Bunny

Why is my Rabbit Thumping? #SeekAttention #InTheHutch #Happy

If you have a pet rabbit, you need to know all about it be it the behavior, expressions, the food they like, sleeping patterns, and much more. These cute little pets are speechless and have their own way of talking and expressing emotions. You have to learn that and get accustomed to them. In this post, we shall talk about rabbit thumping.

Why is my rabbit thumping? Thumping is a way of communication of rabbits. They might thump for multiple reasons most of the times it being to express the danger they are sensing around. Other reasons can be annoyance, seeking attention, wanting to do or not do something, etc. You have to identify the cause for your rabbit thumping.

Let us see the details of rabbit thumping in the further post.

Contents

1 Why is My Rabbit Thumping?
2 Rabbit Thumps at Other Rabbit – Why So?
3 My Rabbit Thumps for No Reason – Is it?
4 Do Rabbits Thump When They Are Afraid?
5 Do Rabbits Stamp Their Feet to Frighten Off Predators?
6 Is a Rabbit Stomping Their Feet Having a Tantrum?
7 Do Rabbits Thump for Attention?
8 Why Does My Rabbit Stomp Their Feet at Meal Times?
9 Why Do Rabbits Thump in Their Hutch?
10 My Rabbit is Stomping at Night – Why is it So?
11 Do Rabbits Thump When in Pain?
12 Do Rabbits Thump When They Are Happy?
13 Why Do Rabbits Kick Their Back Legs?
14 Concluding Thoughts on Rabbit Thumping

Why is My Rabbit Thumping?

One can say that a rabbit is thumping in case it is standing on its hind legs. Sometimes, it stamps with one foot making the thumping noise and sometimes on both the feet.

why is my rabbit thumping

Some might say there is no reason for the rabbit thumping. However, there might be several reasons which you may not even realize. Let us share a few of them:

Your bunny would be experiencing danger around it. The danger can be heard, smelt, or felt by the bunny.
Your bunny might be annoyed of something. You need to identify what he is annoyed of considering the circumstances.
Your bunny might desire to do or not to do something. You need to really know it well.
Your bunny might get scared or irritated with some strange noises like vessels, birds flying, the vibration of heavy vehicles, etc.
They might be demanding from you to cuddle them or back off and not touch them.

These are a few reasons why your rabbit might be thumping. There can be several others. You need to identify them by knowing your bunny more with every passing day.

What is Rabbit Thumping?

Rabbits get on to a special posture to create a thumping noise. They arch their back and ears are straight. They look very alert and are all set to run away if the danger arrives. They use one or both the hind legs to hit the ground harder and make the thumping noise.

Thumping is one of the expressions of the rabbit which expresses the bunny to experience the danger to itself. Sometimes, if one bunny thumps, the others may all do it in a row. The bunny also communicates the danger to other members of its family so that they can all be safe.

Rabbit Thumps at Other Rabbit – Why So?

Rabbits are very possessive about their family warren. In case they are sensing any danger from a predator or any other kind of fear, they would thump at other rabbits signaling them about the danger.

The rabbits become very alert if any other bunny out of their territory enters their territory. The one who sees this happening warns the other my thumping with their strong hind legs.

Rabbits have this body language of stopping and listening, again changing the location and listening if they sense any danger. They are always ready to warn their family warren of the coming danger. There would always be the reason for their thumping.

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My Rabbit Thumps for No Reason – Is it?

Many a times, it so happens that the owner fails to realize why the rabbit is thumping. At times the owner also feels, it is thumping for no reason. But it would be a rare case, wherein the rabbit is thumping for no reason. If observed with close proximity, there would definitely be some reason why your rabbit is thumping.

Rabbits are not vocal, they express their fear, annoyance, or discomfort by thumping. Now, you might be wondering what kind of fear or annoyance. Humans may not be impacted by a bird flying off near you, a lit cigarette, a fire in wood, noise of vessels, crow cawing, etc. But yes, these can be reasons for fear and annoyance for the little pet you own. Sometimes these things might go unnoticed and you may not even realize the reason of why your bunny is thumping.

You need to be alert to find the reason for why your rabbit is thumping so that you can help them feel safe and comfortable. Over thumping can cause stress to the bunny leading to other health problems.

Do Rabbits Thump When They Are Afraid?

Well, thumping is the way the rabbits communicate their fear. They normally thump when they are afraid and see something unusual happening around. They might be afraid of a predator or any other animal entering its territory or any other sound. They may even get alert if there is something unusual like burglary or lit cigarette or gas kept on, etc.

Do Rabbits Stamp Their Feet to Frighten Off Predators?

When the rabbits sense the predator, they would generally thump and warn other fellow members and run away. In very rare case, the rabbits would thump hard to make the predator realize they have really strong hind legs to escape and are already aware of the danger. It is better that the predators change their way to find some other creature to feed themselves.

Thus, we can say the rabbits stamp their feet not to frighten the predator but to alert them of their awareness of the upcoming danger and preparation of running off with the help of strong hind legs.

However, the rabbits would not try to frighten or alert big predators like fox as they are sure they will get caught. In case of small predators, they might escape the situation by such small efforts and thus would try it.

Is a Rabbit Stomping Their Feet Having a Tantrum?

Well, a rabbit is no smaller than a little kid in the house who doesn’t speak yet. The bunny might start stomping even if it feels uncomfortable or unhappy with you as an owner.

However, sometimes stomping would be accompanied by different voices. The bunny might snort or grunt if it is unhappy. It would be snarling or hissing when annoyed. There might be several reasons why your bunny would be doing this. Your bunny would not be able to make out what you are doing for its well-being.

For instance,

If you enter the rabbit’s territory for cleaning, it might be irritated since it is a territorial animal without realizing that you are giving it a hygienic surrounding.
Sometimes, you would pull of something unhealthy that your bunny is chewing or eating, it would get aggressive at that too.
The bunny might want to play more, but you may end up putting the bunny in its hutch to sleep. Also, here it would start stomping and throwing tantrums.
Your bunny might be hungry and you don’t realize it.

These were a few instances, where your rabbit may stomp its feet throwing tantrums at you just like your little kid does. You simply need to identify why it is throwing the tantrums and try to calm and make it feel peaceful.

Do Rabbits Thump for Attention?

Rabbits do thump to get attention when in they are scared or annoyed. They thump to make you understand they need help to escape the situation. If you see, your rabbit is continuously thumping, and realize the reason for the same, you can help him stop thumping either by taking him to a secured place or making the sign of danger away from them.

The rabbit will thump and try to seek your attention until it feels safe and content. Make sure you help the bunny resolve the issue since over thumping would cause stress to the bunny which can lead to other health issues as well.

Why Does My Rabbit Stomp Their Feet at Meal Times?

Rabbits not only stomp when in fear, but they also stomp when they want to be cuddled by their loved ones. Sometimes you may observe your rabbit stomps its feet at mealtimes. This would probably be because it would want you to hold him and cuddle in your arms. It may want the companion to play or it would be hungry and want the food.

Thumping is a very common behavior observed in the rabbits to seek the attention when stressed, feared, annoyed or happy and want you to hold or cuddle him. You need to be alert to understand the behavior of your bunny and make out why your bunny is stomping its feet be it at mealtimes or bedtimes.

Why Do Rabbits Thump in Their Hutch?

The enclosed rabbit feels really happy when they come out in the open ground. They hop and play all around the greens enjoying the surrounding. However, you might put them in the hutch when their time is up. Your bunny may get annoyed with this and may want to be left out of their hutch for more time. In this case, they may thump in their hutch.

why do rabbits thump in hutch

Not just that, sometimes it may be possible that your bunny is frightened with some noise or smell in the hutch. Bunnies can not only see the fear but can also smell and hear it. In case the bunny feels unsafe it may start thumping in their hutch.

For instance, if someone has lit a fire around the hutch, it may get scared. If there is some loud and unusual noise around the hutch, it may be frightening for the bunny. As discussed, thumping is a way of communicating the danger to rabbits and so it would stomp its feet in the hutch. You have to help the rabbit escape the danger when it gives you signs by making noise of thumping the feet.

My Rabbit is Stomping at Night – Why is it So?

Well, there is an amazing news article to share here. The DailyMail news reported a case on 15^th February 2013, wherein a pet rabbit scares off a burglar by thumping noises. The burglar apparently got scared of being caught and ran off without affecting the family. In such incidents, a rabbit stomping at night may be a positive sign for the home.

Other than that, there might be several other reasons, I remember one of my friends had decorated the Christmas tree beautifully with all the lightings. At night the rabbit started thumping and strange the reason was a reflection of lights on the wall which was not usual for him.

There might be several reasons why your bunny might be thumping at night, even a change in the structure of the house may affect the bunny. Thus, we can say there might be several reasons why your rabbit is stomping at night.

Do Rabbits Thump When in Pain?

The bunny might thump when in pain. However, it might not be sign of expressing the illness but it would be an expression of stress caused due to prolonged pain. However, if you realize your bunny is continuously thumping, you can consider taking it to the vet.

Your bunny would express the pain in several ways like grinding teeth, fast and shallow breathing, pulling hair, decreased grooming, lethargy, quench for water and unusual urination, etc. Thumping might simply be an addition to these signs which is an expression of the stress of pain.

Do Rabbits Thump When They Are Happy?

Rabbits generally do not thump when they are happy. Thumping is a way of expressing anger, stress and fear. However, a happy bunny may kick with their back legs.

Let us see some reasons for why does a rabbit kick with their back legs.

Why Do Rabbits Kick Their Back Legs?

Well, where thumping is one of the ways of expressing fear, kicking their back legs can be a feeling of joy or a feeling of insecurity. Let us know why does a rabbit kick their back legs.

Rabbits kick with their back legs when they are held by their owner companion or are let free in the open space. In the open area, they feel happy and content and thus keep kicking with their back legs and run around in the open area. It is a good exercise for the rabbits which are enclosed and have a limited time to be in the open area.

why does the bunny kick with back legs

Also, sometimes the owner may not have held the bunny properly. The way of holding might make your bunny uncomfortable and thus he would start kicking with its back leg. This kicking might harm the bunny as well as cause injury to the holder’s hands. You have to make sure the bunny feels comfortable when you have held them. It is just like a small baby, who will express its discomfort this way as they cannot be vocal.

Rabbits would also kick with their back legs if they are frightened and want to escape the situation. The owner shall help them by providing calm and safe surroundings to stay in.

These are a few reasons why rabbits kick their back legs. This was all about the thumping of the rabbits.

Concluding Thoughts on Rabbit Thumping

By now you very well know why does a rabbit thump in different situations like in pain, fear, in the hutch, at night, etc. Also, we shared why would a rabbit kick with their legs or how does it express the pain. So, if your rabbit is thumping, it is hardly sometimes that it is doing so for no reason. It would definitely have a reason backed behind this behavior. Over thumping might be a reason of over stress. In that case, before any serious health issues happen, it is better to consult a vet for your bunny.

If you have experienced any other reasons for your rabbit thumping, write to us in the comments section below.