Depending on the severity of the offence, a rabbit can hold a grudge from hours to several days. Sometimes, a simple stroke on the forehead or an apologetic treat can remedy a miffed bunny, but if your rabbit is truly offended, they can sulk for quite some time!
Many rabbits will only hold a grudge until you let them know how sorry they are. If you take the time to apologize, your rabbit will forgive you in no time.
Grunting: Grunting noises are angry reactions towards another rabbit or a person and should be heeded as a warning to back off; otherwise the rabbit might escalate by scratching or biting. Rabbits grunt when they feel threatened or territorial. Thumping: Thumping is an attention getting behavior.
Rabbits are highly intelligent, social and affectionate. They can also be bratty, willful, destructive and vengeful.
Rabbits do not understand physical correction, and they are fragile creatures, you could seriously hurt your bunny if you hit or push him.
Depending on how much they feel you've wronged them, buns can hold a grudge for anywhere from a couple of hours to a few days!
While rabbits don't get psychological depression in the same way as humans, their behaviour can become subdued when they are ill or kept under stressful conditions. A change in your rabbit's behaviour can indicate many things: They're lonely. They're in pain or sick.
Rabbits have a particularly strong memory for bad or scary situations. This is a protective ability that means rabbits are easily able to remember when it's time to run away and hide. As pets, this means that rabbits will be much quicker to make the association between a negative feeling and an event.
For example, rabbits have no menace reflex. With spinal cord injuries, absence of deep pain sensation carries a poor prognosis, however this test is not always reliable in rabbits since they conceal signs of pain. Rabbits have no cauda equina and the spinal cord runs within the entire length of the spinal column.
The first thought in a rabbit's mind when encountering another rabbit is "are you superior or inferior to me?" Classic signs of dominance are mounting (this can be done by either a male or female), chasing, circling and, if the other rabbit doesn't submit, nipping and fur pulling.
Do rabbits love their owners? Rabbits can be very affectionate pets if they are given the chance. They are very social and enjoy spending time with their human companions. Once you've gained a rabbit's trust, they'll start to show you how much they love you in their own bunny ways.
Nudging, head butting or rubbing against you is rabbit body language for loving attention. 'Give them a stroke or cuddle, or what you know they enjoy', says Rosie.
Why do my rabbits seem to ignore me? Rabbits are a prey species so they instinctively avoid drawing attention to themselves. The mistake many first-time rabbit owners make is to impose themselves on their pets – to a rabbit, even a hand reaching overhead can feel like a predator approaching.
If your rabbits look tucked up and quiet with their chins tucked in and noses not twitching this can be a sure sign of them feeling unhappy or stressed, as this is not a normal position for a rabbit. Moving or running away. Your rabbits may turn and move away from you (or each other) if they're unhappy.
Because rabbits are social animals, they will often get depressed if they are left alone for too long. A rabbit who is treated like a cage animal and left alone inside their enclosure day in and day out is very likely to become lonely and depressed.
When a rabbit nibbles or bites you softly it is often accompanied with licking, which is a sign of love. He is trying to groom you and is simulating the grooming process (however, you have no fur to build up knots in so it results in just a little nibble of the skin).
The first thing you shouldn't do is hit them in any fashion. A rabbit will not construe any form of smack as a constructive comment on their behavior. Instead, they will become angry, affronted, and possibly even more aggressive.
Remember: Yes, bunnies can get mad. And a mad bunny can grunt, box, and, in a few circumstances, bite. No matter how badly your bunny behaves, it is never a good idea to try to physically discipline your rabbit. Not only does it not work -- it can kill your rabbit.
For bonded rabbits, the loss of a partner can be very traumatic. Bonded rabbits live very closely together, spending hours sleeping, grooming, eating, playing and "talking" so the sudden absence of their partner is difficult for them to cope with.
Never shout at or punish rabbits, they are very unlikely to understand and can become more nervous/scared.
A bunny who is angry with their owner or another rabbit may let them know by giving them a cold shoulder, or Bunny Butt. They will turn their back on you and refuse to look at you. Bunnies hold grudges.
While it is important to be firm, remember that rabbits can quickly become traumatized by shouting and angry behavior. If you truly frighten them, they will remember this and may no longer trust you.