do you know if your bunny loves you? What are the signs?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A bunny shows their affection towards their human’s in many different ways. They will let you pet them, follow you around the house, bink with joy, kiss you, and even fall asleep next to you. Your bunny is trying to let you know they love you and they know you care for them.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

But there are more ways that your bunny shows affection than\njust these examples. Can you recognise any of these behaviours from your bunny?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They Kiss You<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It may seem like your bunny is just licking the leftover\nfood on your hands. But a bunny licking you is their equivalent of giving you a\nkiss. It\u2019s also their process of grooming. They see you as part of their family\nand want to make sure you are also clean.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You may also see your bunny licking your clothes. Again,\nthis is your bun making sure you are clean and showing you they love you and\nare a part of the bunny family.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They Let You Pet Them<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It takes time for your bunny to trust you and to learn you\nare not a threat or predator. As they get comfortable being in their new\nenvironment with their humans, they will come to love being petted and getting the\nattention from their owners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As they get more comfortable, your bunny will even come to\nyou to be petted. They\u2019ll either lick you to pet them or put their head under\nyour hand which is their way to communicating with you letting you know that\nthey want to be petted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They Follow You<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Bunnies are social animals and love having plenty of interaction. But usually, only with humans and bunnies they trust and are comfortable with. If your bunny follows you around the house, it\u2019s a good sign they enjoy being with you and want your attention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our Grooty loves to be in the same\nroom as us. She has learned to climb the stairs so when we walk up to get ready\nfor bed, we often find a furry surprise on our bed when we\u2019ve come back from\nthe bathroom. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They Bink Around The House<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A bink is when your bunny jumps in the ear, flips their ears around and does funny turns in the process. This is often accompanied by crazy running up and down your furniture or even over humans! This is a prominent sign of your bunny\u2019s happiness and excitement and that they aren\u2019t afraid to show it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They Nip and Dig At You<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It can feel like your bunny is mad\nat you when they nip and dig at you. But this is actually a sign that they love\nand care for you. When they nip, it\u2019s like they are trying to matted fur off\nfor you, especially when they do this to the seam of your clothing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They Lay and Flop Near You With Their Feet Out<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

This is our favourite thing our bunny Groot does and the cutest. Flopping and laying near or against us. It\u2019s a sign that they are comfortable around you and trust you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Laying with their feet out is a very vulnerable position for a bunny. Usually, they will have their feet under them so if any predator sneaks up on them, they can quickly run and jump away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As soon as your bunny starts\nputting their feet out when lying around your home, then you can be sure your\nbun is feeling comfortable and safe with you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They Eat Food From Your Hands<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In the beginning, your bunny likely won\u2019t eat any food that is being fed out of your hands. They don\u2019t trust you or feel comfortable enough yet. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As time goes on and they warm up to you, you can feed them all sorts of treats from your hands. They are also very careful when they eat from your fingers and won\u2019t bite you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They Nudge You and Look For Attention<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"bunny
Grooty sleeping by her human<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Just like when a bunny wants to be petted, a bunny nudging you is part of them wanting interaction with you and love from you. It may seem like a nudge is them trying to move you out of the way. Sometimes it is! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If we are trying to stop Grooty chewing something, she\u2019ll sometimes try to nudge our hand out of the way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But that\u2019s not the only reason\nthey nudge. They want attention and affection from their humans because they\nlove you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They Put Their Chin On You<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Sometimes when your bunny is being extra cute, they\u2019ll rest their chin on your lap or hand while you are petting them. This is a sign of submission and an expression of love towards you. It shows how comfortable they feel around you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They Put Their Nose On You<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If you move close enough to your bunny with your face, a bunny that loves you will move their nose towards you and just rest their nose below yours. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is one of the ultimate signs of affection and love as you\u2019re so close to each other, face to face. We even give our bunny kisses on her head and you can see her reaching up for more and more kisses. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you haven\u2019t tried this, you should start kissing your bunny on the head to show even greater affection towards her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They Are Calm<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Bunnies are prey animals. Meaning they are generally always on alert for predators. This means sitting in a position where they can escape quickly or sleeping with their eyes open. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A calm bunny means they feel comfortable with you in the environment and have no need to be on high alert for predators since they can trust you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They Fall Asleep Next To You<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If they fall asleep next to you, they are incredibly comfortable being with you. This is one of the cutest ways a bunny shows their human love. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Snuggling up next to their human and dozing off. They\u2019ll often be stretched out while they are being petted and sometimes if they are extra trusting and comfortable, they will be on their side.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They Click Their Teeth<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

You may think your bunny is having\na tooth problem. But this is actually a sign of love and contentment. Just like\na cat purrs when they are happy, a bunny will softly click their teeth. When\nyou are petting your bunny next, make sure the room is quiet and you will be\nable to hear it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They Sit On Your Lap<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

This is not something a bunny would normally do. Most bunnies do not like being cuddled or held as they have a prey like response. However, if a bunny really loves and trusts you, they will climb onto your lap while you pet them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sometimes, they\u2019ll even reciprocate and groom you at the same time showing you affection in the process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How Do You Get Your Bunny To Love\nYou?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

This takes patience and a lot of care towards your bunny. It can take months for a bunny to trust their human and become comfortable in their home environment. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some may only take a few weeks. It all depends on the bunny\u2019s personality. However, here are a few tips that can help the process of building trust and love with your bunny.<\/p>\n\n\n\n