Why doesn't your rabbit like her tummy touched?

Answer 1

Some rabbits have sensitive spots that they don't want anybody to touch. My rabbit doesn't like being touched on his feet. Cats too! They don't like being touched on their tummy!

Answer 2

I don't believe this behaviour is limited to only female rabbits, having seen male rabbits display the same habit. It is most likely related to the same reasons why many rabbits don't like to be picked up and carried. Unless handled often and from an early age, many domestic rabbits never quite overcome their instinctive fear of being picked up, as if by a predator planning on eating them. Reaching in to touch them from the side possibly makes them think much the same thing and so they shy away from the gesture.

My own rabbit does this same thing but we've managed to turn it into a game. If I put my hand down toward her side or even brace it on the ground, she scampers around it in a tight circle. Moving my hand in a circular motion she continues to scamper around and around it, even changing directions if I do. She'll continue to repeat this maneuver as long as I can last, and obviously enjoys the exercise, as she even initiates the game herself.