Is this bun relaxed, scared or indifferent? Vote Now !

Thought this may be useful to new bunny owners. This rabbit is having a massage.
Please vote on how you think the bunny is responding to the massage

How strange, it is really hard to say. At first my gut instinct was that she was terrified, however she doesn't make any attempt to spin over and run away. It does look like she is breathing quite rapidly though

I think shes/he is scared.
Iv heard tht rabbits freeze when they are really frightened, and this one is VERY still.
Theres no way that my buns would let me do that lol!!

Sorry, but I call that cruel, it is not a normal position for a bunny to be in and it's literally petrified

I agree with you Theo, I think the bun is scared, & isn't moving, but I wasn't 100 % sure, so wondered what more experinced peops would say.

If you look at the other clip 'Lilith fait le menage', you will see the moron dusting the back of his sofa with the rabbit while it is on its back!

The was a very long massage and I didn't think that rabbits liked having their tummies touched. I definitely think that rabbit was too stressed to move.

How weird. Bert would not let me do that at all. He would scratch my face off.

SORRY DONT LIKE THAT ONE BIT!!!!

FudgesMummy wrote:SORRY DONT LIKE THAT ONE BIT!!!!

My feelings exactly, it made me feel very uncomfortable, there was no way I could watch the whole clip.

I'm with the 'scared' vote too. I didn't manage to watch the whole clip (stupid internet) but I saw the first 10 seconds or so which was enough.

I have to turn mine over like that and clamp them between my thighs to do their nails and they hate it. Even though they stay as still as that (poor) bunny, they breathe very quickly and are quite clearly terrified.

I think the fact that the bun doesn't get up and run away is more indicative of the fear response than it being particularly relaxed...

Mine hate having their tummies touched and the way that person is handling bun just makes me want to go and tell them "It's not chilled it's quite literally petrified!!!"

Sorry if it upset you, I didn't mean for that, I wanted to know what people really thought as it would be easy for a new bunny owner to think that this bun was having a lovely massage & enjoying it when the bun is, in fact, scared and probably terrified.

I think the rabbit is frightened Is the bunny in a trance? Just wondered because of being on their back and I have never seen a bun in a trance before

All my rabbits shut their eyes and lay stretched out and quite still while they are getting a massage, and are usually happy for me to carry on until my arms get tired But they are always on their front, or if they flip onto their side they will let me touch their tummy but I am not comfortable to carry on giving them a massage like that and move them back onto their front or they get up and lay back down again when I stop

I don't think its safe for a rabbit to be held on their back like that, its just asking for an injury

I will have to get some videos of my lot getting their massages and you can see what a relaxed bunny looks like getting one I might have to wait until a lighter day though, its dark and cloudy here now and I don't have a proper video camera my picture camera doesn't take great videos unless its light

I would be more interested in the rabbits response to the 'massage' if it was not restrained (which is what a trance position is) on it's back. The rabbits does actually make a few movements in which it seems to be weighing up it's chances of righting itself to make an escape but I notice the owner also picks up on these opportunities and repositions the bunny firmly on it's back. I notice these because with the position of Mack's abcess 'trancing' is the only position we can use to clean it, and I can tell when he is getting ready to make a break for it/comes out of the trance.

More so, when the rabbit could perhaps be considered to look relaxed and makes no attempt to escape I would actually interpret this as the rabbit adopting the play dead approach....which is why the owner encounters little resistance when manouvers the rabbits feet and hind quarters.

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I would like to warn anyone viewing this video that some of the techniques carried out on the muscular structure, hind legs and in particular the rabbits positioning in relation to it's spine are all potentially dangerous and I would strongly advise that no Hoppers attempt to try this at home.

Good post Sooz

Thanks Sooz...I would never do anything like that to Fudge-he gets massage but oly on his terms when snuggled on the duvet!

Earlier in the month I posted about my concerns for a bunny used by a magician...he is quite heavy handed with her and 'trances' her by tipping her onto her back mmmmmmm give it a couple of weeks and think the rspca may be involved!