Timid and shy, rabbits often prefer to be left alone munching on hay over being cuddled. In fact, some rabbits may even be afraid of their surroundings, sudden noises or even their owners.
Flattening – Sometimes a scared rabbit will flatten to the ground, body tense and ears flat. This can be a sign of submission if they encounter a more dominant rabbit. Grooming or eating issues – A rabbit who feels anxious for a long time might start over-grooming or over- or under-eating.
Stress affects your rabbit's health
Rabbits have several specific behavioural needs that can make them a complex pet to keep. These needs relate to rabbits being prey animals and easily frightened. Fear is a response that enables an animal to avoid dangerous situations.
Rabbits are territorial animals and can get defensive or scared when their space is invaded. If you try to clean your rabbit's enclosure while they are still inside or even just replenish their food and water, many rabbits will get either fearful or aggressive.
Offer your rabbit a treat.
If your rabbit is scared, give him/her their favorite food to calm them. Don't do it too often to avoid obesity. Put a small piece of fruit on your hand and approach your rabbit gently. The rabbit will slowly understand that humans can be trusted.
It's easy to tell if a rabbit is nervous or scared. They sit with their ears held back, tend to sit scrunched up like a big ball or always underneath something and startle at the smallest sound.
This means that a pet rabbit will still show fear over anything it feels threatened by. This may be a dog or cat, a wild animal, a human or even inanimate objects. Large shapes and quick movements especially can be very fear-inducing.
You and your children can peek at the baby rabbits, but don't touch them. If anyone picks up a bunny, return it to the nest. A little human scent will not prevent the mother from caring for her young. If it's clear the mother rabbit was killed, contact a wildlife rehabilitator who can best raise the orphaned bunnies.
And with baby rabbits, touching them causes stress colitis, which eventually leads to the animal's death after dehydration. Furthermore, she said that if the mother even smells a human scent on the babies, she may not come back to the nest.
Baby rabbits leave the nest when they're 3 weeks old and about the size of a chipmunk. If you find a chipmunk-sized but fully-furred rabbit with eyes open, ears erect and the ability to hop, they are meant to be on their own. As small and helpless as they may look, they are not an orphan and don't need your help.
We know that rabbits have the same neurophysiological mechanisms as humans to produce pain and therefore have the capacity to feel pain in the same manner as ourselves. Often, rabbits do not cry out or make sudden movements like humans, dogs or cats when painful areas are palpated.
Screaming or loud squealing
This indicates great alarm or extreme pain. It sounds exactly like a small child's scream. Some rabbits will never scream, but many will do so at least once in a lifetime. If your rabbit screams, offer immediate comfort and stay close for a few hours.
Never pick rabbits up by their ears - this would be extremely stressful and is highly likely to injure them. Minimise restraint - reduce stress and minimise the risk of injury by using the minimum level of restraint necessary.
If they are sitting upright and their front paws are 'boxing' at you, they are likely very unhappy. Vocalising. Rabbits don't tend to make much noise and when they do it's a sign they're feeling very threatened. You may hear them grunting or growling and in extreme cases, they can scream.
Scared: Your rabbits are scared when they flatten their abdomen to the ground, have their ears against their head flat, and their eyes may bulge. Nipping is a gentle bite where your rabbit might be telling you to move over or to put them down.
Over or under eating
Fearful or anxious rabbits can also show us how they are feeling with their eating habits. Some rabbits will take comfort from overeating their food, while others will show symptoms of anorexia.
Young rabbits' diet
In the wild, they will eat a variety of grasses and succulents. With you at home, most young rabbits are fed with a mix of hay and pellets. Alfalfa Hay is ideal for a growing bunny as it is rich in protein and calcium and tastes great. They will eat this happily and voraciously.
My rabbits like being stroked on their forehead and cheeks. They put their head on the ground and close their eyes in contentment. They also love getting a good back scratch around the shoulders. That said, they tend not to like being touched on the ears, neck, feet, stomach or tail.
We usually tell our adopters that we expect the average bonding is going to take about two and a half weeks.
Remember that rabbits are ground dwelling creatures and liken being picked up to being captured by a predator – they are, after all, prey animals. Be prepared for it to take several months before they become comfortable with being handled.