For those of us who have rabbits at home, dwarf rabbits, toy, belier or any other breed, surely on some occasion we have been looking at it and thinking, What does my rabbit mean? What is the meaning of its gestures, its noises or its posture. Although rabbits do not make too much noise, their body language is very broad and meaningful. Pay attention to your rabbit and you will understand what it wants to tell you.
What does my rabbit mean when it hits the ground with its hind legs , making a lot of noise?
If you see your rabbit hitting the ground with its hind legs, it means that it is afraid and communicates it through this noise. You can also perform this gesture to get our attention or to show your anger at anything.
What does my rabbit mean when it bites the bars of the cage?
If you see that the rabbit bites the bars of the cage or the little door making a lot of noise, it is asking you to open it. You want to get out of the cage.
You fix the cage and it messes it up again?
Sometimes when we clean the cage we take advantage of it to fix it a little, put things in order, structure it, but our little bunny may not be so funny. The rabbit is a very routine animal and has many habits that are “sacred” to them and it may like more how the cage was before and prefer to keep it that way. If you try to do it when the rabbit is out of the cage and does not see you, it may not matter as much.
Dose it put its ears back?
It is warning us, if it also turns all its weight towards its hind legs it is that it is preparing to attack, it is angry. So we better be careful, we will approach them from the ground and try to put our hand on its head to try to relax them.
Does your rabbit climb all the high places?
Furniture, sofa, on top of a closet, everything that is accessible to them. Rabbits love to browse and see everything in perspective, from above. They also tend to stand up on their hind legs to get a better view of the terrain.
Dose it push the feeder and throw it into the air?
It may be asking for food because it is hungry. If you have already eaten your daily ration of feed, we will not put more, we will wait for it to pass, but we will make sure you have enough hay and we can put some vegetables.
Have you seen your rabbit running around the house, jumping and spinning with its paws?
That is it is very happy. It also shows joy if it also raises its ears and moves them forward. And if it lift their tail …
If you have seen the rabbit lying on its belly and with its hind legs stretched out, it is because it is relaxed. Its posture also denotes relaxation when it crouches down by hiding its paws under it and gently dropping its ears back.
Do you grind your teeth?
Your rabbit can tell you that it is comfortable when it gently grinds its teeth. They do this often when they are caressed, it may be followed by a purr. It means that it is comfortable and that it likes what we are doing to them.
Does it go around you?
It means that your rabbit is in heat. a sign of this is da r laps around your feet and try to ride whatever is within reach. If it urinates and poops all over the place, it will be another sign that your rabbit is in heat. They do it to mark their territory. Usually it is solved with castration.
If you have a non-neutered female, a psychological pregnancy can also occur. You will find out what is happening because you will see the animal build a “nest” with straw and hair from its belly, which is pulled out so that the breasts are easily distinguished.
Urine and stool all over the place
Males and females in heat do it to mark their territory. They can also spray urine so that it is more distributed. It is usually solved with castration
Has your rabbit squealed in a very stressful way?
Be careful with this because your rabbit could be in significant pain. Look on its body for signs of external injuries and get them to the vet as quickly as possible .
Dose it push objects and throw them into the air?
They love to play, whether it’s with toys, any object, or just running and jumping up and down. It also indicates that they are bothered and want to get the object out of their way.
Dose it put their head between our fingers?
It is asking us to caress them. If it puts its head between your fingers, even if you don’t have much time, it is better that you caress them, even just a little, otherwise it could get angry or frustrated with us.
Do you not eat, defecate differently and are you listless?
We should not get upset for the moment, but we should observe it very closely. It may be that you are not feeling very well but it is nothing, that something has made you feel bad or a hairball in your stomach .
It plucks its hairs to make a nest .
It is a symptom of pregnancy, if it is a non-neutered female who has not been with any male, she may have a psychological pregnancy, it is quite common. In these cases, the females can have a really bad time, since they behave as if they were pregnant but they are not and they can have psychological problems. If it is frequent, you should speak to an exotic specialist .
Does it lick your fingers?
It will often lick us when we caress them, it is a way of thanking them and showing us its affection, for them it is like kissing us.
Is your bunny ignoring you?
Some rabbits are very shy, and just being around us without being scared is a great effort for them. Over time it will gain more confidence and show its affection.
Its will also ignore us when its angry. We will have to ask for forgiveness with caresses and wait for him to want to be with us again.
Does your Rabbit scratch?
It is one more instinct of rabbits, they love to scratch almost as much as they bite.
Rub things with your chin
The chin of rabbits contains scent glands and they mark everything that belongs to them, their things, the things of others, even other rabbits or us. There are very possessive rabbits that rub absolutely everything they see.
