Don’t sneak up behind the rabbit. If you enter the room and your rabbit is facing away from you, give him a signal you’re in the room. Speak softly or make light kissing noises. This way, he won’t feel like you’re sneaking up on him.
If your rabbit is new to the house, he might be hesitant to approach you right away. It is important to not force him to come to you. Keep up this process for a few days until he begins approaching you to ensure that he is comfortable when you start petting him.
Present your hand to the rabbit’s front end, not back. Otherwise you’ll scare him when he realizes your hand is approaching. Rabbits can’t see directly in front of their face or under their jaw. Bring your hand in from slightly off to the side to ensure that your rabbit sees it coming. Do not put your hand below the rabbit’s nose. While presenting your hand under the jaw shows submission to dogs and cats, it has the opposite presentation in rabbits, as a dominant rabbit will approach another and demand to be groomed by the other by lowering its head under the other rabbit’s nose. If you approach a nervous rabbit this way, it will likely make it more nervous, and if you do this to a territorial or dominant rabbit, you might get nipped.
Generally, don’t try to rub their chins. Unlike cats or dogs, rabbits don’t usually like getting their chins scratched and it puts you in easy reach to receive a bite. Also avoid trying to pet your rabbit’s stomach or paws as these are vulnerable areas for them.
Purring and light tooth clicking indicates that your rabbit is happy. Rolling over, climbing on you, placing his head on the ground, licking, and nudging you with his nose also indicate happiness and desire for attention. Keep petting your rabbit if he does these things- he’s having a good time. Growling, grunting, and squealing indicate fear or pain. Stop petting and put him down until he gets relaxed again. Rabbits also sometimes go up on their hind legs and put out their front feet like they’re going to punch you. This is a defensive posture (but can also mean it wants to look at something higher up and needs a better view) and you should leave your rabbit alone if he does this. If your rabbit turns around and tries to get away, let him go. He may be tired or scared, and forcing him to play will make it worse. Let him go back to his cage and rest before trying to play again.
Also don’t force him out of the cage. Rabbits like to have a space that they can retreat to and relax. When they want to play or explore, they’ll come out on their own. Leave your rabbit alone when he’s in his cage, unless you suspect he may be hurt or sick. Otherwise, let him come out when he wants to.
