Do You Understand Your Rabbit's Behavior?
By T.E. Reed, D.V.M.
WHILE it is true that rabbits have individual and distinct personalities, it is also true that rabbits have many common behavioral patterns. The fact that rabbits are responsive to love and affection is a common characteristic, and is one reason rabbits are such wonderful pets. To help you understand your pet rabbit a little better, the general behavior patterns of rabbits are listed below.
Grooming Habits. Rabbits groom themselves regularly by licking their fur with their rasplike tongues. It is not uncommon to see a rabbit sitting on one hip while licking its belly and the insides of both legs in long, vigorous strokes.
When rabbits are molting (shedding) profusely, or kindling(giving birth), they may ingest large amounts of fur. Because rabbits are unable to break down fur in the digestive process, there is a tendency for the ingested fur to collect in the stomach and form a mass. This mass may result in a partial or total blockage of the digestive system. On occasion, this hairball will cause a rabbit to lose its appetite, and it must be treated by a veterinarian.
Elimination Habits. Rabbits are very clean animals and their habits reflect a desire to stay dry and clean. Rabbits that are confined or rabbits that are allowed to roam in a restricted area have a tendency to urinate and defecate in the same location. This trait makes it fairly easy to litter-box train rabbits.
The rabbit's droppings are almost always firm, round, dry and under most circumstances, are not messy. All rabbits practice coprophagy,which is the act of reingesting a portion of a special fecal elimination directly from the cecum through the anus. This act goes almost totally unnoticed by owners and does not produce any unpleasant odors. Coprophagy is what allows rabbits to transform vegetable protein into a highquality bacteria protein and further the digestion of raw fiber.
Rabbits usually urinate in the same place they defecate. Rabbit urine is very cloudy and contains calcium, as well as proteins. It is not abnormal for the urine of a healthy rabbit to appear brilliant red, similar to blood. This is due to an incomplete metabolism of vitamins and is totally normal in some rabbits, rather than an indication of illness.
Territorial Marking. Rabbits, particularly bucks, will often rub their chins on feed bowls, water bottles or other similar objects. This procedure is termed "chinning" and is a rabbit's way of marking territory. There are very small glands under the rabbit's chin that produce an odoriferous secretion noticeable to other rabbits; this odor is usually not noticeable or offensive to humans.
As males mature sexually,they develop the habit of spraying urine to mark their breeding territory. The urine becomes very strong in oder as well. This is a disgusting behavior trait, but it can be eliminated or prevented by neutering the male rabbit.
Burrowing. Rabbits normally have a tendency to burrow beneath the ground if allowed to roam free or given nesting or bedding materials. It is believed that this behavioral trait is due to the animal's desire for privacy. This can be a problem for pet rabbits kept in yards because they will often burrow beneath the fencing unless the fencing extends 12 to 14 inches below the ground. Does have a tendency to be more aggressive at burrowing than males.
Taming and Handling. Most rabbits can be tamed easily and even desire human companionship. Rabbits should never be handled by the ears or the extremities because of the possibility of injury. As long as the rabbit is comfortable and feels secure, it will usually not attempt to escape. Handlers are most often scratched when the rabbit becomes frightened and attempts to flee. Most rabbits never intentionally attack or bite the handler. However, certain breeds and strains within breeds are more accepting of human companionship than others.
Wild rabbits and crosses of wild and domestic breeds are almost impossible to tame; such rabbits should not be kept as pets.
Cohabatation. Rabbits can be kept in the same household with many different animals as long as the other animals are not aggressive toward the rabbits. Rabbits accept other animals quite readily, including dogs, cats, hamsters and guinea pigs. Pet rabbits and cavies can be housed together without any problems, and they appear to enjoy each others' company.
It is not advisable to house two mature rabbits together because they may fight if they are the same sex. If they are not the same sex, there will be unplanned pregnancies unless, of course, the animals are neutered. Rabbits can injure each other quite severely during a fight, so it is wise to prevent this from happening.
Alarm Signals. When strange individuals or animals approach a rabbit, or when the rabbit hears odd sounds, it will respond by stomping its hind foot. This results in a very loud thumping sound and maybe repeated several times. It is believed that this behavior warns other animals of impending danger. If a rabbit is attacked, it is not uncommon for it to shriek. Upon hearing such a shriek, other nearby rabbits will become completely motionless. It is also believed that this behavior is used to warn other rabbits of impending danger.
Pain. Rabbits that suffer chronic pain will often grind and gnash their teeth. This is seen in rabbits suffering from respiratory distress or intestinal infection. When the rabbit is in acute pain, it will scream.
Food and Water Consumption. The domestic rabbit is basically an herbivore and is nocturnal in nature. However, the rabbit will change its habits and adapt to various rituals within a household. The normal healthy rabbit will consume approximately 5 percent of its body weight in dry food each day. Rabbits that are growing, gestating and in particular, lactating will increase their daily food consumption dramatically.
The water consumption of a normal healthy rabbit is about 10 percent of its body weight. The one exception is a doe that is lactating-especially during the first three weeks-who will consume a greater quantity of water. Rabbits that are deprived of water will not eat.
The behavior patterns of the domestic rabbit are routine, but unique. By observing the above behavioral patterns, owners can glean a tremendous amount of information concern the health, welfare and needs of their pet rabbits.