Because rabbits are social animals, they require daily interaction and attention. They aren't happy languishing in a cage day after day. For several hours daily, they need time outside the cage, to socialize, exercise and explore. To be comfortable with their people, they need frequent, gentle interaction.
Rabbits love nothing more than having the space to run around, play, dig and explore while enjoying a bit of 'me' time. Show your bunnies you love them by offering a secure environment where they can display these natural behaviours safely away from predators. A happy rabbit is a loved rabbit!
'Give them a stroke or cuddle, or what you know they enjoy', says Rosie. 'Rubbing their faces against you is a way of sharing their scent profile, and showing that you really are friends. A rabbit will only do this if they recognise your scent and have a positive association with you as someone they've bonded with.
Nose Nudging: Nose nudging is another behavior that has several meanings. Rabbits might nudge, push, or toss things around as a form of play, to solicit attention from you, or as a territorial behavior meaning “mine!” or “get out of the way!” Rabbits can be very territorial and particular.
Please ensure your rabbits have access to shade and fresh water when outdoors. Positive interactions with humans, such as training, playing games and grooming, are excellent forms of environmental enrichment. Spend quality time with your rabbits several times a day [3].
Your rabbit may show signs of wanting attention from you by nudging you, softly biting or even making digging notions directly on you. On the other hand, they may show signs of withdrawing from you, refusing interaction and not responding when you try to pet or play. A lonely rabbit may become hyperactive and angry.
When a rabbit nibbles or bites you softly it is often accompanied with licking, which is a sign of love. He is trying to groom you and is simulating the grooming process (however, you have no fur to build up knots in so it results in just a little nibble of the skin).
If you spend the time to pet them and give them a nice massage, your rabbit will thank you by licking your hand or your leg. You may also receive a couple of light nips from your rabbit. This is especially likely if your rabbit is grooming you around the seams of your clothing.
Rabbits lick for affection, not for salt. Licking means “I love you, I trust you.” Lunging may occur when you reach into your rabbit's cage to clean, give food, or to take your rabbit out – a sign of disapproval.
Hay: The staple of a rabbit's diet
You'll want to feed your rabbit grass hays. Good types of grass hay for bunnies are timothy, orchard grass, brome and oat hay.
Rabbits enjoy being around people and can usually recognise their owners by sight and sound.
At a minimum, you should spend at least an hour with your rabbit every day. However, 3-5 hours (or even more) are ideal. You do not have to be giving your rabbit undivided attention during this time, but instead, make yourself available to interact with them if they want to.
My rabbits like being stroked on their forehead and cheeks. They put their head on the ground and close their eyes in contentment. They also love getting a good back scratch around the shoulders. That said, they tend not to like being touched on the ears, neck, feet, stomach or tail.
Many bunnies enjoy cuddles and affection
Bunnies are super-soft, and many will love cuddling with you as much as you love cuddling with them. Once a bunny is comfortable in their new home, they may claim you as their own by rubbing their chin on you to mark their territory.
Circling is one way that rabbits will show their affection for the people who they feel close to. It's an indication that your rabbit is excited to see you. You might even notice they are making a quiet oinking or buzzing sound while they do it (sometimes called honking too).
If your rabbits look tucked up and quiet with their chins tucked in and noses not twitching this can be a sure sign of them feeling unhappy or stressed, as this is not a normal position for a rabbit. Moving or running away. Your rabbits may turn and move away from you (or each other) if they're unhappy.
Signs that your rabbit might be bored
Rabbits might start chewing things that they shouldn't, destroying their pen, or trying to dig out. They might also start to over-groom themselves to give them something to do.
Rabbits like to play and need plenty of exercise to stay healthy and happy. Ideally you want to provide them with up to 4 hours daily of supervised time out of their cage. Rabbits are subject to depression and poor health if they're not provided with daily interaction and mental stimulation.
Because rabbits are social animals, they will often get depressed if they are left alone for too long. A rabbit who is treated like a cage animal and left alone inside their enclosure day in and day out is very likely to become lonely and depressed. Instead, it's best to treat rabbits as companion animals.
Your rabbit may learn to accept being picked up, but down deep inside, in the most ancient recesses of the rabbit brain, chemicals are being released that cause physical responses to danger. Your rabbit will learn to "ignore" these, but even the calmest bun is indeed having a physiological response to being picked up.