Behaviours relating to rabbits’ need, as prey animals, to avoid predation
Alertness • Approaching cautiously • Binkying • Biting • Boxing • Clearing routes • Crepuscular • Ears • Eyes • Fighting • Freezing • Growling/grunting • Hiding • Hiding pain • Hopping • Jumping • Kicking • Listening • Looking • Lunging • Nose • Panting • Parallaxing • Periscoping • Rapid breathing • Reacting to danger • Rearing up • Running • Scanning • Scratching • Sheltering • Smelling • Standing on hind legs • Tail • Throwing/tossing • Thumping • Trancing/tonic immobility • Twitching nose • Vigilance • Zooming
Behaviours summary
Wild rabbits are prey for around 50 species. Every aspect of their life is adapted to their status as prey animals, including their physiology, activity, and communication. Unlike other animals, they do not have any defensive adaptation, either to cause harm to their attacker or to protect themselves. (Hedgehogs have spines, electric eels can stun, and wasps have stings). Their fur offers a degree of camouflage, but it is their fear response that most helps them to survive, having evolved to detect, evade, and escape from predators. Behavioural adaptations for survival include: being crepuscular, which helps to avoid peak hunting times for predators; having highly developed senses which they use for vigilance to detect the presence of a predator; thumping and displaying the white underside of their tail as a warning signal to other rabbits; freezing to avoid being seen; and hopping with speed and agility to hiding places. If captured, they may attempt fighting to defend themselves, or enter tonic immobility. Their ability to breed prolifically ensures that their survival, and their social nature which means there are more eyes, ears, and noses to detect predators, so some rabbits can take turn watching for approaching predators while others in the group eat or rest. It’s also more difficult for a predator to attack a single rabbit if they’re in a group.
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| Mabel using her ears, eyes, and nose to monitor the living room for danger... or incoming treats! |
The prey animal instincts which increase wild rabbits’ chances of survival are still present in domestic rabbits. Although not quite as heightened (our pet rabbits have a reduced flight response, thanks to facing fewer dangers than their wild brethren), these instincts are manifested in many of their behaviours. They are alert creatures, constantly monitoring their environment for danger with their heightened senses, evaluating anything they perceive as a threat, and behaving accordingly, to avoid danger.
It’s hard for us, predators, to comprehend the enormity of our pet rabbits accepting us as harmless. We need to realise that we cannot expect them to trust us simply because we feed them, and we mustn’t assume our rabbits perceive their environment as safe just because we know it is. It’s their nature to be wary of us – rabbits weren’t domesticated for companionship, like dogs; they were domesticated for their meat and fur.
We need to look at things from a rabbit’s perspective, where they are the quarry and we are predators. Regularly, rabbits are abandoned or surrendered to rescue centres because their behaviours have been misunderstood/misinterpreted – their owners have failed to recognise that their pets behave as prey creatures, and not realised just how many things frighten rabbits, the extent of their anxiety, and how they respond to fear. Often, rabbits start life with little human interaction – bred for sale, taken from their family group, and sold directly, or placed on display in a noisy, exposed shop enclosure. They’re usually picked out by children (noisy, unpredictable predators, to a rabbit). They may go to their new home alone, which is stressful for a social creature, or with a litter mate (who won’t necessarily make the best companion later, when hormones kick in). They are likely to be inadequately housed, with no place to hide, exposed to the unfamiliar noises, smells, and sights, and intermittently picked up and held by a human (predator). Some may be carried to an exercise pen, exposed and in unfamiliar territory. Their defensive response to fear and anxiety is then often misinterpreted: freezing and tonic immobility as contentedness, biting as aggression.
It’s imperative that we learn to understand our rabbits’ behaviour from the perspective of a prey animal. They may be frightened by strange or sudden sights, sounds, and smells, and have an instinctive fear of animals that would be their predators in the wild. They need places for sheltering when they feel threatened. We need to be calm around them, and not make sudden noises or movements. Approaching slowly and at their level, not from above, whilst gently chatting to them helps to allay our rabbits (a predator’s approach is quick and silent). It’s best to let a rabbit approach us – if we appear to be taking no notice of them, they are more likely to be overcome by their natural curiosity and come to investigate.
We should avoid picking them up, unless absolutely necessary – in the wild, rabbits are only picked off the ground when a predator catches them, so most rabbits feel terror when lifted (see here for suggested ways to safely pick up our rabbits, for when it is necessary).
Rabbits find it easier to relax, feel safer, and are less likely to become stressed if they have suitable companionship.
Without suitable care, sensitive to their needs as prey animals, our pets can become stressed and unwell. It’s not uncommon for rabbits to suffer gut stasis due to stress and fear. We have a responsibility, as owners, to do everything we can to make them feel secure and comfortable.
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As prey animals, rabbits are instinctively cautious when approaching anything unfamiliar. They advance tentatively to investigate, in small stop motion-style increments, ears angled forwards, nose twitching to smell, tail pointing downwards, and head moving up and down, scanning with their eyes to gain a good perspective. They may stretch as close as they dare to the object, keeping back feet firmly rooted so they’re ready to retreat if necessary. Unfamiliar territory, new objects within their territory, or people might be approached in this manner. This behaviour will forewarn other rabbits in a social group, communicating that they should be alert to a possible threat. Objects deserving extra caution have included new babies, vacuum cleaners, and unattended slippers. Like their wild ancestors, pet rabbits constantly monitor their environment for potential dangers. They quickly detect anything unfamiliar and are instinctively cautious in their approach. We must be sensitive to their needs, remembering that our rabbits are prey creatures and constantly alert for threats – anything new, including people, should be introduced with consideration, watching carefully to see whether our rabbits are scared, and reassuring them. Talking gently and touching the new item may help to show our rabbits that it’s safe. Some characteristics bred into domestic rabbits (eg. lop-ears, red-eyes) have resulted in compromised hearing, eyesight, and sense of smell. These rabbits may take considerably increased time to approach anything unfamiliar. We must always provide plenty of hiding places for our rabbits, for sheltering away from anything they might perceive as a threat, and we should learn our rabbits’ ways of communicating how they are feeling, so we can recognise when they’re scared. Ebony exhibiting the classic stop-start motion of a rabbit approaching cautiously. Back
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A binky is a playful twisting leap, often accompanied by kicking out of the legs, or shaking of the head and ears. It’s thought that binkies are playtime practice for escaping danger, or performed when a rabbit has excess energy. Binkies are also performed during courtship In Dijon's opinion, soil was for binkying on, not for digging. In pet rabbits, binkies are usually a sign of happiness – like a joyful dance. We must allow our rabbits plenty of space to express themselves (minimum 3m x 2m x 1m high). A compilation of Dijon's numerous joyful sofa dances, filmed over the years. Back
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Biting through or throwing/tossing obstacles in their path, such as branches or roots, enables rabbits to keep escape routes clear. Clearing routes is also an essential part of foraging
Our domestic rabbits have retained this need to move things – that’s the reason for biting through our cables! They are naturally drawn to small gaps (eg. behind furniture), and will persist in their attempts to gain access, by chewing anything in their path, so we must ensure their area is spacious, secure, and rabbit proofed. Even with a suitably spacious area, our rabbits may rattle their enclosures or protest at closed doors, reflecting this instinct to explore routes (or to demand our attention!). Note that repetitive bar biting is a very different and far more negative behaviour, often in response to stress or frustration. Dijon pointing out that clearing routes and helping with the laundry are essentially the same thing. Try scattering some food in a tunnel, then add a few toys so your rabbits can be entertained by nudging the toys out of the way to reach the food (tunnels can be bought from retailers, but a length of pipe from a builders’ merchant, or even a cardboard carpet roll, are just as good – 8-inch diameter is usually suitable). Never block access to your rabbits’ sheltering places. Ebony making it very clear that tunnels do not require silly balls obstructing their entrances. Back
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Wild rabbits are non-hibernating, and they are crepuscular, meaning they are most active above ground during twilight hours. This is a safer time of day for them – neither diurnal nor nocturnal predators have adequate vision in the low light, whereas rabbits’ eyesight is optimal in this light. It also enables them to avoid being out of their warrens in the hottest part of the day, which is important given that rabbits don’t cope well in high temperatures. Rabbits spend most of the hours of daylight and darkness in their warren, although it’s rare for them to be sleeping continuously throughout this time – they often emerge for short periods, especially if it’s a cloudy day, or bright, moonlit night. Our domestic rabbits have retained their crepuscular nature – most are more active at dawn and dusk, preferring to sleep in the middle of the day. However, they tend to be slightly more active at times outside twilight than their wild counterparts, as they don’t have to avoid predators; furthermore, our rabbits (especially those kept as houserabbits) have adapted to our routines. Some of our rabbits are more strictly crepuscular than others. We must recognise that our rabbits may wish to sleep when we are most active, and be active when we are either busy elsewhere, or asleep. They require a spacious, secure area (minimum 3m x 2m x 1m high), with a constant supply of hay/grass and fresh water, so that they can choose when to eat, drink, exercise, and perform other natural behaviours. Our rabbits need a place where they can rest whenever they wish, without disturbance, noise, or bright light. Dijon demonstrating his crepuscular nature, sleeping during the middle of the day... but showing that, for him, a quiet sleeping place wasn't essential! Back
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In the wild, rabbits depend upon vigilance for their survival, monitoring their environment for signs of danger with their ears, eyes, and nose. Their ears can move independently, rotating 270 degrees, to enable them to listen for sounds from different directions simultaneously. They can detect higher frequency sounds from as far as a couple of miles away. Rabbits’ ears assist with thermoregulation (their nose also help, to a lesser extent). Their ears contain many blood vessels, which dilate in hot temperatures or constrict in cold temperatures and this, combined with the thinner fur covering and relatively large surface area, helps to maintain body temperature. Rabbits have their ears up to release heat in hot weather, and keep them close to their body to maintain warmth when it’s cold. Most rabbits cope far better in cold temperatures than in the heat. Read here to discover how rabbits’ ear positions can express how a rabbit is feeling. Our domestic rabbits have retained this prey instinct of vigilance, and use their ears to monitor their surroundings. The functions of the ears in lop-eared breeds have been impaired – they have poorer hearing, due to their downwards pointing ears which have limited movement, and, consequently, are prone to being startled due to a failure to hear things approaching. Additionally, their ears are not as efficient at regulating their body temperature. We need to recognise that our rabbits have sensitive ears and might be frightened if they’re exposed to loud or unfamiliar noises. We can predict when some noises may frighten our rabbits and can take measures to reduce exposure to them – for example, by moving them indoors when fireworks are expected, or away from building work. If it’s impossible to move rabbits away from noise, it may help to provide some gentle background noise, for example, from a radio or television. However, we might be surprised to find that seemingly safe sounds could scare our rabbits – for example, when Snoop first came to live with us, he was terrified by the sound of a bowl being scraped.
We must always provide plenty of hiding places for our rabbits, for sheltering away from sounds they might perceive as a threat. We should also learn to interpret the meanings of our rabbits’ ear positions, which can indicate their intentions and how they are feeling. Back
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In the wild, rabbits depend upon vigilance for their survival, monitoring their environment for signs of danger with their ears, eyes, and nose. With eyes on the side of their head, rabbits have a near 360 degree field of vision, meaning they can spot a predator approaching from any angle – they have two very narrow blind spots: one directly in front of the nose, and one directly behind the head. Due to the position of their eyes, only about 30 degrees of a rabbit’s field of vision is seen with both eyes (binocular vision), and therefore they cannot easily perceive depth. They have difficulty perceiving the distance from an object, or the speed of its approach, so move their head up and down/side to side, scanning/parallaxing to gain better depth perception, especially before approaching something unfamiliar. If, as they move their head in this way, the object appears to move a lot, then it’s close; if there’s little movement, it’s far away. Rabbits are far-sighted, having evolved to spot predators in the distance, so they rely on their nose and sensitive whiskers to identify close-up objects, which they cannot see so clearly. Rabbits’ eyes are kept moist by their nictitating membranes (third eyelids), which mean they don’t have to blink as frequently with their actual eyelids, so their vigilance is uninterrupted even for the blink of an eyelid. Another of the rabbit’s adaptations for survival is sleeping with their eyes open – their eyes continue to detect potential dangers, and predators may be less likely to approach if they think a rabbit is awake. Their eyesight functions best in low light, as they’ve evolved to be crepuscular. In complete darkness, they rely mostly on their other senses. Rabbits can only see colours within the blue and green spectrum. Read here to discover how rabbits’ eyes can express how a rabbit is feeling. Our domestic rabbits have retained this prey instinct of vigilance, and use their eyes to monitor their surroundings. The eyesight of some breeds, including lop-eared and red-eyed rabbits, has been compromised – these rabbits tend to approach objects even more cautiously, taking more time to scan what’s ahead of them, and, just like breeds with poorer hearing, may be startled by a sudden approach. We need to understand our rabbits’ eyesight so we know what might cause them to be scared or stressed. We should ensure that they’re not constantly exposed to bright light, especially if we have red-eyed rabbits, who have increased sensitivity to light. We need to be aware that our rabbits might be frightened if unfamiliar objects appear in their surroundings – it might be something seemingly innocent which sends them running off, such as a pair of slippers left unattended, or washing hanging from a clothes-line outdoors! Although adding items for enrichment and making minor changes in rabbits’ set ups can help to reduce boredom, we should also monitor to ensure they’re not scared. If they’re fearful of something unfamiliar in their area, we should reassure them by spending time at their level, talking to them gently, and touching the object to show that it’s safe. We also need to remember that they might not spot objects directly beneath their nose, may be startled by approaches from the rear, and to a rabbit, someone appearing from above can be as terrifying as a bird of prey hovering. We must always provide plenty of hiding places for our rabbits, for sheltering from perceived threats and bright lights. We should also learn to recognise how looking at our rabbits’ eyes can show us how our rabbits are feeling. Back
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Fighting / Biting / Boxing / Growling/grunting / Kicking / Lunging / Scratching |
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Rabbits mostly use vigilance techniques to avoid their many predators in the wild. However, if cornered, they will employ various methods of self-defence against a predator. In escalating levels of aggression, here are the primary means: · Growling/grunting – This sound, produced by forcing air up from the lungs and through the nostrils, is a warning to a predator not to come any closer. · Lunging – This is a sudden forwards lurch, usually accompanied by growling. The rabbit’s ears will be flat against its body. This is the final warning to retreat. · Boxing and scratching – A rabbit boxes and scratches with forelimbs, often growling, to push a predator away. · Biting – An open mouth bite is an act of severe aggression. Rabbits’ teeth are extremely sharp, and can inflict a serious wound. · Kicking – Rabbits can inflict a swift and painful kick with their powerful back legs – this is especially likely if a rabbit is cornered. If caught with no chance of fighting off the predator, a rabbit may enter tonic immobility. Our pet rabbits will use these defence techniques if they feel threatened by a predator, another rabbit, or a human. We must protect our rabbits from predators by ensuring their enclosures are secure, and always make sure they are introduced carefully to any new companions, using proper bonding techniques to reduce the risk of a dangerous fight breaking out between rabbits. We should learn our rabbits’ methods of communicating, so we recognise their warnings to back off, and understand signs of stress or fear. That way, we can reduce the stress or retreat as necessary, before our rabbit feels the need to defend themselves or their territory. Most rabbits will only bite as a last resort – very few rabbits are aggressive by nature, and in most cases of biting, the rabbit has been put in a very stressful or frustrating situation, and warnings have been misinterpreted or ignored. It’s not uncommon for rabbits, especially does, to growl when we are cleaning their area/litter trays, because they regard our action as encroaching on their territory. It may help to distract them with food, and to undertake the cleaning slowly, with no sudden moves. In the same way that wild rabbits would struggle and thrash if a predator picked them off the ground, our domestic rabbits may struggle, scratch, or kick if we attempt to pick them up, so we should handle them only if necessary and do so carefully and considerately. Back
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To avoid being spotted by nearby predators, wild rabbits may stay completely still. They will use heightened vigilance to monitor the situation, and be primed for running to a safe place for sheltering if necessary. Rabbits may freeze in a lying position, flat to the ground, ears down, to remain inconspicuous. They will also freeze if they’re cornered by a predator, in the hope that the predator will lose interest. Our domestic rabbits have retained their instinct to freeze when under threat. Unfortunately, this body language is often misconstrued as a rabbit being compliant. For example, a rabbit sitting on a child’s lap is not necessarily keeping still because it is happy being petted – the rabbit may be keeping still in the hope that the child (or, from the rabbit’s perspective, the predator) will release its grip, so it has a chance to escape. It’s important for us to understand our rabbits’ body language, so we can differentiate between a happy, relaxed serene rabbit, and a stressed rabbit, too scared to move – these rabbits will have a tense body, rapidly twitching nose, and rapid breathing. Back
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In the wild, showing any sign of injury, pain, or illness renders a rabbit vulnerable to attack – predators often target sick, elderly, or young animals. Therefore, rabbits have become adept at hiding pain. Rabbits also hide pain from other rabbits. Due to our rabbits’ instinct to hide illness, it’s vital that we know and understand our rabbits well enough to spot even the most subtle signs of poorliness, and conduct daily observations and basic home examinations. Without familiarity and careful observation of our rabbits, problems can be missed and remain untreated for some time. When symptoms become noticeable, it’s likely that they are only visible because our rabbit is too unwell to hide them any longer, and successful treatment may be difficult or impossible. Back
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Most mammals walk, but, as prey animals, rabbits have evolved to hop, to evade predators, and give themselves a better chance of survival. Rabbits’ hind legs are longer than their front legs, with exceptionally powerful muscles that facilitate both speed and agility. Being able to outrun and outmanoeuvre predators is a rabbit’s best defence. In short bursts, they can attain speeds of around 50mph, and have a massive lateral leap of about 3m in one bound. They are also adept at jumping, able to leap to around a metre vertically (these figures vary with age and health). Their ability to zoom in erratic zigzags, changing direction abruptly and unpredictably, helps rabbits to evade capture by making it difficult for predators to anticipate their route. Showing the white underside of their tail when fleeing may also help further disorientate predators (simultaneously warning other rabbits of the threat). Rabbits practise these moves when at play; their leaping, twisting, and turning in the air is known as binkying. Their hind feet are padded with fur to absorb shock, their long toes are webbed to prevent them spreading and breaking during high stress movement, and their feet have evolved so the claws sink into the ground, providing grip. Furthermore, hopping is more energy efficient than other forms of locomotion. Rabbits use elastic energy stored in their tendons to propel themselves forward with great force and rapid acceleration, allowing them to cover more ground with less energy expenditure than with the continuous movement required for walking or running. It’s particularly efficient for navigating the rabbit’s natural environment – usually uneven terrain and thick vegetation – as they can leap rather than having to climb. Hopping animals have a relatively low oxygen consumption rate compared with mammals that use other forms of locomotion, as it requires less oxygen to power the muscles, due to the foot’s shorter time in contact with the ground. Ebony spooking Dijon with her zoomies,followed by Snoop practising his moves. Our pet rabbits can also move with speed and agility, if they have a spacious environment (minimum 3m x 2m x 1m high). As well as providing space, we must provide suitable flooring (with traction and cushioning), so they can move naturally, without slipping or causing discomfort to their feet. As with wild rabbits, speed and agility vary with age and health, but also with breed. Like any overweight creature, obese rabbits have far more difficulty hopping and jumping.
Ebony demonstrating the efficiency of hopping, as opposed to walking. It’s thought that when we see them playfully binkying, or doing ‘zoomies’ (their sudden circuits around the room/enclosure, with erratic movements and abrupt turns), they are responding to their prey instinct to practise moving and navigating through the fastest routes, in case they ever need to escape danger. To prevent boredom, it helps to swap things around occasionally, so our rabbits can practise zooming around the rearrangement of furniture, tunnels, toys, and other items in their area. It’s important not to make major changes, which could be stressful for them; their litter tray and main shelter area shouldn’t be moved.
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In the wild, rabbits depend upon vigilance for their survival, monitoring their environment for signs of danger with their ears, eyes, and nose. Rabbits are macrosmatic animals, meaning they have a very strong sense of smell – they have around 100 million olfactory receptors in their nose (about 20 times more than humans), which help them to detect predators. Rabbits sniff the breeze whilst rearing up, to monitor for any signs of danger. They will also sniff new objects, to discover more about them, and rely heavily on their nose (and whiskers) to detect items close to them, especially to select food, as their eyes are not good at seeing things near to them. This highly developed sense of smell is also vital for interpreting scent marking. Rabbits’ noses constantly twitch – if they are frightened or detect an unfamiliar or interesting smell, the twitching accelerates (it can reach 150 times per minute), but slows or becomes still if they are relaxed. This twitching enhances their sense of smell by exposing the receptors to the air. Fast twitching can also be due to rapid breathing which could indicate illness or stress. As obligate nasal breathers (meaning they must breathe through their nose rather than their mouth), rabbits can smell danger even whilst eating. Rabbits’ noses also help to regulate their body temperature – there are glands in their nostrils which moisten the air (their ears play a greater role in thermoregulation). Nose shape and movement can indicate how a rabbit is feeling Snoop's nose twitching after a robin's alarm call catches his attention. Our domestic rabbits have retained this prey instinct of vigilance, and use their nose to monitor their surroundings. Like their wild cousins, they have an acute sense of smell, although it is compromised in some domestic breeds. Unfamiliar or strong odours, or highly scented fragrances, can frighten a rabbit, in much the same way as the scent of predators (including dogs and cats). Many rabbits have an instinctive fear of smoke – blowing out candles on a birthday cake may cause fear in our rabbits. We may find our rabbits suddenly become afraid of or hostile towards us, if they can smell the scent of another rabbit/animal on us. We must always provide plenty of hiding places for our rabbits, for sheltering away from smells they might perceive as a threat. We should also learn how our rabbits’ nose can indicate how they are feeling.
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The fear response causes an increased rate of respiration in rabbits. The ‘fight or flight’ response makes breathing shallow and rapid to increase oxygen, so the body is ready to run. It’s important to understand and recognise rabbits’ body language and respond accordingly. In rapid breathing from fear, the stressed or scared rabbit may also respond by freezing. If our rabbits are breathing rapidly from fear or stress, we need to act quickly to make them feel secure and comfortable, and, if possible, remove the perceived threat. Back
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Standing on hind legs, often on an elevated area (eg. fallen tree trunk), allows wild rabbits to gain a better view, and listen and smell for danger, using their incredible ears, eyes, and nose. This is known as ‘periscoping’. Rearing up is also a foraging behaviour. Just like their wild cousins, our pet rabbits need to be able to stretch up, so they can ensure there’s no nearby threat to their safety. It helps them to feel secure, and is also good for their musculoskeletal health, so it’s important to make sure our rabbits’ have enough room to stand up tall, without their ears touching the top of their enclosure. We should provide different levels and platforms, such as boxes, stools, or upturned flower pots, so they can climb up to monitor their environment. Back
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Sheltering is a vital behaviour for rabbits as prey creatures. Before grazing or foraging, rabbits always check that they are near a safe place where they can escape predators if necessary. They usually perform any behaviours that make them less alert to their surroundings, and therefore more vulnerable, in a sheltered place (eg. sleeping, eating caecotrophs, grooming). Wild rabbits construct extensive networks of interconnecting burrows (warrens) to use for shelter, by digging soil – some may extend to 3m deep, and there are many entrance/exit points, so they can enter quickly, but also escape if a predator enters. They spend many hours sheltering in their warrens, resting or sleeping, but even when above ground, they prefer to be near the safety of their burrows, although they will also shelter in vegetation or other safe, concealed areas. Our pet rabbits feel safer if they know they have access to hiding places – they will feel stressed and exposed if there’s no covered place provided for retreat. They often choose to rest in darker, covered areas, so it’s important that we make sure they have plenty of sheltered areas to choose from, by providing various ‘hidey holes’ in their area, such as carboard boxes, small tables and chairs, stepping stools, or large flowerpots turned on their side. There are many different styles of shelter available to purchase, from small hidey houses to elaborate castles. We should provide several hiding places, some large enough for all our rabbits together, others big enough for just one rabbit, so that they can spend time away from their companions, if they wish. It’s best if hiding places have more than one opening, as rabbits don’t like to feel trapped – they can be territorial about these places, and one rabbit could be hurt by another if cornered. We must learn our rabbits’ body language – it’s normal behaviour for them to seek shelter to rest or to hide for a short while if they feel threatened, but it’s not good for rabbits to constantly feel the need to hide. If a rabbit is hiding rather than sheltering for rest, its body posture will be tense, perhaps freezing to reduce its visibility – it’s a behaviour which is communicating fear of something in the environment, and we must do all we can to make them feel secure, so they don’t feel the need to hide, removing anything they might perceive as a threat.
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Most wild rabbits have a white underside to their tail, which they show as they are hopping at speed to flee danger. It may seem to us that this would not be in their best interest, given that their coat colour provides a good camouflage whereas the white tail would draw attention from the predator, research suggests that the bobbing white tail confuses a predator trying to chase a rabbit. Their white tail is also a way of communicating a warning of danger to other rabbits, along with thumping of their hind feet. Rabbits’ tails provide some help with balance, although not as effectively as the longer tails of other animals. Read here about other ways rabbits use their tail for communicating. Although not all domestic rabbits have white undersides to their tails, our pet rabbits still show the underside of their tail if frightened. We need to make them feel secure and comfortable, and, if possible, remove anything they perceive as a threat. Like their wild cousins, they use their tails to express other feelings, so it’s useful to know what their various tail positions and movements can mean. Back
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Rabbits pick items up with their mouths then throw and toss them to move them out of the way, especially when clearing routes to ensure they have paths ready for escaping predators, if necessary. They will also clear items out of their way by biting through them with their sharp teeth. Throwing/tossing is also a foraging behaviour. Ebony and Dijon demonstrating their ability to throw things,,, sometimes quite destructively! Pet rabbits also perform this behaviour with branches and toys… or our belongings! Try filling old toilet rolls or brown paper bags with food and hay, so they can pick them up and toss them out of the way, at the same time releasing the tasty treats. Other popular choices include willow balls, stacking cups, and apple sticks. Back
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When rabbits detect a threat, they thump their back feet on the ground to make a sound, communicating an alarm to other rabbits. They may show the white underside of their tail to warn companions. Rabbits may also thump to scare off predators. Thumping is a method of communication between rabbits and a reproductive behaviour. Some rather half-hearted thumping from Dijon. It’s important to understand our rabbits’ body language to recognise the contextual meanings of thumping – if the thumping is caused by fear, we may need to help them feel secure, if possible removing whatever it is that they perceive as a threat. Back
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Tonic immobility is an anti-predation behaviour used by many prey animals, including rabbits. In response to an extreme, imminent threat, the prey animal assumes the appearance of being dead, which gives it a chance of escape: many predators torment or worry their prey before killing it, and lose interest if the prey animal becomes still; predators tend to grip tightly if the prey animal is moving, but may loosen their grasp if the prey animal appears to be dead.
In the past, rabbit owners and vets have made use of this instinctive response in rabbits – when placed on their back, tonic immobility is induced, rendering them motionless and ostensibly calm. This enabled treatment to be administered, nails clipped, or other minor procedures carried out without a struggle. Some ignorant owners take advantage of this response, holding their rabbit on its back, so that they, the owner, can enjoy a long cuddle. However, studies have shown that ‘hypnotising’ or ‘trancing’ rabbits does not relax them but is instead extremely traumatic – their heart rate decreases and there are other physiological changes consistent with trauma. We should never ‘trance’ or ‘hypnotise’ a rabbit, and must never fully turn them onto their backs. There is a range of less stressful methods to aid care procedures, such as carefully wrapping a rabbit in a towel (‘bunny burrito’) to prevent struggling whilst nail trimming. Back ↑ |
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Wild rabbits are prey for around 50 species. They can be attacked by predators on the ground, under the ground, or from the sky. They rely mostly on avoidance to survive, and must be constantly alert for signs of danger, using their highly developed senses (ears, eyes, nose), to detect the presence of a predator in time to escape. To survive, they need to find food for themselves whilst not being caught as food for another animal. Reacting to danger – if they sense danger, rabbits may start thumping and showing the white underside of their tail as a warning signal to other rabbits, and to give themselves a chance to escape. They may try freezing to avoid being seen. If danger approaches, they will attempt to outrun and outmanoeuvre the predator with speed and agility, hopping to a known bolthole where they may remain sheltering until the threat has passed. If caught by a predator, they may to defend themselves by fighting or may enter tonic immobility. Domestication has reduced our rabbits’ ‘fight or flight’ response, compared to their wild cousins, but their instinct to be vigilant has remained strong, and they will exhibit the same behaviours as their wild ancestors if they feel threatened or frightened. We need to be mindful of this nature, ensuring we don’t put our rabbits in situations that may scare them, and being aware of any sights, sounds, or smells that may frighten them. We need to make them feel secure and comfortable, and, if possible, remove anything they might perceive as a threat. Nevertheless, rabbits have an inherent need to be vigilant, so it’s stimulating for them to be in a varied (but not stressful!) environment. If possible, we should ensure houserabbits have some outdoor space – the natural environment is more varied, with changes in seasons, weather, light, sounds, sights, and smells. Rabbits are less likely to become bored if they can enjoy monitoring an outdoor environment, and more likely to perform natural behaviours, such a rearing up to sniff the breeze). If it’s not possible to let them have time outdoors, it’s important to provide more stimulation in their indoor environment, by providing extra enrichment, swapping toys, etc. Rabbits find it easier to relax if they have the suitable companionship of another rabbit for shared vigilance. Back
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