📅 Monday, 15 June 2026 · No. 85

Belly-Up Ball: He Does It Himself (I Never Flip)

💤 Behavior Diaries · ✎ 4 min · by Azmi in Meknes

Azmi's note My personal log from Meknes, not vet advice. Just what I did and saw tonight.

King does full belly-ups ten to fifteen times a day. Basically a hedgehog, actually a ball. My brother worries about the spine, so here is the house rule, written down. This post states the belly-up law with its preamble: the observed habit, the three articles, and the worry addressed. Personal household rule, not veterinary advice, for spine or handling questions I follow my vet; our rule errs on maximum caution. Ridiculous creature, self-rolling. Bunnies on their backs naturally: let them. Humans putting them there: no. The distinction is the whole diary entry.

Preamble: the habit observed

Frequency: 10-15 self-rolls daily (tallied across a week, mornings lead, evenings follow). Context: always voluntary, always from a flop or stretch, always followed by immediate recovery (up, shake, hop on). Duration: seconds to a minute, never distressed, often mid-play. Before-he-reentered-the-room photo included for scale of the habit (the ball captured mid-roll, brother present, worry noted). Brother’s worry, recorded fairly: backs look fragile, balls look wrong, what if. Worry status: respected, answered by law below, concern converted to protocol, the family way.

Belly-up law: three articles

Him doing it alone: fine, photograph, laugh, voluntary rolls observed without interference, joy logged
Me flipping him: never, could hurt the spine, no trancing, no posing, no exceptions; hands stay on the floor during ball events
Struggle risk means hands off, always, any roll near edges gets cushions moved closer, never hands reaching in

Law ratified by the household (me, wife, brother, unanimous), posted mentally, followed religiously. Related trust protocols: my floor-level sessions (never lift) and the nudge catalogue’s stillness rule (never grab). Brother satisfied (witnessed a month of safe self-rolls, worry retired with honors). King rolling, law holding, spines unthreatened by anyone here. Self-rolling: nature. Flipping: never. Households take note.

self-rolled belly-up ball mid-roll — Ball mode, second photo.

Incident log: balls witnessed (sample month)

Sample week tallied: Monday 12 rolls (playful day), Tuesday 9 (normal), Wednesday 14 (zoomie-adjacent, peak), Thursday 8 (rest day), Friday 11, weekend 13 total (relaxed pace). Contexts: post-flop stretches (60%), mid-play surprises (25%), greeting rolls (15%, performed for arriving humans, showmanship suspected). Durations: 5 seconds to 1 minute; recoveries: instant, always (up-shake-hop, the triple). Witnesses: household all (brother’s worry log: 4 entries, all resolved by observation). Photographic series: 20 ball photos this month, best filed (mid-roll with all paws skyward, physics defied, comedy achieved). Ridiculous creature, self-rolling, the diary’s assessment, renewed with every roll. Ten to fifteen daily, zero assisted, all wonderful.

Law commentary and brother’s peace

Commentary on Article 2 (never flip): the bright line that ends all debate, voluntary versus imposed, nature versus handling. Trancing explained in household terms (immobility is fear, not relaxation, vet-confirmed understanding, applied strictly). Brother’s peace process: worry logged (fair), month of observation offered (accepted), worry retired with honors (ceremony: parsley for all, law read aloud). Current status: brother photographs balls now (convert fully converted). Households take note, the distinction is the whole diary entry and the whole duty of care: backs decide, hands respect, cameras enjoy. King rolling daily, law standing permanently, family unanimous. Ball mode: nature’s own. Hands: in pockets.

Law gazette, monthly: rolls tallied, articles upheld, brother converted. Amendment proposals: none (law perfect as written). Enforcement actions: zero needed (compliance voluntary and total). Public education: visitors briefed on arrival (look, laugh, never touch mid-roll). Ball photography contest announced: best mid-roll shot wins parsley (judge: brother, reformed). Entries so far: 20 photos, frontrunner the all-paws-skyward defier of physics. King presiding, rolling, wonderful. Households take note; hands stay pocketed; cameras stay ready.

Gazette closed for the month: 300+ rolls witnessed, zero assisted, law unbroken. Brother fully converted (photographs balls, cites articles). King unbothered (rolls on schedule, naps between). Household unanimous (rarest verdict). Belly-upballs continue under law’s protection; hands continue in pockets; cameras continue clicking. Nature rolls; humans respect; diary records. Ball forever.

Ball count tonight: eleven rolls, zero assists, infinite delight. Law observed in full; brother converted completely; King magnificent particularly. Spines safe; hands pocketed; cameras happy. Ten to fifteen daily, every day wonderful. Roll on, King.

Gazette supplement: ball of the month elected (all-paws-skyward, unanimous), photographer commended (brother, converted), law reprinted (unchanged, perfect). Rolls continue daily; compliance total; delight infinite. Nature’s ball; household’s joy; diary’s treasure.

Ball report filed nightly: count logged, law upheld, delight recorded. Ten to fifteen rolls, zero hands, full hearts. King presiding; brother photographing; diary glowing. Rolls rule; respect reigns.

Roll on, King. Law stands; hands pocketed.

Ten daily rolls minimum; delight maximum always. Law perfect; King wonderful.

Ball forever; hands never; diary always. King rolls; law holds; family smiles.

Rolls tallied nightly; law standing permanently.

King wonderful; law perfect; diary glowing. Rolls rule forever.

Self-rolling nature; never-flipping law. Households take note daily.

New month, new page in the gazette: rolls continuing at pace, law unchallenged, brother now contributing photographs with captions. The ball count for the new month starts at zero and climbs fast, King’s consistency is the diary’s most bankable asset. Self-rolling daily, hands pocketed permanently, delight assured. Gazette unpaginated no longer; the rolls get their own bound volume this year.

🐰

Written by Azmi

I track my rabbits' diet, weight and naps to see what works. Photos are mine, mess included. Say hi on the contact page.

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