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Your Rabbit’s Body LanguageRabbits are wonderful, entertaining pets to have. Understanding what your rabbit is trying to communicate to you will help you to develop a better relationship with your rabbit and provide greater enjoyment for both of you.
Although rabbits do vocalize, squealing or screaming when they are in pain, growling to show aggression, they tend to be much quieter than dogs or cats. Understanding your rabbit's body language, therefore, is an important way of determining what your rabbit needs or wants. You can build trust with your rabbit by being careful to not grab or hold her when she doesn't want you to. Obviously if she struggles or squeals when you try to pick her up, she's telling you she doesn't want that right now. But there are other signs to watch out for as well. One way that rabbits communicate is by 'thumping' one or both back legs on the ground. If your rabbit does this when you approach or try to pick them up they are warning you not to. Rabbits use thumping for a variety of reasons. If they don't want something, for instance they don't want to be approached, or they don't want to be put back into their cage, they may thump to let you know. They may also use thumping to show they are stressed in some way, maybe anxious or frightened, and it may also be a warning to you that they are going to attack if you continue. But they also thump when they do want something, such as more food, to be let out of their cage, access to a certain area they are interested in. So you have to try to put their thumping in context. From the rabbit's point of view what's happening (or not happening), that they could be communicating about? Sometimes you just have to go through trial and error to find out what they are trying to tell you. But the more you observe your rabbit and try to see things from their perspective the better you will become at picking up on the nuances and understanding what your rabbit's trying to communicate to you. Just like dogs and cats, rabbits also use their ears and tails to communicate. If your rabbit is pinning his ears back against his head, with his body tense he's feeling threatened and on the defensive, either considering, or about to attack. You may notice this is very similar to the behavior cats exhibit when they pin their ears back. When rabbits are about to attack they typically stand up stiffly with muscles tense and at the ready and their tail stretched out. Rabbits will only attack when they feel threatened. So try to remove the threat, whether it's you or another animal, and let your rabbit calm down before trying another approach. If your rabbit seems quite relaxed but has ears back flat against his head, he's just content and relaxed. Rabbits are territorial and will also engage in marking behavior, especially the males. They have scent glands in their chin and will rub up against things in their environment, similar to the way a cat rubs their chin on things, in order to mark their territory. You may see your rabbit doing this to their cage, food bowl, furniture and even you. Likewise, if your rabbit is already very accustomed to you, she is likely to love it when you rub your chin against her face and head. Your rabbit may nuzzle you with her nose or lick you. This means she likes you and wants attention. Some rabbits also nip when they want attention. They don't mean to hurt you when they do this, but since they have very sharp teeth it may well hurt. To break your rabbit of this habit, every time they do it let out a squeal. Try to imitate the sound they make when something hurts - they'll soon get the message that their nipping hurts you. But when your rabbit pushes your hand away when you are petting him, it means he's had enough. In the wild rabbits sit very upright on their haunches and look around them when they are on the watch for danger. They look very alert when they are doing this and may be visibly sniffing the air for the scent of predators or other dangers. You may notice your rabbit doing this in your home, especially if they aren't quite comfortable with the environment, or they've heard a loud or unfamiliar sound. However, when your rabbit is sitting up on it's haunches like this when it's in it's cage it probably means she wants to come out. There are times when your rabbit may go wild, leaping straight up into the air, turning and twisting. They may look like they are jumping for joy... and they are. This is called a 'binky', and rabbits do it when they are happy. Take the time to watch your rabbit and use these tips as a guide to better understanding your rabbit. The deeper relationship you'll be able to build with your rabbit from better understanding her will be well worth it.
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