19/11/2020
Rabbit Body Language: An Illustrated Guide
Do you wonder what your silly bunny is doing when she jumps and twists in the air? Or why she likes to rub her chin on everything? All animals have their own secret body language, and rabbits are no exception. I’m here to help you crack the code so you can learn exactly what your little fluff-ball is trying to tell you.
Rabbit body language is unique. They use their ears, tail, nose, and body position to tell us exactly what they mean. All we have to do is learn the behavioral signs and pay attention .
Okay – it will take a little bit of time and observation to really understand your rabbit’s behavior. But, luckily for you, I’ve put together this awesome list from A-Z. A cheat sheet for you to learn everything your rabbit has to say.
Understanding rabbit body language is the first step to bonding with your rabbit. Once you know what your rabbit is trying to tell you, you’ll be able to spend time with your rabbit in a way that doesn’t scare them. Learn more about what you can do to bond with your rabbit!
Alert
If your rabbit has their ears forward and is looking intently in a certain direction it means they are on high alert. They could be standing up on their hind legs or alert with all four feet on the ground. This is usually easy to spot, since this behavior is the same in rabbits as it is for cats and dogs.
Going on alert is a way for your rabbit to listen intently when they think there’s a possibility of danger. Sometimes the rabbit might seem to randomly go on alert, even when you don’t hear anything. Rabbits have big ears for a reason, so they can hear sounds from far away. Sounds that can’t be detected by humans.
Binky
That crazy jump and twist in the air that your rabbit does? That’s called a binky, and it means your rabbit is very happy!
A binky is literally a jump for joy. Your rabbit is just too happy to stand in one place. Often times, binkies will be accompanied by high speed zooming around the room. Your rabbit is so happy and just cannot contain all the energy they have.
When your rabbit isn’t feeling quite as high energy, they may perform what I call a ‘mini binky.’ This looks like the start of a binky, but the rabbit never comes all the way off the ground. In the end, only their head does a little happy twist.
Boxing
When a rabbit stands up on their hind legs and raises their front paws to swat at anyone who comes close, they are exhibiting the boxing behavior. Their ears will be up and they will have most of their weight on their toes instead of their heels. The rabbit might growl too.
This is an aggressive rabbit behavior. Most of the time, rabbits would prefer to run and hide instead of fight, but you might come across a stubborn rabbit who chooses to stand their ground. I see this often in videos where people introduce their pet rabbit to their dog. It might look like the rabbit is being cute, but in reality they are very upset and ready to fight.
You might also notice this behavior when you’re entering your rabbit’s territory. For example, if you step inside your rabbit’s enclosure, they may want to protect their space and take a boxing stance to try to fight you away.
Eddy Rabbitry Heaven
“Your lovely pets start here”
Bukit Cerakah Shah Alam
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