When my rabbits...
Bite - They want you to move your hand
Lick - They love you
Growl - They hate you
Jump when running - They are happy
Attack - they hate you
Rub their chin on things - They are marking it their property
Make screeming noices - They are terrified
I am just woundering weather my predctions are correct!
2006-12-01 03:34:10 · 12 answers · asked by Lizzie_301 1 in Pets ➔ Other - Pets
Biting: I guess it depends on what type of bite it is. A little nip usually does mean, "Move it or lose it" or "Okay, I've had enough petting now." A more serious chomp might mean your rabbit is more seriously upset or scared.
Licking: Rabbits lick each other to groom each other and to show affection to each other. Likewise, when they lick you, they are showing affection, although maybe they think your fur is in need of grooming! :-)
Growling or Grunting: It doesn't necessarily mean they hate you, but it does mean they are annoyed or upset about something.
Jumping while running: This is also known as a binky or happy hop. And absolutely, it means the bunny is happy.
Attacking: A bunny that lunges at you doesn't necessarily hate you, but it does feel scared or threatened. A lot of bunnies will lunge at you if you open their cage and stick your hands in to grab them. This is called "cage protectiveness." Some bunnies will outgrow this once they get more used to you and realize that you aren't going to hurt them or steal their food when you put your hands in their cage. Some bunnies will always be a bit protective of their space. The same bunny can be perfectly friendly outside his cage. If you have this kind of bunny, you'll need to learn to always clean their cage, change their litterbox, fill their food dish, etc. when they are out hopping.
Rubbing their chins: You are correct that bunnies do this to mark things as "Mine." Bunnies have a scent gland under their chin and they are rubbing it on stuff to indicate they were there or that the item belongs to them. Thankfully, whatever is in the scent gland, we humans can't smell.
Screaming: You are correct again that a scream means a bunny is terrified. I hope you don't hear this noise from your bunnies a lot!
2006-12-01 07:41:08 · answer #1 · answered by puffinpower 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
My rabbit doesn't bite, he just pushes my hand with his nose...
Lick - yep they like you or they're just seeing if you are tasty!!
Growl - they are being defensive, probably because they are afraid or protecting babies
Jump - That cute flippy thing they do in the air!! So funny! Yep I'd say that means they're happy!
Attack - again, the defensive thing. And they possibly do not like you.
Rub their chins - they must be marking property...although my rabbit has done that to me many times!!
Make screaming noises - well that I have never experienced. I do know that when they "thump" their back feet on the floor, it means that they are scared. My rabbit has done that a few times when other animals were around.
Rabbits are very sweet, and hopefully you aren't getting attacked!!
I have had only one rabbit that attacked, and it attacked everything. I had to wear hockey gloves to feed it! I think it was mental...
2006-12-01 04:00:31 · answer #2 · answered by Nikki 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well, when mine bite it is more like a territory thing, also a sign that they need more attention.
They usually lick in the summer when it is hot out (and i'm usually sweaty) and I give then a new salt/mineral wheel.
When they do the growl thing is usually when they are looking for a mate, or see a rival.
I have a male though that does all three. He's weird, he has his own blanket and stuffed animal, and won't associate with other rabbtis.
As for the attacking, they do that if you do something that they DO NOT like. I have a flemmish giant that attacks if he thinks that I am going to try to give him ear mite medicine, and his mother will attack me if she thinks that I didn't put enough food in her bowl.
2006-12-01 04:59:46 · answer #3 · answered by santana84_02 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I've raised rabbits for decades and have never heard one growl. Nor have I ever been bitten - and I love to handle them.
I don't believe the lick from a rabbit is like the lick from a dog. Sounds to me like he is thirsty or is trying to get rid of a taste in his mouth.
Rubbing their chin on things is usually because they have an itch - or if doing it to their babies, want the babies to move in closer to them.
Jumping when they run is a tactic they use to confuse that which chases them. Sheep also do this. They run and then suddenly jump. It is not that they are glad nor happy - just changing the pattern from straight run to something that might make them appear bigger or faster to the predator.
I would hate to think what on earth you are doing to make a rabbit attack. Rabbits are on the bottom of the food chain and they know it. Their only defense is to run or to hide. They do not attack because they know they will lose. If you are talking about a rabbit in a cage that stays in a cage all the time attacking your hand or arm when you put it in the cage, I would have to say that you are not treating your rabbits right at all.
Rabbits do scream when terrified. However, that which makes them scream is not necessarily life-threatening by anyone's standards. They tend to be terrified of water, so putting them in water or turning a hose on them while they are caged is apt to give them cause to scream.
2006-12-01 03:47:51 · answer #4 · answered by north79004487 5 · 1⤊ 2⤋
growling and attacking does not necessarily mean that your rabbit hates you, but is usually a hormonal behavior displayed in females that are ready to be bred (usually about 4-6 months or older) Rabbits do lick when they love you and bite either when they want you to move your hand or they can nibble on you to show affection (even though it hurts to us) Jumping while running (called Binkying) is done when happy a rabbits scream is something you never want to hear and is done only when absolutely terrified...
2006-12-01 08:59:15 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
each and every time he does that stuff take him right into a distinct room and sit down there for a pair minutes , if he continues to be there provide him a manage. attempt that a pair circumstances an afternoon, yet dont overflow on the treats! save doing it till he stops. quickly he will understand now to not do it because he receives treats! wish this works! reliable luck such as your Rabbit!!!!!
2016-11-30 00:31:50 · answer #6 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes, that sounds about right. But the only time my rabbit really bit me was when he got his legs caught in his harness and he couldn't move so he was freaking out and i grabbed him from behind. I souldn't have approached him from that way, but he bit because he was scared. Although, I assume that by biting, you mean nipping at your hand, which my bunny sometimes does if I'm ignoring him and he wants my attention, so I'm not sure if if means they want you to move.
2006-12-01 07:09:11 · answer #7 · answered by jerrri 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
a rabbit does all them things for many different reasons eg, rub their chin on things - could have an itch. lick- they like the salty taste of your skin.
2006-12-01 05:17:51 · answer #8 · answered by gemma d 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Go to petsycopedia-rabbits. It will tell you everything you want to know and then some.
2006-12-04 05:20:48 · answer #9 · answered by T_I_GG_E_R 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
possibly
2006-12-01 03:53:28 · answer #10 · answered by Gentle Giant Canines 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋