Understanding Your Rabbit Behavior | Interpret Your Bunny’s Signals

Rabbits, like other animals, too are predisposed to exhibit unruly behavior when not trained or socialized properly. So, understanding rabbit behavior is an important part of your pet care regimen and to to fully comprehend their behavior. 

Unfortunately, owners, especially those who are first timers, only think of these furry animals as cuddly and friendly. They forget the fact that rabbits are also very sensitive and require care and caution when handling. 

Unlike other domesticated animals such as cats and dogs, rabbits are known to be quite stubborn when it comes to commands of their human companion. You can easily read reactions and responses of these cute animals from their body language.

Importance of Understanding Rabbit Behavior

Raising a rabbit is a big responsibility that needs a lot of time and understanding. Ignoring these requirements often lead to misreading and misunderstanding of your pet’s activities. 

Here are some important tips to understand habits, tendencies, and behaviors of rabbits.

Grunting

Most of the time, rabbits enjoy running around and playing with their human friends. These animals also love to play with children and this trait makes them one of the most popular choices as the family pet. 

However, just like humans and other animals, rabbits also experience “bad days.” If you ever hear your pet grunting, it may be an indication that the rabbit is scared and uncomfortable. Such behavior may also a signal that your pet is angry or annoyed.

As soon as you notice this kind behavior, you should put in extra care when approaching or dealing with your pet. Although very rare, there is the risk of your pet biting you if you continue to make him angry or uncomfortable. 

The best thing to do is to figure out the underlying cause of this rabbit behavior. Leaving the pet alone for a few hours might also help.

High Pitched Screams

Yes, rabbits can also make high-pitched screams. Although very rare, this behavior is often exhibited when your pet is in extreme pain. 

This is a cause for concern and must be given immediate attention. This behavior usually means that your rabbit is sick or experiencing a health problem. The best way to deal with such situation is to take your pet to a vet right away for diagnosis and treatment.

Aside from feeling pain, screams also indicate that your pet is scared or fears for life. Whenever it exhibits similar behavior, carefully approach the rabbit and make efforts to assure its safety and security.

Chewing

One of the most common problems with rabbits is their natural tendency to chew on different things. The problem develops when your pet’s habit of chewing becomes excessive. 

Ignoring such rabbit behavior could become disastrous and annoying in the long run. There are instances highlighting how rabbits were able to destroy furniture and even fixtures through excessive chewing. Clearly, no owner wants to end up raising a pesky and problematic pet.

Chewing is a natural habit and rabbits are more predisposed to do this to maintain the proper size of their teeth. Overgrown teeth in rabbits are a common issue. This results in the front teeth piercing the facial skin. 

The condition is very painful and can even lead to fatal consequences. However, as long as your pet is not chewing and damaging your things, there is no reason to be alarmed.

Fortunately, there are many effective ways to control your pet’s chewing tendencies. The most used is to feed it hay, which naturally restrains the growth of a rabbit’s teeth. 

Make hay the major part of your pet’s daily diet, as this helps minimize the urge in your bunny to chew on other things.

You can also get toys, such as wooden blocks, made especially for rabbits and available in pet shops. Aside from helping cut down the teeth, these toys keep your pet busy while helping it to foster physical and mental skills. 

If you are unwilling to spend on toys, you can opt for customized and homemade versions that are very cheap. Use cardboard boxes or plastic balls that are just lying around your house.

Hair Pulling

If you see your female pet rabbit regularly pulling hair from her chest, it is probably an indication that she is pregnant. 

During this period, you must approach and treat her with extra care. A pregnant rabbit can be very agitated and remain aggressive most of the time.

Licking

If your bunny licks you, it’s a sign that they like you and trust you. Licking is a way for them to show affection and bond with you. 

Nudging

Nudging is a way for bunnies to get your attention. If your bunny is nudging you, they probably want something, like food, petting, or attention.

Purring

Purring is similar to a cat’s purring and is a sign that your bunny is happy and relaxed. If you hear your bunny purring, you’re doing a great job of making them feel happy and comfortable.

Behavior	Meaning
Thumping	Warning of danger
Flopping	Relaxed and trusts you
Licking	Showing affection
Nudging	Wants attention
Whining	Uncomfortable or unhappy
Purring	Happy and relaxed
Growling	Angry
Binky	Happy and playful
Digging	Comfortable and happy in their environment
Chewing	Exploring their environment and keeping teeth trimmed

Let’s say you have a bunny who’s always hiding and won’t come out of their hiding spot. After observing their behavior and environment, you realize they don’t have enough space to roam and play. 

So, you give them a larger area to explore and play in, and suddenly they start coming out of their hiding spot and seem happier and more active. This shows how understanding their environment and providing what they need can greatly improve their behavior.

Wrapping Up!

Understanding your bunny’s behavior is key to building a strong and happy relationship with them. 

Just remember, bunnies are like little furry detectives, and it’s up to us to solve the mystery of their behavior. But don’t worry, it’s not rocket science as you spend more time with your bunny, you’ll start to understand their behavior in a much better way!