Part Two: Bunny Language - Unhappy Behaviors

Hello Everybunny! Here I am again with my little book on Bunny Behavior!** This week I'm going to talk about Unhappy Bunny Behaviors - things your bunny might do to tell you she is unhappy, fearful or just plain hopping mad! Ready? Let's jump right in!

Thumping: This is the number one sign of an unhappy bunny! Remember that rabbits haven't been domesticated for very long, and in the wild thumping with their hind feet is meant to signal other rabbits that danger is near. Because their back feet are so powerful these thumps can be heard over quite a distance. 

Domestic bunnies still use thumping as a means of signaling danger, but they also use it to communicate anger or sometimes just to get attention. My companion, Spooky, used to thump at 3 am to try and get my secretary to play with him - he learned she would fuss over him if he thumped! If your bunny is thumping you need to investigate, no matter what the reason is. 

There are also rabbits we call "weather bunnies". They are very sensitive to changes in air pressure, particularly ones associated with tornadic air systems which we have a few times a year here in the Southeast. We've had several bunnies here at the Sanctuary House who would start thumping even before the tornado sirens went off. If you have a "weather bunny" please be sensitive to how stressful these events can be for them!

Boxing: Has your bunny ever jumped up on her hind feet and boxed at you?! Your bunny has either just had it with your behavior, or...you touched her blind spot! Rabbit's eyes are on the sides of their head so that they get a great panoramic view and can see predators coming from all angles. This is great, except that it gives them a blind spot right at the end of their nose. 

If you ever see two rabbits in a territory tussle, you'll notice they try to bite each other's noses to take advantage of this blind spot. So if you accidentally touch the end of your bunny's nose you better brace yourself - you'll probably get boxed!

Nipping: Bunnies don't nip or bite because they're mean, but instead because there is something they're trying to communicate and they can't do it any other way. Nipping can mean "Put me down", "Stop brushing me", "Please move", or "Don't touch me like that".  

Something that often helps with nipping behaviors is to make a very short, high pitched squealing noise. This mimics the rabbit's distress call and lets her know you've been hurt. In the future though, try to avoid doing those things that prompt your bunny to nip. Remember, she's trying to tell you something and you really ought to listen!

Hmmm....this bunny looks like my friend, Slinky!

Lunging: Rabbits tend to use lunging as a way to protect their territory or really emphasize that they don't like what you're up to. It's often seen when you're cleaning your rabbit's pen. Some bunnies have their stuff arranged just so, and how dare you come and clean it up?! Back off, Jack! 

Lunging can also be associated with cage possessiveness, which tends to happen when a bunny is in too small an enclosure. I'm going to talk about housing in a few weeks but if your bunny does a lot of lunging, please make sure she's in a roomy pen and not a small cage!

And finally...lunging behaviors can be hormonal! Has your bunny been spayed/neutered? We'll be talking about that next week!

Ears Back: You can tell so much about a bunny from her ears! Ears back and an overall tense affect means your rabbit is unhappy about something, and you need to figure out what it is. Is she feeling afraid? Threatened? Angry? Is there another animal around that she feels threatened by?

The Foot Flick: (I've also heard this called "The Bunny Finger", but we're trying to be family-friendly here!) Have you ever been interacting with your bunny and she turns around and scampers off, but as she's leaving she kind of flicks her back feet at you? She finds you a tiny bit annoying, or maybe she's just being a little sassy! It's not that big a deal, but do try to be a better Bun Servant in the future, ok?!

Looks like it's time to close the book on this little intro to Unhappy Bunny Language! 

Of course, this is just skimming the surface of this fascinating subject! In the next few weeks we'll dip into hormonal behaviors when we talk about spay and neuter issues, and sick bunny behaviors when we talk about why you need to find a rabbit-savvy veterinarian. In the mean time, if you want to delve further into communicating with your rabbit, I recommend these very good articles from Rabbitwise and From Rabbitspeak !! Some great information - go read them right now!!

Byeeeeee for now!

Love, Mrs. Kitty Brighton, Education Bunny

**And again, if you like my fun little Bunny Behavior book by artist Lyndsey Green, you can find it at her store - check it out here!

Do You Speak Rabbit?

 

Check out this adorable little book by Lyndsey Green! Here's a link to her store - go look at her awesome rabbit art!

My secretary has been studying French for about a year now. I'm quite confused about this. She's already fluent in Rabbit, so why on earth would she want to learn another human language? 

What's that  you say? You aren't fluent in Rabbit? In fact, you don't have a clue what your rabbit is trying to tell you? Well, my goodness, we need to give you a crash course in Beginner Bunny!

Bear in mind this is just the Beginner level. I'm going to do this in two parts - Happy Behaviors and Unhappy Behaviors - and I'll post some great links to more advanced courses at the end of Part Two. There is so much to learn!

So the first thing we're going to do is give you a history lesson. What many people don't realize is that, while dogs and cats have been domesticated for a hundred zillion years**, rabbits have only been domestic animals for 500-600 years. That isn't very long! We are descended from European wild rabbits, and some of the first domesticated rabbits were bred as lap pets for Dutch royalty. (So you can call me "Countess Kitty"!)

European rabbits are very different from American wild rabbits, who are solitary and nest in shallow holes. European bunnies live in large family groups called "warrens" and dig incredible networks of tunnels under the ground, where they live with their extended family groups. They have complex friendships and bond for life.

So what does this mean for you, as you are trying to learn our language? It means that we still have many of our wild instincts and behaviors, and many of those behaviors stem from being a prey animal in the outdoors. It's amazing that we've adapted to living with people so well, when our instincts are to run away from anyone bigger than we are!

The second thing you need to understand is that rabbits don't vocalize hardly at all. As prey animals, we know that if we get noisy we could attract predators. So we communicate through body language. Think of it as sign language, but instead of just hands, we use our whole bodies.

Of course, there's always an exception - that bunny who just can't shut up! Check out my friend Bee, or as we call him "Grunty Gus"! I think this grunting can safely be interpreted as "Don't mess with me while I'm eating!"

What was my secretary thinking? Can't a big guy eat in peace?

So what are the top behaviors you need to know when learning Beginner Bunny? Let's get into the nitty gritty:

1. The Binky! This is hands down the most fun thing your bunny does, and it's a sure sign she's happy. What is a binky? It's crazy leaping in the air, twisting about, shaking our booty, flinging our heads from side to side, and generally acting quite nutty. The first time my secretary saw her first bunny do one, she thought he was having a seizure! We do this when we're incredibly happy. Seriously, what other non-human animal dances with joy?!

Binkies can be combined with The Bunny 500 (running madly around the room) and often end with The DNR Flop (see below). If you live in New England, binkies are referred to as "bees in the head" (as in "That rabbit's got bees in his head!"

2. The DNR Flop: DNR = Do Not Resuscitate! It's called this because so many bunny people have thought their rabbit was dead when they first saw this behavior. Basically, when rabbits feel safe and relaxed, they flop out on the floor and can be somewhat hard to wake up....so some tense "is he ok?" type moments can ensue. Let's let Bee show you:

3. Nose Bonks: You're petting your bunny, and stop for a minute. She bonks you with her nose. She was enjoying her pets, and you stopped, and she'd like you to continue. Nose bonks are a request for more attention, please, or sometimes they're more like "Great job! Good work! Keep going!"

4. Tooth Purring: Not to be confused with loud tooth grinding! Tooth purring is a very light grinding of the teeth, barely audible, and it means your bunny is just....so...happy...and relaxed.....It often happens during long petting sessions.

5. Circling: Essentially a mating behavior, in spayed and neutered bunnies it means "Gosh, I just really like you!" Bunnies often circle their people's feet to show affection, leading to humans developing "the Bunny Shuffle" so as not to trip over their furry friends!

6. Presenting: This one is a little hard to explain, but basically your bunny comes to you, and puts her head down on the floor, kind of stretched out towards you. She's basically asking you to groom her. Some bunnies are demanding about this, and if you don't start petting pronto, you can expect some rather pointed nose bonks!

7. Chinning: Rabbits have scent glands under their chins, and they rub things to claim them. Your bunny might even claim you! Think of it as the rabbit equivalent of "Mine!! Mine!! IT'S ALL MINE!"

Yes, that's exactly what I look like when I chin things!

This is just such a brief introduction! In Part Two I'm going to give you some behaviors that aren't so happy but that you really need to know. And I'm going to put links to some great articles that go into much more detail than I have here. You'll love them - they'll really help you understand your bunny!

And one more thing - if you love my little Bunny Behavior book, you really must check out the artist, Lyndsey Green. She has some incredible bunny art in her shop, which you can find here:https://lyndsey-green-illustration.myshopify.com Nose bonks to Lyndsey for letting me use her work in this post - I really appreciate it! 

Byeeeee! Love,

Mrs. Kitty Brighton, Education Bunny!

** Give or take a few hundred years!

Tula Appreciation Week - Part Two!!

 

As you can see, Tula and I have been having a lot of fun!! Now it's time for part two of our interview! As we told you in Part One,Tula works with her people at Small Animal Resources and Empowered Animals Behavior and Training, LLC to help rabbits with all kinds of behavior issues. In this segment, we're going to get into the real nitty gritty of clicker training!

You know a lot about clicker training, and I've noticed that your people work with you using clicker training techniques. Can you tell us a little about why clicker training is so good for bunnies? How does it help form a bond with your people?

I DO know a lot about clicker training! I have so much fun doing this with my people! Like most bunnies (although I would consider myself a little exceptional), I am really smart, and I enjoy learning new things. Clicker training helps my human communicate to me EXACTLY when I've earned a treat. When I hear the click, I know I did the right thing and am going to get a treat! My human teaches my behaviors by breaking them down into small steps. 

For example, to learn to spin a circle, she first taught me to bend my head, then to spin 1/4 of the way, then 1/2 way, then 3/4, then the full circle. When she breaks it down, it makes it easier for me to go from one step to the next. Clicker training is amazing for building a relationship with your human because it really is all about communication. You have to work really hard to figure out what your human is trying to teach you, and your human has to work hard to figure out what you're thinking and how to help you understand. Your human learns how to keep the training session going by keeping it fun and interesting for you! 

At the end of the day, treats only get your human so far. Treats are a great way to get us to invest initially in interacting with our human, but team work is a great social activity, and we bunnies are quite social! The teamwork, mental stimulation, and treats all build your bond with your human!

Think clicker training is silly? Check out this video about crate training! 

You'll never struggle to get your bunny into a carrier again!! 

Clicker training also can help bunnies feel brave! The great thing about positive reinforcement is that your human REINFORCES (increases the frequency of) behaviors that of you try. As you know, we bunnies can be reserved when it comes to trying things out. After all, when our wild ancestors got too bold, they got into trouble! So, we've inherited some of that "bunny street smarts," but, once you start trying new things with your human and getting reinforced for making choices, you realize that we really don't have to worry about anything in our homes. 

It encourages us to explore new things, be bolder, feel more comfortable in our homes, and be more adaptable to changes in our environment. Clicker training also helps our humans be creative! If we get into something we aren't supposed to, for example, our humans can use clicker training to get us to come back to a safe spot!

What is your favorite clicker training trick?

My favorite trick is the "shell game!" This is one where my human switches around a bunch of overturned cups and wants me to find the one with the leaves on the bottom. She swaps them all around, and I have to put my paws on the right one! I really love this trick because I LOVE using my nose to find things, and that's the secret to winning the shell game!

This is me playing the shell game! Notice how I go back to my "station" in between each round!

What is your most useful clicker trick (from your human's point of view!)

My human probably would argue that my most useful clicker trick is my hand target. This is where I touch my nose to her palm. We use this behavior for lots of different things: she uses it to get me into a position when we are going to work on nail trims or brushing, when she needs me to face a certain way to set me up to succeed when I'm learning a new trick, to move me away when she spills something (she always does this!), or to help me start to feel comfortable again when I'm unsure. We do this one all of the time!

Here I am doing bar jumps! You can my person's hand cues and that I go back to my "station" in between these jumps as well. I love working with my people!

People seem to think clicker training takes gigantic amounts of time - does it take a lot of time or can it be done in short sessions?

My human has started to set time limits for our sessions because we both get too excited and try to go for too long, then get a little lost! Usually, our best sessions are just about 1-2 minutes long! We usually train later in the evening, because that's when I like to be awake! This works great for her work schedule because she works all day, I sleep all day, and then we play at night! 

It really doesn't take very long, so sometimes, when she's really tired, I cut her some slack and we just do 30 second sessions and work on the essentials. I've scheduled my weekly weigh-in for her Fridays so that we can do that short and easy session for 30 seconds and then we snuggle! 

In the time it takes for you to watch my barrel roll, you and your bunny could have a training session of your own!

Wow! One or two minute sessions would be easy for anyone to fit into their schedule! What kinds of bunny problems can you and your people help with?

We help with just about everything! My people are really good with bunny "aggression," which we put in quotes because aggression is just a manifestation of fear. My human spent a lot of time watching bunnies in shelters and learned how to work around some really tough cases. 

We really work hard to teach people how to figure out what their bunny is afraid of, and then they work with the human to be able to take care of their bunny in a way that the bunny is comfortable with. 

We usually start out with identifying the "Relationship Account" which is an exercise to help people see things from their bunny's perspective and figure out how to make deposits! My people also work with litter box issues, unusual behaviors, and cases where people just want to improve their relationship! They also do private coaching for bunnies who want to do more clicker training, and offer group classes by Zoom and Facebook! 

They also work with many different species, including cats, guinea pigs and other small mammals, pigs, fish, and even, recently, with my cousin Bernard, a Bearded Dragon!

My people make sure I have lots of fun toys for enrichment, like this awesome ball...

...and this Trixie Mad Scientist Treat Dispenser!!!

Well, you did a great job helping with my friend Bee, and he was a really tough case! (I'll talk more about Bee in another post!)

Tula, if someone would like a consult with your people, how do they get in touch?

Our email address is empoweredbehaviorandtraining@gmail.com. We are also on Facebook as Empowered Animals Behavior and Training and on Instagram at @empoweredanimals. We also run Small Animal Resources (on FB and Instagram!), which is a free educational resource for people who love bunnies and other small mammals! 

As you know, there is so much misinformation out there regarding small mammal care, and we are so glad to be able to send people to your wonderful blog for quality bunny care info!! Thanks for interviewing me, Mrs. Brighton! I'm so honored! Tell my friend Bee that I say hi!!

We sure will, Tula!! This has been a great interview, and I hope we meet up again soon!

Tula was the first bunny to have earned this title!!! These trick titles are awarded by Do More with Your Dog! and are designed for dogs. Tula had to perform 5 tricks that are determined to be of the highest-difficulty level in the program to earn her title. Congratulations, Tula!!

If you and your bunny are having "issues", please don't hesitate to give Tula and her people a call! You'll be so happy you did!

Love, Mrs. Kitty Brighton,

Education Bunny

It's Tula Appreciation Week!!!

We've declared this to be Tula Appreciation Week!!

Who is Tula? Why, just the cutest and smartest bunny we know! Tula works with her people at

Small Animal Resources

and

Empowered Animals Behavior and Training, LLC

to help rabbits with all kinds of behavior issues. This week I'm posting a two part interview with Tula that I think you'll really enjoy. We're talking rabbit-to-rabbit about behavior, clicker training, and what rabbits really want from their people! I hope you enjoy it - we had so much fun! Love, Mrs. Brighton, Education Bunny!

Every rabbit has a story! Tula, could you tell us your story? Where are you from and how did you find your humans?

Well, my early days were a little fuzzy, but I remember living outside. I used to frequent a garden and help myself to the veggies there. Eventually, a rescue came and rounded me up. It ended up being a good thing, because I was able to give birth to 5 kits in a safe place, but, sadly, they didn't make it. 

I didn't know it at the time, but my human, Emily, had contacted the rescue looking for a bunny that could help her educate people about taking good care of rabbits. She was originally thinking one of my babies could be good at that job, but she wanted to help me get healthy and find a good home by fostering me. I was pretty scared when she picked me up and took me to her house. We were slowly getting to know each other, and she gave me a lot of treats! 

After adjusting to the house for a few days, I got to explore outside on a patio a bit. I really loved being back outside, and my human came with me this time. I only knew her for 6 days, but I felt like I could trust her, and I asked her to pet me by lowering my head under her hand. Later, I learned that that had sealed the deal for me-I had found my forever home! 

I understand your people are animal behavior consultants. Can you tell me about them and how they help rabbits?

Well, it's not just my people-I do a lot of the work, too! WE work together to help other bunnies! Really, our work is about helping people connect with and communicate with their bunnies. We value both sides of the relationship-the human and the bunny, and my people have combined their skills in those areas! 

Check out my YouTube video of how we got ready for my spay surgery! You can do this with your bunny, too!

My human trains a lot of different animals. She works in a zoo and always comes home smelling like a lot of different animals: birds, tigers, gibbons, and, mostly, orangutans! Those are smells I never thought I'd encounter! She used to work a lot with dogs, too, but, to be honest, I'm really glad she doesn't anymore - I don't mind the smells of other animals, but I DON'T like dogs at all! 

My human's sister has a Master's degree in Applied Behavior Analysis, which is the science of behavior. She helps human parents and teachers be more effective at teaching kids by using behavior science. I have a cousin named Hank who lives with her. He is a pig, and he works with us, too! Many people have misconceptions about pigs, just like they do with bunnies, so he helps us teach people how to take good care of pigs! 

My humans use something called "Zoom" to talk to other bunny parents who need help connecting with their bunnies. They ask them about what their goals are for their bunnies, and they work on helping them communicate those goals to the bunnies. They do that with positive reinforcement training, which us bunnies really love! 

Most of the time, the behaviors that are a "problem" for humans are not a problem to us bunnies at all! We love to dig, chew, and burrow, and treats are a great way to encourage us to do what the humans would like instead. It's a fair compromise, right? 

My main job is demonstrating for people how smart bunnies are, and how we definitely enjoy and prefer when our humans give us choices and empower us. Many people don't understand how to build trust with bunnies, and my human takes a lot of video of me talking to her with my body language, then she explains what I'm trying to say, and we share that so other people can learn what their bunnies are trying to tell them!

This video is of us building our friendship. Notice how Emily is just sitting with me and giving me treats when I approach! See how happy I am?! At about 46 seconds in I'm chinning her feet, and at the end of the video I'm doing some sky high binkies. (Warning: Cuteness Alert!) This is the start of a great relationship!

You and your people have a great relationship! It's really enviable! Can you tell us how this came about?

I love my people a lot!! I think that the basis of our good relationship has to do with the fact that my human really gives me the ability to choose what I want to do all of the time. If she wants me to do something, she always offers me a reward for doing that, and she always tries to make it a positive experience for me. She pays attention to me when I get a bit nervous, and she pauses with whatever is worrying me and helps me feel more comfortable with it. Usually, it ends up being no big deal! 

When I first came home, she gave me some space to calm down, and she offered me a treat any time she came by me. I learned to perk up when she came around very quickly!! She slowly gave me more space, and I realized that she was still going to give me treats, and that it was safe to be around her. Gradually, we began to learn things together. 

This was my first day home! Emily was feeding me through a barrier, which helped me feel safe.

Our clicker training time is my favorite: I know a lot of things! It's great because I get treats, but also because we work together to figure out how to communicate and work towards a goal. I'm pretty smart, so it's really fun for me to try to figure out what she's trying to teach me!

What do most people do wrong when trying to make friends with a bunny?

There are really two answers that we see on this one: The first is that many people have misunderstandings about what bunnies like. We typically don't enjoy being picked up or held. There are some exceptions, but they are just that: exceptions! Most of us have, unfortunately, learned that being touched by hands often leads to being picked up, grabbed, or restrained in some way, so they make us nervous. 

We also take a while to warm up, and don't necessarily want to be touched right away. Sometimes, bunnies need to be trained to learn that petting is okay. That training can take some time, but that's because trust takes a while to build! 

The second big mistake people make often happens when they try to move too quickly in the relationship. Often, people take the good advice of just sitting with their bunny and reading or otherwise ignoring them so that they can come up in their own time. 

This was a day or two after I got spayed. You can see Emily is just hanging out with me, not trying to pick me up but just gently patting me. This is the way to make friends! 

This is all great, and then when the bunny starts to get close, the person reaches out to touch them. When a bunny finally decides to come up and check out a person, it's because they are comfortable with what the human is doing in that moment! When the human suddenly reaches out, the bunny often gets startled and leaves! 

The rabbit approaches when the human is in a comfortable position for the rabbit, and if the human changes their position (especially suddenly and when the bunny has decided to get closer), it often punishes the behavior of coming closer. In behavior science terms, punishment means decreasing behavior. That means that if the bunny views that experience as punishing, they are less likely to approach in the future. 

The best thing people can do when trying to build a relationship with their bunny is to take a BIG step backwards, sit down in the room or area with them, have treats nearby, and take a good book! For bunnies, relationships begin with safety first. We have to feel safe in order to even take treats, so the best thing the human can do is to create a safe space for a bunny. 

Now that I know a bit about living with people, I know that it can be hard for them to resist touching us! I promise that if you are patient, your bunny will begin to feel safe!

This is some great information for humans about making friends with rabbits! After you've become the best of buddies, your person can go even further by clicker training with you! We're ending Part One of Tula's interview here, but join us for Part Two on Thursday when we'll be talking with Tula about what this involves, and how it can be great for your relationship with your person!

Want a preview? Check out this awesome video of Tula doing a bar jump!!!

We love you, Tula!! See you Thursday!!!