Normal behaviour in rabbits:
Understanding you rabbit’s behaviour is very important in maintaining their health and happiness. When rabbits were domesticated and then changed into pets and companion animals, their lives changed, however instinct is still present, and there are normal behaviours that needs to be noted and respected.
Normal rabbit behaviour includes:
1) Leaving a mess.
Hay and poop everywhere.
Our bunnies are 95% littertrained, so wee goes into the litterbox, but poops… different story.
You can spend 2 hrs cleaning their space, in 10 mins it looks like you have not cleaned. The next morning, it looks like you have not cleaned for days…. Thats that basic of it. Rabbits mess. You need to commit to the mess if you take in rabbits. It is imperative that you clean often to not allow buildup.
The videos you see on TikTok give the false impression of super clean, and this often leads to people getting bunnies, and giving up on them in just a few weeks. Many surrendered bunnies that came in, was handed over with the words : “I am over it. The cleaning kills the cuteness”.
2) Digging and burrowing:
Their name literally means Digger Burrower! Oryctolagus Cuniculus. They dig, they hide, they are anxious because they are prey animals. Our bunnies dig in their litterboxes, esp when we just put in new hay in the evenings. They were born to dig. Giving them sandpits or forage trays is a very good idea. We have dedicated safe play areas (runs) outside, and they LOVE to dig in the sand and grass. Digging is their first nature. However, make sure that they do not dig so deep as to tunnel, esp in unsafe and unstable ground. Many people have called us to come and help, their bunnies are now underground… and tunnels can collapse easily, as our soil differs from where they originally come from.
So what is normal accommodations for rabbits?
Rabbits can dig up to 2 meters deep, and lives in nature in a burrow system, with many rooms. These rooms are just big enough for one or 2 rabbits to sleep in. In nature, whole colonies will sleep under ground in their warrens. They can spend up to 18 hours in their warrens, and then come out to play and forage.
When we have sick or anxious rabbits, we often create a confined room for them, to feel safe while they heal, but which is accessable for us to check up on them. This is also the importance of hidey houses if your rabbits free roam. It is NOT recommended they hide beneath beds and furniture, as you may have trouble accessing them and monitoring them, esp when they feel ill.
A big mistake so many people make is to immediately freeroam their new bunny or bunnies, without proper hidey areas. They need to be contained first for a few days, with a proper hidey space, so they can settle into your routine and get used to the noises and sounds, while you can closely monitor them.
3) Chewing
Their teeth keep growing and front teeth can grow up to 2 cm in a MONTH. They NEED to chew. Give safe woods and toys; and beware of cables, carpets, furniture. They also need hay to keep those back teeth in check. Spurs can form easily if they are not chewing, and dentals are not a good thing. So keep ensuring they eat their hay and have chewy sticks like apple, willow, vinyard, hiviscus ready! (Always ensure all chewy sticks and wood is safe, untreated by chemicals and pesticides or herbicides)
4) Hopping, binkying and running
A rabbit in a confined space (single playpen, etc) needs to get excersize of at least an hour daily, in 2 sessions, to keep their muscles all good.
Rabbits are crepuscular, meaning more active at dawn and dusk and certain hours of the night, thus we give our playtimes according. Our world and economy is not perfect, so neither are we. We do the best we can, very responsibly so. Ensuring your rabbit’s excersize is of the most important factors in care. When we had good days sunny and less windy, our rabbits get to go outside at dawn and dusk. However, during the bad days, we give them playtime inside the house, at night. Getting rid of their energy is a serious factor to keep them content. We often get to bed only at 4am due to playtime, and ensuring those that cannot have playtime had their physiotherapy. The humans in the Haven thus have their day/night slightly turned around, so we can do the best for our little wards.
5) Siestas
Rabbits can sleep up to 18 hrs a day. Its important that they have safe, comfortable hiding places to sleep. The bunnies here knows their “rooms” and will even get agitated if they want to go to their room or taken out when they do not want to. Because we are a big establishment, we do have cages. However, most of these cages do not even have their front door closed ever and many do not even HAVE doors. The bunnies do not come out if it is not playtime, and they wait for us to tell them they can come out. Not all bunnies play together, so we have different sections that will have simultaneous playtime, and the others after. Our unsterlised males and new bunnies that is getting into routine, will be closed up, after their sessions. See point 2 on safe hidey places.
6) Being influenced by seasons and moon phases
They have a very sensitive magnetic field and the moon affects them more than it does tides! Seasons, esp Spring fever can be hectic, re-establishing their hierarchy for the summer to come; and if you are in for a harsh winter, the rabbits may fight to re-establish winter hirarchy as well. See our full article on Spring Fever.
7) Being scared.
Rabbits are prey animals, that do not see too well in close range, esp in front of them. They can freak if you carry something strange, when a strange person enters their space, because of strange noises and even because something smell off. They will be terrified immediately, with full fight and flight activated if they sense a life threatening danger. Even people with the wrong coloured auras can send them into a panic. Its instinct to claw and bite when they get startled, feel negative energy or hyper energy and feel threatened.
It is imperative to always anounce your position in the room, esp to our blind bunnies, and not just suddenly appear right beside them. Also, to speak the whole time when you move about. Our bunnies are used to a specific cleaning and feeding ritual, as well as a day to day ritual, and may feel confused about any other happenings in the Haven that do not fit their usual routine. This can even cause stasis at night, esp in our bunnies struggling with anxiety. We this concentrate on keeping their routine fixed as close as possible.
How to communicate with your bunny:
Always be calm and assertive with your bunny. Their energy stems directly from yours, in most cases. Talk to them – they do recognise their names, and your voice. (Yes, deaf rabbits can “hear” by feeling vibrations from soundwaves through their whiskers).
Understanding you rabbit’s behaviour is very important in maintaining their health and happiness.