The Running Rabbit
Your rabbit runs in several different ways. If you accidentally startle him, he may dash back to his cage or behind the furniture in a blind panic. If he's exploring a new area of the house, he will go very cautiously, his ears pointing forward.. After all, he doesn't know there's not a fox behind the door! Young rabbits sometimes revert to their baby crawl when they are uncertain, which is most endearing.
Once your rabbit is confident, he will bob about with a standard cheeky hop. If he's feeling full the joys of life, he may race around the room for sheer pleasure, sometimes with a kick and twist referred to as "binkying"
At other times, the joyful gallop will start from a standling leap of all fours, with the rabbit twisting round to land in the opposite direction.
Some rabbits will binky back at you if you leap up and down in front of them, but make sure nobody can see you do this or they are liable to think you have completely lost your marbles.
The Relaxed Rabbit
A relaxed rabbit isn't difficult to spot. You'll find him lying on his side or tummy, with his hind legs kicked out behind him.
This basic position varies from a watchful "I'm relaxed, but watching you' pose, with ears straight up, swivelling towards the source of any sound, to the 'almost asleep' position, with chin resting on the floor and eyes half closed. If he's feeling really chilled out, he might flake out completely, lying flat on his side with his head on the floor. Some rabbits literally fling themselves drown dramatically into this 'playing dead' position - you may think for a moment that your bunny has expired.
The Alert Rabbit
At the other end of the scale is the bunny on alert - sitting or standing in the look out position, nose twitching, ears directed towards any source of sound. This is a rabbit using his entire armoury of sensory equipment to look for danger. If he is worried, he may thump the ground hard with his hind feet. This is the alarm signal of the wild rabbit, which tells his warren-mates to get down the burrow immediately. The noise is amazingly loud inside the home.
A really terrified rabbit may crouch down, eyes bulging, ears right back. Wild rabbits do this if they get stuck in the middle of a field in the vicinity of a predator - pretending to be invisible many be safer than attempting the sprint to the burrow.
Tail Talk
Tail position is often a giveaway about what your rabbit is thinking. If your rabbit holds out his tail behind himself, with ears flat to his head, he is angry. This is ofter seen when you introduce a new rabbit too quickly; it is the prelude to a fight. You may also see it if you intrude into your rabbits territory - don't expect to be made welcome. If you provoke a rabbit displaying this pattern of behaviour, he may well launch himself at you and 'box' you with his front feet, and if he is really irate, he will use his teeth as well!!
A tail held well up over the back indicates courting behaviour. Female rabbits ofter flirt around males with their tail bolt upright when they are receptive to mating. You may see this behaviour before your rabbit is neutered. Beward the un-neutered male circling around your feet, grunting or honking with his tail in the air. You are very likely to get sprayed with urine at any moment.
Comically, house rabbits sometimes give a cheeky flick to the tail when they have been told off, or are interrupted before doing something they shouldn't
Attention Seeking
Many rabbits will demand attention by 'presenting' to their owner. The bunny will approach you, and, as he reched your hand or feet, he will put his chin down, with his ears flat on his head.
Your likely response will be to rub his nose, which is exactly what he intended. This behaviour oftern indicates a dominant rabbit - and it also demonstrates how smart your rabbit is, getting just what he wants from you.
The initial greeting between rabbits who already know one another is a gentle 'nose nudge'. You ofter find rabbits do this to their owners as well, especially if you have been out all day or away for longer.
A harder nudge indicates that you are sitting in your rabbit's way and he's asking you to move. If you stay put, he is likely to nip you as he would another rabbit who is blocking his path.
Grooming
Many rabbits like to lick and groom their owners. This is a gesture of friendship and acceptance - rabbits who like each other lie together and groom one another.
Unfortunately, normal rabbit grooming uses the teeth as well as the tongue, so don't be surprised if a rabbit nibbles you or your clothing in between licking you. You can see this nibbling action if you watch your rabbit cleanign himself - he will lean over and use it to clean the fur on his rump.
It is fascinating to watch a rabbit groom himself. Grooming is a fastidious ritual.. Starting with a little flick of the front paws, the rabbit will sit on his hind legs and proceed to wash his face with his paws, making sure his ears are well cleaned by pulling them forwards with his paws so he can reach the tips. He will then groom around the back of his neck, scratching with his hind footand then licking his paws clean. He will carefully wash his front paws by licking, and then his hind feet are brought forward in turn, toes spread to get right between them.
Vocal Sounds
It is eary to forget that rabbits have a vocal language. Rabbit vocalizations are much quieter than human language, but over time, you will hear your rabbit making all sorts of strange and wonderful noises.
Some sounds are self-explanatory - an angry rabbit may growl at you, or an un-neutered buck may honk or hum while circling your feet.
However, there are other, more subtle noises. For example, your bunny may give little squeaks when in the process of twisting round to groom or take caecotrophs
There are two types of sound connected with teeth grinding, and their meaning could not be more different. A rapid, gentel grinding indicates that your bunny is content - you might hear (or feel) this noise if you are rubbing your rabbit's cheeks when he has asked you for a head-rub. However, slower, harder teeth grinding is a sign of a rabbit in pain, and it is usually associated with a rabbit that is clearly unwell, sitting hunched up or acting in a withdrawn manner.
Hopefully, you will never hear your rabbit scream. This is a remarkably loud, almost primaeval shriek. It is nearly always an expression of sheer terror from a rabbit in fear of his life, but, just occasionally, one finds a rabbit that has learnt that letting out a squeal gets the attention of his owner better than anything else.
Who said rabbits were daft?
Tue Mar 20, 2012 2:13 pm
