HOW TO PET A HOOMIN, by Gwenni Bunny



Petting a hoomin takes a lot of practice.  Some are very finicky and you can only groom them in one direction or on certain parts of their body, like a leg or hand.  Some hoomins like it if you kiss their face, others will back away in fear because they think you are going to bite their lip.  Of course, if its me, they SHOULD back away in fear, because I WILL bite their lips.  Tiglath [Gwenni's mate], however, is a schmoozer and will kiss anybun.  The silly hoomins dont realize that even though he is so much bigger, I'm the cute little darling they should be afraid of.

When petting a hoomin, remember that each one has its own personality.  It is too easy to lump them all in a general catergory of "hoomin" and think they should all act alike.  Do not be disappointed if you had a great experience with one hoomin and you try the same cuddle technique with another one and the new hoomin just doesn't respond in the same way.  Patience and persistence are required.  You just cant expect every hoomin to be well behaved.  Some hoomins learn quickly and feed your treats every time you make eye contact.  Other hoomins are pretty thick and you may have to glare at them for 20 minutes before they get the idea.  Good behavior should be rewarded with lots of cuddles.  Hoomins respond to soft, comforting noises too, so remember to tooth purr to make your hoomin feel relaxed.

The most important thing to remember about petting a hoomin is that you must meet them at their own level.  They feel uncomfortable getting down on the floor with you, so you must go out of your comfort zone and hop up on the couch with them.  Hoomins feel more secure when you pet them in places they are used to. If your hoomin has a favorite chair, hop up into his or her lap to initiate a cuddle session.  But not all places are good places to pet a hoomin.  For some reason, hoomins regard a bun hopping up on their desk the same we regard a hoomin lifting up our hideyhole box to clean it when we're in it - its a major invasion of private space.  Yes, I know that the idea of a hoomin having "private" space is an illusion, and we buns own everything and have to get into "their" things some times to take care of them.  But hoomins feel more secure if you allow them to keep their illusions for most of the time.

In closing, hoomins need attention and affection, even if they pretend they are independent and want to be left alone.  You may need to modify your techniques to just spending time with the hoomin at first, until the hoomin learns to relax and accept affection.  Some hoomins have had a rough life and it may take them a long time to learn this.  Don't take it personally, they have this problem with other hoomins too.  And its not a bad thing - not all buns and hoomins are trustworthy and learning to have healthy boundaries is a good thing.  But hoomins need love so its important to take the time to build up trust with your hoomin.

Hoomins have a lot of stress in their lives and we buns provide excellant fur therapy, so its important that every bun learns how to pet a hooomin.