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Does my bunny talk?
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Well, not really talk with words, but bunnies have a wide range of sounds and actions that communicate what they want. You can tell what your bunny is trying to say most of the time, if you pay attention. Bunnies not only talk with a range of sounds, but they also talk with their ears and with their body posture.
Bunny Noises
A rapid, soft chattering or clicking sound from the teeth is referred to as “Purring”. A bunny might do this as a sign of extreme happiness most often during petting. Your bunny loves to be cuddled and petted.
Grinding Teeth is a louder and slower sound than "purring". The grinding sounds are usually farther apart and often accompanied by other signs of discomfort, distress or nervousness.
Yes, your bunny can grunt and/or growl. Grunts and Growls have various meanings. It could be your bunny's way of telling you to leave it alone! This sound is often accompanied with lunging when the bunny is “protecting” his/her home or hutch. A pregnant bunny may grunt and growl when you try to pick her up if she is close enough to labor where picking up is just too stressful for her. Bunny’s will often grunt and/or growl if you attempt to clean their hutch without removing them. Bunny’s are VERY protective of their homes, so, if you have a bunny that grunts, growls, and/or lunges at you during cleaning, remove your bunny from the hutch before attempting to clean.
Soft snorting sounds are often made by female bunnies ready to mate, though fixed bunnies have been known to make them also. This is part of the mating ritual where the female is inviting the male to show her attention. This sound is never used aggressively.
Rapid high pitched squeaks are a sign of anxiety, fear, and/or nervousness and may be accompanied by frantic running around the cage, or cowering in a corner. If your bunny is doing this, speak gently, quietly, and move slowing away to help lower his/her anxiety. I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase “die of fright”. A bunny can literally die of fright, so go slow, keep calm, and don’t let your friend become overly agitated. Leave for awhile if necessary until the bunny calms down.
A sign of extreme fear and/or pain is a scream. This scream sounds very much like a woman’s scream. Loud, short and high pitched. (You might also hear this sound in a very sick bunny shortly before they expire). Shortly after rescuing a young female, she was put out in the playpen for a run. When I went out to get her, she was hiding in some very tall grass. Even though I spoke to her before approaching her, as soon as my hands closed around her she screamed. I think she believed she had been “caught” by an eagle or some bird of prey. It took much cuddling and loving to calm both of us down.
Yes, bunnies do thump like “Thumper” in Bambi. A bunny will thump (slap the ground very hard with their hind foot) when they sense or hear something that they are unfamiliar with. This is a very quick hard stroke. It is a sign to other bunnies to be aware and take cover. Sometimes, in the Rabbit Rescue, one bunny will start thumping because they know someone is in the room, but that person is not doing their “normal” activities such as cleaning or feeding. One thumping bunny will turn into two thumping bunnies, until all of them are thumping.
Coming up... Bunny Body Language
