Rabbits are relatively quiet, peaceful animals that make very little noise. However, you may notice these little guys thumping their feet on the ground on the odd occasion. Be it one or two thumps, it can be a rather strange action with often an even stranger cause!
Rabbits thump their feet to either signal danger or to express annoyance or irritation. Other possible reasons a rabbit might thump their feet are to express anger, seek attention or indicate physical discomfort. The thumping is usually triggered by a new sight, strange smell, or loud sound.
Identifying what makes your rabbit thump his paws can be a trickier task than you imagine – many things can set off your furry companion! Read on for all the information about why rabbits thump their feet, what triggers this thumping and how to prevent it.
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Why Do Rabbits Thump Their Feet?
Rabbits thump their feet for many reasons. However, the two most likely reasons are to signal danger or to express annoyance or irritation. Other possible causes for your rabbit giving the ground a good thud are out of anger, seeking attention, or indicating discomfort.
Rabbits Signaling Danger
In the wild, thumping is a defense response in rabbits designed to alert the rest of the bunnies that danger is nearby. This is most commonly done in response to predators approaching the rabbit burrows.
For pet rabbits, it can often be hard to identify what precisely the little guy is signaling as danger. A few things that pet rabbits might perceive as danger could be a loud noise or perhaps a new animal in the house.
Rabbits thumping to signal danger will commonly only stamp one hind leg instead of two, which is considered the warning signal.
Rabbits Signaling Annoyance Or Irritation
A pet rabbit’s most common reason to thump is out of irritation or annoyance. If you or anyone else has done something to annoy your rabbit, then you may get an annoyance thump or two.
Some common annoyance thumps:
- You took your rabbit out of its cage
- Picking up your rabbit frequently
- Removing treats
- Waking your rabbit up from a nap
- Playing with your rabbit too much
There are many other reasons for an annoyance or irritation thump so try your best to remember what happened moments before the thump to identify the trigger.
Other Reasons For A Rabbit Thumping
Now that we have spoken about the most common cause of a rabbit thump, it is crucial to be aware of the other possible reasons so you can be on the lookout for any triggers.
The other reasons a rabbit may thump are out of anger, to seek attention, or to indicate physical discomfort.
If your rabbit is angry about something, it will likely be thumping its feet. This could be paired with a display of their front teeth, or they may appear tense in their body and not relaxed.
Another reason your rabbit could be thumping their feet is if you haven’t given your furry friend enough attention. This is often the case if your rabbit doesn’t have a companion and thus is more likely to get lonely.
Lastly, an important thing to look for is thumping to indicate physical discomfort. This is almost always paired with snarling, biting, flattened ears, and other general pain indications, such as a different posture. If you are concerned your rabbit is in pain, the best thing you can do is take it to the vet immediately to identify the issue.
What Triggers Thumping From A Rabbit?
The three main things that trigger thumping are a strange sight, smell, or sound.
Adding anything new to your rabbit’s environment can cause stress, and it may alert you to the new thing by thumping. It could be a new person, another animal, a moving shadow, or even a strange new object placed in its space.
Introducing a new smell into your rabbit’s environment can trigger a thump. Rabbits do not like strange or unfamiliar smells. This could range from a new plant, cigarette smoke, or even a new perfume you may be wearing.
Lastly, any sound can be a big thumping trigger. Rabbits are known to react badly to any sudden or loud sounds. This could be a box falling over, music playing, or even a plane passing over the house. It is vital to know that too sudden or extremely loud sounds can send your rabbit into shock and potentially kill it. While rare, it has happened before so try to keep sounds to a minimum.
How Can I Make My Rabbit Stop Thumping?
If you have noticed that your rabbit is continuously thumping, then something needs to be done. A constant and persistent thumping indicates that your rabbit is distressed, and it is time for you to step in and help.
Continuous thumping is not usually due to anger or irritation, as these emotions are generally fleeting, but rather due to something they perceive as a constant threat. You must try your best to help your rabbit because this persistent distress could eventually kill your bunny.
The first step is to find the trigger. Look out for anything new in its space, either sight, smell, or sound. If your rabbit is frequently thumping, sit near your rabbit and wait until the thumping starts again. The moment it starts, take a quick look around to see what is happening that may have triggered the rabbit.
Once you’ve identified the trigger, you should remove that stimulus from your rabbits’ space. This is the easiest route to dealing with the issue.
However, if you cannot remove the stimulus, your next best option is desensitizing your rabbit to the problem.
You can use many methods to desensitize your rabbit to whatever is upsetting it. However, a common and relatively easy way is to give your rabbit a treat every time that stimulus occurs. This will associate that stimulus with a positive response in the brain and help reduce that warning thumbing.
If the above method is ineffective, try chatting to your local vet about what else you can try for your rabbit. Every rabbit is unique, so what works for some may not work for others!
Conclusion
In conclusion, rabbits thump their feet to signal danger or indicate annoyance. They can also stomp their feet out of anger to gain some attention or to signal that they have some physical discomfort.
Rabbits are always triggered by a sight, smell, or sound, so look out for any of these three stimuli to help reduce stress in your rabbit’s environment. If you can’t remove the stimulus, a little desensitization won’t go amiss!
