My male rabbit is approx 1 year old and has not been castrated. He sleeps outside in a hutch and last night I woke up in the middle of the night to him thumping his back legs. He did this slowly but repeatedly. I went outside and there were no cats or anything that he may have been scared about. I put a towel across the mesh incase he was cold or something but he kept doing it.
I know rabbits thump when they sense danger, are in fear or are angry but since I couldn't find anything for him to be like this, I was wondering if there might be something else that I don't know about?
Does anyone have any answers to this? He's never done this before and is in good health and is eating fine.
2006-10-19 21:48:21 · 15 answers · asked by Emma M 2 in Pets ➔ Other - Pets
Something was definitely out around your hutch. It could have been a dog, kid, raccoon or whatever. But trust your bunny on this one. He saw something or heard something. Especially if his ears are straight and erect like he is listening for something. You may want to set a large live trap out there to see what is bothering your rabbit. Whatever it is will probably come back. It's also very hard to see and catch what it is at night. The predator may have ran and taken off as soon as it heard you open the door.
We've had dogs get into our rabbits a number of times. The bunnies are normally never wrong.
By the way, your rabbit doesn't need castrated. If a male rabbit is horny, basically the only time he stomps his feet in that regards is right after he has bred a female rabbit.
Also, be careful when you approach your rabbit when he's scared like this. Your rabbit may mistake you as the predator when you approach it. Rabbits will tend to run around their pen when they are scared. Many of them will run around the pen then run into a wall. When they run into a wall many of them will break their neck or back and become paralyzed in the rear end. So approach your rabbit slowly and don't make any sudden moves when he's like that.
Rabbits can stand very cold temperatures, all the way to as low as about -10 degrees Fahrenheit. Once you get around that temperature or lower you risk their ears freezing or the rabbit freezing to death. What they can't take however is a draft. Make sure your hutch is enclosed on 3 of the 4 sides. This will prevent a draft and keep your rabbit from getting pneumonia.
Another good idea is to secure your hutch to a post in the ground if the hutch just sits on the ground. This will keep your hutch from turning over in heavy windy storms. Trust me, it's not fun chasing rabbits in the middle of the night in the rain.
I've been raising rabbits for over 24 years. My dad and I raise around 150-200 rabbits and they all are kept outside.
2006-10-20 04:51:11 · answer #1 · answered by devilishblueyes 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
well you already know why rabbits thump. There must have been a predator around and he was afraid. I hope your hutch is fox proof. Once you went outside, of course the predator will have cleared off. Something out there wants to eat him.
2006-10-20 07:31:56 · answer #2 · answered by fenlandfowl 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You are right about why they do the thumping. It is in response to a sense of danger or in anger. Even though you did not notice anything yourself, the rabbit may have sensed something out there. I doubt that he is ill.
2006-10-20 23:27:57 · answer #3 · answered by nico 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Another reason why they do this is frustration. You should try giving him more "out" time from his cage. A lot of people have rabbits, but dont give them much free running time. Rabbits need a lot of exercise. Try letting him run around and play for an extra couple of hours each day and he may calm down a bit at night when he is stuck in his cage. You also mentioned going outside to check on him, if he is in an outdoor enclosure it is possible that he can smell a nearby female, which will also cause him frustration. Keep in mind that if he is outside, he can smell a predator who is quite far from him, that you may not necessarily be able to see.
2006-10-20 05:37:48 · answer #4 · answered by Imma 2 · 1⤊ 2⤋
Well at 1 year he is prob feeling like he needs to breed.... There also might have been something out there that you gust didn't see.. as you are right when scared they will thump.. Good luck..
2006-10-20 04:59:23 · answer #5 · answered by kvn_klng 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Please get him a spayed mate. He needs company other than yours to cuddle up and have snuggles on cold winter nights. He is frustrated and needs a bit of female attention. A rescue will have a suitable spayed female, which will have been checked and vaccinated. They will bond your new female and your rabbit to make sure they are compatible. In the meantime, more toys and more cuddles from you will help. Get him a wife as soon as possible and he will be happier. Good luck to you and bunny.
2006-10-20 06:07:34 · answer #6 · answered by india 3 · 2⤊ 1⤋
Weve got two female rabbits,christmas last year we brought them both into the house to have a run round and one of them start banging her back feet, I think she wanted to go outside
she made real noise.
2006-10-20 13:53:40 · answer #7 · answered by shirley m 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If you went outside you probably frightened off whatever was worrying him.
Or perhaps he's stressed; rabbits live in colonies and are unhappy alone. He could be jumping at shadows, or frustrated.
Lonely dogs bark, how does a rabbit express its frustration?
2006-10-20 06:59:15 · answer #8 · answered by sarah c 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
I agree with earlier respondent, by the time you get outside whatever was upsetting him would have been long gone. Covering him up wouldn't make any difference, he can still smell and hear and covering him up might have scared him as well.
2006-10-20 05:11:25 · answer #9 · answered by Chariotmender 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I really think your male needs a bit of the female stuff ya know what i mean, ok he want's S E X
2006-10-20 15:02:46 · answer #10 · answered by chass_lee 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋