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!