In This Chapter
Rabbits are excellent at reading
humans’ body language, communicating silently (and quite loudly), and figuring
out what has changed and why. They’re also experts at detecting danger. If you
want to communicate effectively and live harmoniously with your domestic bunny,
take heed of the following bunny wisdom.
Making Sense of Body Language
Communication is the key to the
success of any good relationship. You and your rabbit are no exception.
Although your bunny may seem a bit quiet, she has many ways of communicating
her needs.
The first step in communicating
with your rabbit is being able to figure out what the heck he’s trying to tell
you. For the most part, rabbits speak with their bodies. They talk to each
other and to you through their movements and postures.
Remember
To understand what your rabbit is saying to you, you need to pay close attention. Observe your pet in different situations to recognize the following:
- Chinning: “This is my turf.” When your rabbit rubs his chin on the corners of furniture, on his nest box, or on your hand, he’s marking his territory by chinning. The scent glands located on the underside of his face leave an odor detectable to other rabbits (not humans), letting them know that this territory belongs to the owner of the scent. Let your rabbit chin all he wants because it makes him feel safe.
- Hopping, leaping, and racing: “Whoopee! I’m happy!” Bunnies express pleasure this way with many variations and levels of difficulty.
- Binky-ing: “It’s hard to describe how happy I am!” The binky, a high jump coupled with vigorous twists, is the unmistakable sign of a very happy rabbit.
- Kicking: “Let go!” or “What fun!” If you’re holding your rabbit and he starts to kick violently, he’s letting you know that you aren’t holding him in a way that helps him feel secure. (Chapter Cleaning Behind Those Great Big Ears and More tells you how to hold your rabbit properly so that you can avoid this type of language.) You may also see your rabbit kick when playing. Kicking when playing is different than kicking when feeling insecure and basically means “Yippee, I’m having fun!”
- Circling: “I’m in the mood for love.” A rabbit who circles your feet is in courting mode or may also be just trying to get your attention.
- Flattening: “I don’t want you to see me.” In the wild, rabbits are masters of camouflage. They can flatten their bodies and blend in with the brush to avoid being seen by predators. Pet rabbits flatten, too. If your rabbit gets nervous when being approached by someone he doesn’t know or by another animal, he’s likely to lower himself to the ground in a behavior called flattening. He holds his ears tightly against his head, and his eyes bulge out, as shown in Figure 11-1. In this position, your rabbit is trying to tell you that he’s scared. Remove him from whatever situation is frightening him and let him know that everything is okay.
Figure 11-1: The squatter’s
on the top, the flattener on the bottom.
- Squatting: “I’m comfortable and secure.” Flattening and squatting are polar opposites. Flattening expresses fear, whereas squatting expresses comfort. Rabbits who are squatting (also see Figure 11-1) have a distinctly more relaxed appearance. Their muscles don’t appear to be tight, their ears aren’t held tightly against their heads, and they have a relaxed expression.
- Stretching out: “Ah, what a life. . . .” A rabbit lying on his side with his legs extended is feeling relaxed and secure. A variation on this position is when a rabbit lays on his stomach with his legs stretched out behind him. And the ultimate in relaxation? The flop, when a rabbit sprawls on his back.
- Ear shaking: “Ick, I don’t like that.” If your rabbit gets a whiff or taste of something he doesn’t like or if he wants you to leave him alone, he may give his ears a good shake to let you know what he’s thinking. Ear shaking indicates that your rabbit isn’t happy at the moment.
Warning!
Frequent ear shaking can be a sign of a medical problem and should be assessed by a veterinarian. Chapters Nipping Common Health Problems in the Bud and Coping with Other Health Woes and Aging Issues detail other health problems and their potential signs.
- Head butting: “Hey!” A persistent rabbit will head-butt you when she wants something — petting, food, whatever.
- Stomping: “Warning” or, maybe, “I’m annoyed.” If you saw the movie Bambi, you probably remember a little rabbit named Thumper, who got his name by repeatedly stamping his back leg on the ground. Thumper wasn’t just displaying cartoon behavior. Real-life rabbits thump their hind legs on the ground to issue warnings, too. If you see your rabbit thumping, he’s probably alerting you to danger or to something else that’s going on.
- Biting: “I don’t like what you’re doing.” A gentle nip is a rabbit’s way of saying “Okay, I’ve had enough.” A bite is different (and you’ll be able to tell when you get your first real chomp) and is usually the result of fear or anger. Unless the biting is chronic and painful, give your rabbit a break from whatever you’re doing. (Chapter Reckoning with a Bad Bunny gives training tips.)
- Sitting up tall: “I’m curious,” or “Is there trouble afoot?” An inquisitive rabbit will rear up on her hind end to look around. A frightened rabbit, on the other hand, may rear up and prepare to bite.
- Licking: “I love you.” If your rabbit kisses you in the form of a lick on the hand or face, he’s telling you that he loves you. Rabbits usually reserve this show of affection for each other, but special humans are also graced with rabbit kisses on a none-too-infrequent basis.
Interpreting Rabbit Sounds
Remember
Although rabbits primarily communicate with body language, they also have the ability to make sounds. You may hear your rabbit make some of the following sounds:
- Purring: Like a cat, a rabbit purrs when content. Unlike the feline purr, however, the rabbit purr comes not from the throat but from the teeth.
- Humming: “I’m in the mood for love.” You’re likely to hear this sound mainly from those male rabbits that are still sexually intact.
- Clucking: This sound is the rabbit version of “Oh, that was yummy!” A rabbit cluck sounds sort of like the cluck of a chicken, but very faint.
- Whimpering: Rabbits who want to be left alone sometimes whimper in hopes that you won’t pick them up. Pregnant females are especially likely to make this sound.
- Tooth grinding: You may hear two types of tooth grinding:
- Loud grinding: He’s in pain. Get your rabbit to a vet right away.
- Soft grinding: He’s expressing happiness.
- Hissing: Your rabbit may make this sound in response to another rabbit. Hissing is an aggressive sound that basically sends the message “Take another step, and you’re toast!”
- Snorting and growling: An angry rabbit snorts and/or growls at whoever has made him mad. In most cases, this behavior is reserved for other rabbits that are perceived as a threat of some kind. A bite or charge usually follows the sounds of snorting and growling, so if it’s directed at you, get out of the way!
- Screaming: You never want to hear this sound. When a rabbit is truly terrified for its life, it lets out a scream that is almost humanlike.
Preying for Safety
Of course, it helps to put rabbit
body language and vocalization into context. Exactly how do rabbits think? What
goes on in those fuzzy little heads?
When trying to understand rabbit
psychology, you need to realize that rabbits are prey (versus predatory)
animals. They’re close to the bottom of the food chain, so they basically exist
to provide meals for other animals. Their lot in life of being a primary dinner
source for other animals has made a significant impact on the rabbit’s
collective personality.
Imagine that you’re always being
hunted. Everyone wants to make a meal out of you. Does this idea make you a bit
paranoid? We would think so. Now think about how rabbits must see the world.
Although they somehow manage to enjoy life, they’re always waiting for some big
scary creature to make a play for them. The result? A very wary creature with
quick reflexes and a strong propensity to run first and ask questions later.
Remember
If you want to live with a rabbit, you need to realize how much the prey mentality factors into her personality. Rabbits are surprisingly happy-go-lucky, despite their lot in life, but they’re always on the lookout.
Don’t assume that just because
your rabbit is cuddling with you one minute that he won’t suddenly be afraid of
you the next. If you’ve ever watched nature documentaries on TV, you’ve no
doubt noticed that zebra herds will calmly graze within close vicinity to a
lounging pride of lions. The zebra seem to have no fear of the lions because
the lions aren’t acting like predators at that moment. But the minute the lions
start making quick, aggressive movements, the zebra heads go up, and the herd
heads out.
Remember
It’s the same thing with your rabbit. Human companions must work hard not to be mistaken for predators. If you’re calm and friendly, your rabbit sees you as friend. If you’re loud and making fast, aggressive moves, your rabbit becomes afraid of you, thinking that you’ve turned into a hungry predator.
Showing Others Who’s Boss
In this book, you see mentioned
time and again the rabbit’s penchant for being a social creature. In fact,
without this aspect of the rabbit’s disposition, rabbits wouldn’t be the
terrific pets you’ve grown to know and love.
Technical Stuff
When left to their own devices, rabbits live in complex social groups with a distinct hierarchy. A king buck and queen doe rule the colony’s warren (a series of dens and tunnels) with a collective iron paw, and more submissive bunnies play different roles within the group. In the case of domesticated rabbits, these rules of hierarchy are applied to humans, fellow domesticated rabbits, and even other household pets. An example of a dominant and submissive rabbit is shown in Figure 11-2. And just as within the world of wild rabbits, different bunny personalities exist in captivity that determine which rabbits will be king and queen and which will be subjects.
To understand this relationship,
think about human beings. Some people are naturally more assertive than others.
Some are natural leaders, but others prefer to follow. Individual personalities
ultimately determine where a person ends up in life, and the same goes for
rabbits. The tougher, more assertive rabbits rise to the top of the pecking
order, while the ones with meeker personalities take a more subservient role.
Figure 11-2: The dominant stance
is shown in the rabbit on top; the submissive rabbit is the one on the bottom.
Tip
It won’t take you long to figure out what kind of rabbit personality you’re dealing with. If you have a rabbit who’s on the bossy side, always nipping at you to get out of the way or pushing your other pets around, you have a bunny who would probably be the king of the warren had he been born a wild rabbit instead of a domestic one. On the other hand, if you have a quiet, gentle soul who complies easily, never gets aggressive, and seems a bit on the timid side, you have a rabbit who’d happily let others rule were he a wild rabbit living in the social hierarchy of a colony.
Either type of rabbit — and all
those in between — have much to offer. Assertive rabbits can be entertaining to
live with, but the softer personality types surely steal your heart.
Coexisting Peacefully: Ensuring a Happy Homecoming
When the time comes to bring your
bunny home, take care to make the experience as stress free as possible:
- Ticket to ride. Most rabbits do fine during short car trips, but it’s not likely to be your rabbit’s favorite activity. Chapter Hitting the Road with Your Rabbit outlines ways of creating a secure and comfortable carriage ride for your rabbit.
- Digging in. Make your rabbit feel welcome and relaxed by being prepared for his arrival ahead of time, with cage and supplies set up, rabbit-proofing complete, and food ready to go. Put his cage in a quiet spot; he’ll probably appreciate some alone time in his nest box. Try not to startle your rabbit with any sudden movements or loud noises and certainly wait a while before bringing other pets around. (See the upcoming section “Meeting Fido and Fluffy.”) Chapter Choosing the “Right” Rabbit covers how to introduce a new rabbit to your home’s current rabbit residents.
- Meeting the family. Talk to other members of your household (the humans, that is!) about what will be happening and how your rabbit is likely to feel. In particular, caution children about giving the rabbit time to get used to his new home. This chapter covers introducing new bunnies to children in the upcoming section “Combining Children and Rabbits.”).
Remember
Your rabbit is dealing with a big change. Be patient and give him time to adjust; the process often takes a week or more. Be calm but friendly, and your companion will soon give you signs that she’s settling in.
Gaining Your Rabbit’s Trust
Because of their natural prey
instinct, trust can be hard to come by in a rabbit. If you want your rabbit to
see you as a friend and not a foe, you need to act more like a rabbit than a
predator. (See the earlier section “Preying for Safety.”) Getting into your
rabbit’s mind and viewing the world from his perspective can help you become
more “rabbit-like.” To gain your rabbit’s trust, convince him that you have no
intention of turning him into a meal.
Remember
To help gain and deepen your rabbit’s trust in you, have patience and take the following steps:
- Speak softly. When you’re around your rabbit, talk in a quiet, gentle voice. You can talk and coo to your bunny all you like, but do it at a low volume in a soft and nonmenacing way.
- Move slowly. Quick, jerky movements are the movements of hungry predators. Move slowly and deliberately when you’re around your rabbit. And whatever you do, don’t chase your rabbit. If your bunny is being resistant about being caught, try luring him to you with a favorite treat. If you run after your rabbit, you’ll suddenly seem like a predator with something unpleasant on your mind.
- Feed at the right times. Rabbits tend to prefer eating in the early morning hours and at dusk because they’re the safest times to avoid predators. By giving your rabbit his main meals at these times of the day, you help cater to his instinctual need to eat at a safe time, which makes for a more generally relaxed rabbit. (Chapter Stocking Up on Carrots talks about food.)
- Never use harsh discipline. Rabbits don’t understand harsh discipline, and bunnies interpret any kind of yelling or striking to be the maneuvers of an enemy. Use positive reinforcement to teach your rabbit how to behave. You can get help in Chapters Putting Boxing Gloves on Your Rabbit: Training and Reckoning with a Bad Bunny.
Meeting Fido and Fluffy
One of the neatest
characteristics of rabbits is their propensity to get along with other pets.
They’re genetically programmed to find a way to live with others — even if
those others are members of a different species.
Of course, the rabbit’s status as
a prey animal puts it in an awkward position when trying to get along with
other domestic animals. When considering other pets, think about the same
pairing in the wild. Would your canary take on your bunny? Probably not, so the
two should be fine supervised at home. Same for hamsters and the like.
Warning!
Parrots and ferrets, however, can be a challenge. Even though rabbits and these animals don’t have a history of animosity toward each other, aggressive parrots should be kept away from rabbits, which isn’t too difficult to do. Ferrets, on the other hand, are likely to want to make a meal out of a rabbit and so are best kept at a safe distance.
Although cats and rabbits have
been on opposite sides of the chase for a long time, most cats and rabbits are
virtually the same size, and no cat in its right mind would take on an
average-size rabbit. Dogs are the greatest challenge because their wild
relatives considered rabbits a prime source of food. In fact, if you research
the history of dogs and rabbits, you can see that the dog and the rabbit have
long had a strained relationship, as far back as the Ice Age. If you have a dog
or a cat, take note of the tips in the following sections on determining
whether your pets can get along.
Dogs
If you have a dog and plan to get
a rabbit, you need to take care. Most dogs have a strong instinct to chase and
even kill rabbits, and some have gotten into the habit of running after wild
rabbits in an attempt to annihilate them. If you’re going to keep both of these
species as pets, stay constantly aware of this inherent tension between the two
creatures.
Tip
Think about your dog’s
- Personality: Is your pooch a mellow old coach potato who’s hard pressed to chase or get excited? Or is she a more active dog?
- Age: Older, calmer dogs usually do better with rabbits and are less likely to harass them. If your dog is young and you can reliably control her, it may work out, providing, of course, that you’ve set up a controlled, safe environment for such a meeting. But if your dog ignores you when you call her, you have a problem on your hands.
- Breed: Many terriers, some types of hounds, and a number of other breeds have been bred for hundreds of years to hunt rabbits. If your dog comes from one of these hunting breeds, one look at your new rabbit can trigger previously dormant hunting instincts in your dog. Unless you have a young puppy — preferably less than 6 months old — training your dog of a hunting-type breed not to harm the rabbit is going to be tough; breeds known for their hunting prowess include beagles, hounds, retrievers, and terriers, to name a few.
Tip
Before even attempting to introduce a rabbit to your household, take your dog to obedience training. Obedience training helps your dog listen to you and respect you as an authority. This recognition of you as the pack leader can enable you to show your dog not to harm a rabbit.
After you decide that your dog is
controlled enough to officially meet your rabbit, and your rabbit has had time
to get used to his new home, follow these steps to introduce the two:
1. Put your dog on a leash and put someone the dog respects in control of the leash (an adult only).
2. Allow the dog to approach the rabbit’s cage slowly, in a quiet manner.
If the dog starts to act up, correct him by saying “No” and quickly jerking the leash. Do this reprimand consistently.
3. When the dog approaches the rabbit quietly, even for a moment, praise him with pats and verbal kudos.
Remember
Your rabbit will probably be scared the first time that she sees your dog and is likely to hide in her nest box. Hiding is a good way for the rabbit to feel secure when the dog’s around. If the dog is calm and nonthreatening, the rabbit will probably become braver, even curious. You know that the rabbit is curious if the bunny comes out of her nest box when the dog is around. When the rabbit seems comfortable with the dog and the dog is calm and quiet around the rabbit, you can assume that the two have reached a truce.
Warning!
Don’t assume that just because your dog seems disinterested in the rabbit that you can safely let the two loose together. Your dog can never be trusted with the rabbit. Don’t take chances with your rabbit’s life. Keep your dog and your rabbit separated by a cage or other barrier at all times. Some dogs, no matter how hard their owners try, can’t avoid chasing a rabbit. Their predatory instincts are simply too strong. In these cases, you have to keep the dog permanently separated from the rabbit or find a safer home for your rabbit.
Cats
Although dogs and rabbits are
often a tricky combination, cats aren’t usually a problem when it comes to
cohabiting with a rabbit. Even though cats are predators and may be inclined to
chase rabbits, they’re less capable of doing damage. It’s rare that a cat will
be so aggressive toward a rabbit that the two can’t be housemates, especially
if the rabbit is a large one. On the flipside, some rabbits are so bossy that
they make life miserable for kitties.
Tip
You can get a good sense of how your cat and rabbit behave toward each other when you introduce them. If your cat begins to stalk your rabbit and treats it like prey, don’t allow the two together unless your cat is on a harness and leash, as shown in Figure 11-3. If your rabbit is the same size or larger than your cat, let the cat approach your rabbit and permit the rabbit to put the cat in his place. Your rabbit will probably try to bite and kick your cat, and you can be sure that your cat will never attempt to stalk the rabbit again.
Figure 11-3: Harness that potential
predator!
Warning!
If you have one of the smaller breeds of rabbits or a baby bunny, take care if you have a cat who wants to stalk your rabbit. Make sure to keep the two separated at all times because your cat may actually be able to do some harm to a smaller bunny. (You can read more about breeds in Chapter So Many Breeds, So Lit tle Time.)
Follow these steps to safely
introduce your cat and your rabbit:
1. Trim your cat’s claws using a nail clipper.
If your cat’s nails are trimmed, he’s less likely to be able to scratch your rabbit should he decide to take a swipe at your bunny. If you aren’t sure how to do trim your cat’s nails, see the nail trimming section in Chapter Cleaning Behind Those Great Big Ears and More. Cat nails are trimmed essentially the same way as a rabbit’s.
2. Begin the introduction with the rabbit in her cage.
No need for the cat to wear a harness during this stage. Your cat and rabbit will probably stare at each other and seem nervous. That’s because they are! Your rabbit may dive into the nest box, and your cat may arch his back and even hiss — all normal behavior.
3. If your cat approaches the rabbit slowly and isn’t aggressive, reward the kitty with praise and a treat.
If your cat hisses and runs away, ignore him. Eventually, your cat’s curiosity will get the best of him, and he’ll come back to take a closer look. In time, your cat will get used to the rabbit. Should he get too interested and stick his paw through the bars of the rabbit’s cage, squirt the cat with a water pistol from a distance, which sends a message to your kitty that aggression toward the rabbit is not okay.
When the cat and rabbit start to take each other’s presence for granted, you can move to the next step: face-to-face introduction.
4. Let your rabbit out of her cage in a rabbit-proof room.
See Chapter Shacking Up with an Indoor Rabbit for more on rabbit-proofing.
5. Put your cat in a harness with a leash attached and let him be in the same room with the rabbit, while you’re holding the leash.
Remember
Keep the cat in place and allow him to watch the rabbit hop around the room. When the rabbit hops, the cat may make moves toward her as if to chase her. Don’t allow this. Instead, keep the cat still and let him watch the rabbit move around the room.
If your rabbit behaves aggressively toward your cat, let your cat run away from the rabbit. If your cat feels cornered, it may attack in selfdefense. If your rabbit continues to behave aggressively toward the cat, the cat finds out that he needs to stay away from the rabbit, which is fine. Your rabbit should be allowed to call the shots in this situation. In the unlikely event that your rabbit starts seeking out your cat just so that she can attack the poor feline, you can discipline your rabbit with a squirt of water to the body and a firm “No!”
6. Repeat these sessions regularly until both your cat and your rabbit are comfortable with each other.
It will probably take time before the two start to ignore each other (or even become friends), but it’s worth the effort.
Combining Children and Rabbits
Children and bunnies are an
adorable combination. The sight of a youngster cuddling a cute rabbit is almost
too much to bear. But in order to keep both creatures safe in each other’s
company, parents need to be aware of potential problems.
Rabbits fascinate kids. Whether
it’s those giant ears or nonthreatening demeanor that attracts them, children
tend to become obsessed with their bunnies. If you have a kid or two and a
rabbit, your children will no doubt spend plenty of time with the rabbit, which
is fine as long as you keep the following in mind:
Remember
- Children must be taught how to handle a rabbit properly. Carefully supervise any time children spend with your rabbit. Show the child how to pet a rabbit on the floor — gently, with the back of their hand — and teach them not to chase or harass a rabbit.
- Set lifting limitations. Young children shouldn’t be permitted to lift a rabbit because both child and rabbit may get hurt in this situation. Older children (8 years and up) may lift smaller rabbits safely, as long as they’re taught the proper technique (see Chapter Cleaning Behind Those Great Big Ears and More).
- Let your kids know that rabbits have sensitive ears and don’t like loud noises. Teach them to keep loud play to a minimum when they’re in the vicinity of the rabbit. When kids are feeling rambunctious and want to scream and run around, they should do it outside or at least in a different room from where the rabbit is kept.
- Rabbits need their quiet time. Unlike most dogs, rabbits aren’t always up for playing. Teach your kids to give the rabbit some space. If you need to, set aside a section of the day as the rabbit’s quiet time when no one is allowed to bother him.
- Children enjoy feeding time with rabbits in particular. Let your children feed treats or dinner to your bunny, but show your children that they should sit quietly if they want to watch bunny dine. The rabbit shouldn’t be touched or disturbed while eating.
0 comments:
Post a Comment