ALL ABOUT BUNNY BEHAVIOR

Hey guys, this is Haley from 101rabbits.com and today I'm going to be doing a video all about bunny behavior. Now because there are so many different types of behaviors in rabbits, I won't be able to explain every single one in great detail. But if you have any specific questions about any specific behaviors, go ahead and leave them down below and I will try my best to comment back to you. I went ahead and separated all of the rabbit behaviors into six main groups. In these groups we have content behaviors, fear, dominant, anger, pain, and happy. The first category I'm going to be talking about are the content behaviors. Chewing is a very common behavior in rabbits. They use it for many different things. Main ones are to explore things. Rabbits like to chew to taste certain objects. And chewing is also a sort of play for rabbits. Digging is very instinctual for rabbits as well, as wild rabbits live underground in burrows which rabbits dig out themselves. So a lot of times house rabbits will also dig. In this instance, digging can be used as play or content and happy. And an easy behavior is eating. Rabbits eat when they're happy and content. Another thing rabbits do when they're content is eat their cecotropes. If you did not know, rabbits have something called a cecum where they create cecotropes. It's essentially a type of poop that rabbits eat directly from their bottom. It is full of nutrients for them and it's basically just a way to help them reabsorb as much nutrients as possible. Laying down is a very content behavior. Your rabbit may lay in many different types of positions, but these are just a few examples. Loafing is sort of like laying. It's just a position that some rabbits prefer to sleep in. Grooming is a good sign that your rabbit is content and happy. Rabbits groom themselves more than cats, so you will most likely be seeing your rabbit doing a lot of this. Nudging is something a rabbit will do to explore their area. They will also sometimes nudge things if they are in their way. A nip is just a type of communication for rabbits. They will do this if, again, something is in their way. It's just a way for them to communicate with other rabbits or humans. Panting can be a sign of contentment after a rabbit has just ran around for a while. Rabbits will also pin their ears when they are perfectly content. This is not always a sign of aggression. Some rabbits just prefer to sleep this way. Raised tail is normally a sign of aggression, but rabbits will also do this before they go to the bathroom. Running is something every rabbit does all the time. Running is a very normal thing for rabbits to do when they are happy and content. Scratching is a very normal behavior for rabbits. A lot of the times they'll do this if they have an itch somewhere. Sometimes they do it while they're grooming. Shaking is something else rabbits do. A lot of the times this is after they have stretched, just woken up, or have just groomed themselves. It's just kind of a way to fluff their fur out. Sleeping, of course, is a rabbit's favorite pastime. They do this when they are very content. Just a fact, because rabbits are prey animals, they do not always sleep with their eyes closed. They have the capability of leaving their eyes open while they are sleeping. So just because your rabbit's eyes are open does not mean that they aren't sleeping. Sniffing is pretty self-explanatory. It's a way for a rabbit to explore their surroundings and get to know things. Rabbits like to stretch after they have just been sleeping or just been sitting for a while. The Superman pose is something else rabbits will do when they are very content. It's just a different way that they lay down. They just kick out their back leg behind them. Yawning is something rabbits will do after they've just been sleeping for a while. And it's normally done while they are stretching as well. Now I'm going to move on to the happy behaviors. These are going to be things that your rabbit is doing while they are very happy. This first behavior is begging. Rabbits love treats and they love to beg for food. Most often when they do this, they are very excited and happy. Another sign of happiness in rabbits is something called a binky. Rabbits will jump in the air and kind of twist their body. They do this when they are very excited and hyper. Some rabbits will do something called a bunny 500. That's just where they run around the perimeter of the room at top speed. A lot of the times they are doing binkies as well while they are running around. Circling is something rabbits will do when they are happy and excited as well. Normally it's when food is involved. This can be circling you or circling other bunnies. Cuddling other bunnies or even cuddling you is a sign of happiness. A flop is one of the most adorable things ever. It's something rabbits do when they are extremely happy and it's a very good sign that they are very content and very happy. I will like to note that some rabbits flop more than others. So just because your rabbit doesn't flop all the time doesn't mean it's not happy. Grooming other bunnies or grooming humans is a sign of happiness. A head toss is something else rabbits do when they are excited or happy. I also like to call this a mini binky because it's kind of like a mini binky in my mind. They kind of just toss their head excitedly but they don't actually jump off the ground like they would during a binky. Honking is something that male rabbits will do when they want to mate. But it is also a sign of contentment and happiness in other rabbits. Some rabbits will do this while you are petting them. Tossing things is a sign of play with rabbits. They normally do this when they are playing with toys or sometimes they'll do it to move objects out of their way. Carrying items is another sign of happiness or excitement in bunnies. They will do this most likely to take the object away from you or away from another bunny because they want it all to themselves. A lot of the times it's something that smells good or a treat. Submitting to be pet or asking to be pet is another sign of happiness in rabbits. It's when a rabbit gets into the submitting position with their head lowered to the ground. Rabbits will do this when they are asking for you to pet them. They also do this when they ask other bunnies to groom them. Tooth purring is another thing rabbits are able to do. It is different than tooth grinding which is something rabbits do when they are in pain. Tooth purring to me kind of sounds like a rabbit is chewing on something or like finishing off a treat. But a lot of the times they're doing it while they're either laying down and relaxed or while you are petting them. But it doesn't necessarily sound like a cat purr. The next category I want to talk about is fear. Alert is when a rabbit is sitting straight up with their ears perked forward. Most often their eyes are very wide during this. Rabbits will do this when they hear a scary noise or they see something that is kind of scary to them. Head bobbing is something a rabbit does most often when they are exploring a new area or if there is an unfamiliar object on the floor. They kind of creep forward and bob their head up and down. It's just a way for them to look at the object better. Creeping is very similar to head bobbing. Normally they go hand in hand but it's basically when a rabbit creeps their front legs forward while their hind legs kind of stay in the same place. This is just so that a rabbit can look at something closer without getting too close. A head tilt can actually be a sign of fear. So a head tilt is not always a bad thing. Rabbits will do this slightly when they are looking down at an object. So if they are on like a shelf or something higher up and they are looking at an object down on the ground they will slightly tilt their head so that they are able to look at the object. Rabbits sometimes will also have uneven ears when they are listening to something. Other times rabbits will have ears like this when they are kind of annoyed or irritated. Panting can also be a sign of fear. Rabbits will pant heavily when they are in scary situations such as you're holding them, you're taking them to the vet, grooming them. Rabbits do something called periscoping. This is not always necessarily based by fear but it is something a rabbit will do when it's trying to get a better look at something. If their eyes are very wide and their ears are very perked forward most often that means your rabbit is scared. A rabbit scream is something I don't have an example for as it's very rare for you to hear a rabbit do this. Rabbits have the capability of screaming when they feel that they are about to die. Rabbits will do a submissive position when they are scared sometimes. Most often this is seen in very submissive rabbit personalities. When a rabbit does this they tend to almost go limp and let you do whatever you want with them. Thumping is normally a sign of fear. Rabbits do it most often when they see something scary or they hear a funny noise. They will also thump when they are irritated as well. Wide eyes normally come hand in hand with other fear behaviors but this just means a rabbit is very alert and looking around at its surroundings. Again, they tend to do this when they're in an unfamiliar area or they see something scary or hear something scary. The next category I'm going to be talking about are anger behaviors. This kind of covers a wide variety of aggression. Some of it is very low key, kind of like they're just irritated, whereas some of these behaviors are very much aggressive. The first one is biting. Rabbits will do this when you are doing things they don't like. A lot of the times it's when you're giving them medication or you're grooming them or clipping their nails. They'll also bite other rabbits when they are doing something they don't like or during a bonding process. Boxing is something rabbits do to almost defend themselves. A lot of the times it's when they're kind of fighting or trying to fight with another bunny. They flick their front legs up and down and kind of do it at another rabbit's face or at your hands. The bunny butt is something that lots of rabbits do. It's more of an irritated behavior. Normally how it's shown is they will be facing towards you and either you're doing something they don't like or they're just irritated and they'll quickly kind of turn around, put their butt towards you, and then peek over their shoulder out of one eye at you. Honestly, it's kind of hilarious when they do it because rabbits have such funny personalities. Charging is also another aggressive sign. Rabbits tend to do this either at humans or at other rabbits. When a rabbit charges, most often their tail is raised and their ears are pinned back. They will almost run slash jump at another rabbit or another human. Sometimes when they reach the human or the rabbit, they will actually bite them. Rabbits do this when they are very upset or they feel very, very threatened. This behavior can come out in bonding or in cage aggression and sometimes rabbits will do it at other pets such as dogs or cats. Chewing can be a sign that your rabbit is angry. A lot of the times it's chewing on the cage bars or chewing on something that's in their way. They'll kind of grab it and shake it and then chew on it. If your rabbit is doing this on their cage a lot, I would highly recommend trying to expand their cage, making it larger. Even though digging can be a sign of play, it can also be something rabbits do when they're irritated. A lot of the times my rabbits will dig on like towels or something when they're at the vet because they're very irritated and they just want to go home. Some people call foot flicking rabbit swearing. It's basically when a rabbit is very irritated with you. Normally it's after you've picked them up and you've just set them down or if you've just gotten back from the vet or something. A rabbit will hop away from you while flicking their back feet out. Rabbits will also do this if they get something on their back paws such as water. Grunting is something rabbits do as a warning. It's normally when they're very uncomfortable, they're very irritated, and they're pretty much saying they're warning you that if you keep doing what you're doing they may bite you or lunge at you. Jumping over another bunny's head is something rabbits will sometimes do. Normally it's not very aggressive. It's normally just to avoid contact with another rabbit. This could be if the other rabbit was trying to lunge at them or bite them. They just jump over the other rabbit's head or the other rabbit's body so that they can avoid contact with that rabbit. Lunging is a warning behavior. It's done when a rabbit is very aggressive or very scared. They will most likely lunge and grunt at the same time. Normally it's towards your hand or towards another rabbit. A nudge is something else a rabbit will do when they're kind of irritated. Normally it's when you're messing around with them and like clipping their nails or something and they don't want your hand near them, they'll like push it away with their head. Pinned ears can also be a sign of aggression. Normally the way to tell between aggression pinned ears and content pinned ears is that when it's aggressive, normally they start straight up and then they pin back very quickly and sharply. Normally that's followed by a lunge or a grunt. A raised tail is also a sign of aggression. A rabbit will stick their tail almost straight up in the air when they are either charging, lunging, grunting, anything like that. Some rabbits' tails have the capability of raising higher than other bunnies so sometimes it's hard to see it in certain rabbit breeds. Thumping can also be an aggressive or irritated behavior. Rabbits will do this like again after you've picked them up or during a bonding process. The next behaviors I'm going to be talking about are dominance behaviors. A lot of the times you will see these when you have more than one rabbit interacting with each other. Chasing is something a rabbit does to kind of show dominance. A lot of the times they're trying to chase the other bunny to hump them or sometimes it's just because they don't want the other rabbit in that specific area. Chinning is something rabbits do to mark their territory. They have little scent glands under their chins that they will rub on things to leave their smell. Rabbits will circle other bunnies while they are trying to hump each other. A lot of the times circling can lead to fighting or more aggressive behaviors if gone on too long. Grunting can also be a dominance thing. A lot of the times if a rabbit is chasing another bunny, they'll be doing a very soft grunt. It's almost like underneath the rabbit's breath and it's very hard to hear it unless you're very close to the rabbit. Head wars is something rabbits do with other bunnies. A lot of the times this is very early on in the bonding process, but even rabbits who have been bonded for years will do head wars. Rabbits will both go into a submissive position asking the other rabbit to pet each other, but instead of either rabbit grooming, they just sit there with their heads together waiting for another rabbit to give up and groom. Humping is a sign of dominance as well. Of course this can be a sign of mating, but if your rabbits are spayed and neutered, this shouldn't be occurring. Females will hump just as much as males during a bonding process and it just simply means that that rabbit is in charge. Spraying is another way a rabbit will mark their territory. It's very uncommon in rabbits who are spayed and neutered, but sometimes during a bonding process it might occur or if a rabbit was neutered very late in life. Thumping sometimes occurs when a rabbit is trying to be dominant. I've seen it where a rabbit will thump right before it humps another rabbit. The last section are behaviors that could indicate your rabbit is in pain. I would like to note that some of these behaviors aren't always a for sure sign your rabbit is sick, but if you see these behaviors, please keep a very close eye on your rabbit and see if it's occurring a lot. And also mention it to your rabbit veterinarian. A rabbit pressing its stomach to the floor is a very awkward look. It's kind of where they twist their stomach, pressing it to the ground. They will do this if they're having stomach discomfort and they're in GI stasis. However, sometimes rabbits will do this same behavior when they're just stretching. So the way to distinguish between the two is whether the rabbit stays in that position pressing its stomach to the floor or if it's doing it repeatedly. A hunched position can closely resemble a loafing position. It's basically where the rabbit is sitting in a loafing position. You can most definitely tell that they are in pain and in discomfort. Tooth grinding is another sign of pain. This definitely sounds very painful even listening to it. A rabbit basically just grinds its teeth together very loudly. A lot of the times you'll hear a rabbit doing that while pressing their stomach to the floor or while in a hunched position. Head shaking can also be a sign of pain. Rabbits who have ear infections can shake their head a lot or scratch their ears a lot. Of course there are many other signs of pain such as bleeding, not moving, stuff like that. But I'm not really going to get into all of those in this video. That's basically it for all the rabbit behaviors. I know this was a long video but I'm glad you stuck with me. If you have any further questions about any of these behaviors, don't forget to leave a comment down below and I will try my hardest to answer them for you. I want to give a huge thank you to all of my patrons over on Patreon, especially for Misha who is a part of my production team. Thank you all so much for watching and I will see you very soon on a new video. Bye!