# No licking



## katiecrna (Feb 9, 2017)

My rabbit never licks me. She climbs on me if I ignore here, and she nudges me with her head to get my attention. But have never once licked me. I feel like she doesn't like me.


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## JBun (Feb 9, 2017)

Some of my rabbits love to lick me, some wouldn't if their lives depended on it. Consider that licking with rabbits is a grooming behavior also tied with hierarchy. If your bun thinks she's the boss, that could be why she doesn't lick you. It would mean she believes she's top bun and it's beneath her to groom you. Which means she sees it as your job to groom her and give her head rubs  So nothing to do with her not liking you. Head nudging and climbing on you means she does like you and trusts you.

Could also be if you use things such as lotion on your skin, that she doesn't care for the taste or smell of it and so won't lick you for this reason.

Also, with shy or timid rabbits, it can take them much longer to get to the point where they feel safe enough to groom and lick you. I have one bun that it took years to get one little lick from her as she's a very shy and nervous rabbit. Even with her own bunny companions, it took years before I saw her give them a little lick, and then it's rarely and just a lick or two.


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## stevesmum (Feb 9, 2017)

Mine is the same way. She would not lower herself to that level. After all, we are their loyal subjects aren't we? Maybe it's a girl thing. My dear departed Steve would give me kisses on demand. Oh how I miss his little bunny kisses..


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## Ivythelionhead (Feb 9, 2017)

Iris isn't a big licker,she does occasionally lick me but that's very rare just because your rabbit doesn't lick you doesn't mean she dislikes you it just means she's not a licker.


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## Aki (Feb 9, 2017)

Licking is not a sign of love or like, if you think such a feeling can be directed by rabbit towards a human being (which I doubt - I believe in trust a lot more than love / like in that case). It's a sign of submission. Most females won't lick you because females are generally dominant in warrens. Aki is a pretty dominant doe, but she will lick me when I pick her up. Because she wants to get down, so she pledge her fealty or something (I think she believes picking her up is a way for me to establish hierarchy) and, being the benign leader that I am, I put her down. 
Tybalt never licked me, but he barely licks himself and only give a small lick to Aki after much proding (he is lick-lazy)


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## stevesmum (Feb 9, 2017)

I think it's a sign of affection. Trust too, but definitely affection. I think rabbits are deeper than people give them credit for. Of course, like even people, some can be emotionally immature or stunted or whatever.


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## kksdad (Feb 14, 2017)

Moredcai our buck will lick me. Ava our doe will only lick Mordecai.


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## Nancy McClelland (Feb 14, 2017)

All will do, but, some more so than others. I love it when I step into the bunny room and Cosmo will run in circles for a couple of minutes around my feet and pick up something and run around the room for a couple more minutes or he'll start binkying and racing around.


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