today's random pet poll

[ratcreature]

I once again failed to convince my rats of the merits of being still to let me cuddle them for longer than three or four scritches...

Poll #5584 rate your pets' cuddliness...

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 35

View Respondents

How willing to cuddle is (are) your pet(s)?

View Answers

It is not the kind you cuddle (e.g. racing cockroaches or fish or the like).
1 (2.9%)

It won't tolerate petting or cuddling at all.
1 (2.9%)

It lets me pet it sometimes. If I'm lucky.
5 (14.3%)

I can bribe it with food to let itself be petted.
2 (5.7%)

If I force-cuddle it, it usually holds still and endures it.
4 (11.4%)

It voluntarily lets me cuddle and pet it for a short while, if I initiate.
7 (20.0%)

It sometimes voluntarily comes to me and initiates cuddling itself, but not for long.
9 (25.7%)

It initiates or even demands lengthy cuddles, but only on its own terms.
18 (51.4%)

My pet loves to cuddle at almost all times.
11 (31.4%)

It's not so much that it likes cuddles, as that it likes to sleep in a warm and soft spot that happens to be me.
16 (45.7%)

I dislike cuddling my pet, so this is avoided from my end, and I couldn't say what its preferences are.
0 (0.0%)

Comments

[draigwen]

The rabbits rarely like to be petted at all. The rats tend to like cuddles - but these have to be initiated usually until they decide to wander off and explore. The old rats are more likely to cuddle up next to us (but normally my other half and not me because he's warmer).

[ratcreature]

Yeah, so far all my rats have become more patient/willing to cuddle with age, but they all have a short attention span for it, even if they like the petting well enough. Bribery makes them come, but not that likely to stay, because then the primary concern is getting the food eaten or to safety. Sometimes my rats come and want to be petted, or start grooming me, but that is relatively rare.