Can grunting/oinking mean, Hello?

[MimzMum]

Fiver used to grunt and charge me when I put my hand in his pen for morning/evening clean up. Over the months as we’ve worked a routine he’s calmed down a bit. But I would answer him by making a similar noise in the back of my throat/nose and talking to him softly and giving noserubs.

Now, when I go in there, I get a few soft grunts or oinks and a little head shake that seems to say “Hello! You’re going to clean? Oh goody! I get treats now, yes?”

Can grunting or oinking be less territorial “get lost” and more “so happy to see you!”?

[Cassi&Charlie]

Layla grunts at me when I’m about to feed them. I’m not sure if it’s “yay food, good human” or “give me the foooood” but she’s happy to see me when she grunts

[BunnyLiz]

lol Cassi, Rose does that too. She hears the pellets being measured and runs to dig at the front of the cage door grunting. Then she shoves her head into the measuring cup as soon as i open the door and i have to wait till she has a few bites before i try to pull her nose away and dump them in the bowl lol

[Deleted User]

hmmmm the only grunting i’ve ever got is from hornyness………
i would imagine it could be happy….i don’t think they can make any other noises???

[MimzMum]

Fiver also whines when he is scared. While he’s thumping. It is the saddest thing you’ll ever hear.

Oh boy, Liz, another one for Pip’s rogue’s gallery…that behavior is SO like her! You are lucky when you put pellets in her bowl if you don’t pull back a bloody stump! >.<

What are they?? Bunnies? Or PIGGIES?? 0_0

For some reason I just thought back to Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer…where Yukon Cornelius tells Hermie the Elf while they’re trying to distract the Abominable Snow Monster from attacking Rudolph and his family, “Never known a Bumble to turn down a pork dinner for deer meat!”
I can’t believe I still cry at the happy endings of the old childhood Christmas specials when I see them… >.< Jeez, that was OT!

[BinkyBunny]

Most of the time a grunt is not to greet you happily (that I have ever heard of)— HOWEVER, you could have accidentally trained him to reflect his happiness via a grunt since he gets treats and love then or that his threats work for treats and love!  I can tell you I accidentally trained Jack this way. Over time he realized he gets head pets with or without the grunt, so he eventually stopped. And if it wasn’t about using the grunt as a greeting, still as a threat, it also could be that it took him that long to realize he didn’t have to threaten in order to get love and treats.

It could also just be that he saying “I’m happy to see you, but I am obligated to warn you first!” LOL!

Note: A little head-shake can also mean…”Don’t like what’s going on”  but usually they leave right after that, where as a happy – mini head binky is YIPPEE – Treats, treats, treats!   And then that head shake is usually followed by them coming toward you or they run around first in excitement and then return right back.   Jack does that right before his treats! Well, he will also do full blown binkies too in anticipation, but they start with the head-shake.

 

 

[BinkyBunny]

allenj – they can do a low humm or buzz sound,(it’s the “Love” sound) and Bailey also use to whine right before her thump to show displeasure.

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

LOL Ok now that I’ve actually been grunted and bit (re; Guss at my house not impressed with the neuter at all) I have to say the grunt growl is not friendly at all…But bunnies do talk and you could be hearing more of a greeting rather then a growl-in fact I suspect since you think it’s a greeting it probably is. A growl lunge definitely comes across as mean, and usually is accompanied by boxing or biting. But some buns are very vocal-Two at my shelter are ,Guss the biter , and a new bun we got today-he may have been stressed so thats why but he was ‘murmuring’ while I was holding him and ‘chatting away’ while eating; Honking generally is friendly growling of course isn’t but it’s such a low dB that it’s hard to distinguish easily. I probably am no help just furthering the confusion LOL That’s what I do!

[Deleted User]

oh yeah and i forgot about tooth purring! your right BB! (of course!!)

[BinkyBunny]

oh…and YES, allenj1, they can do tooth purring (which is separate from the “buzz” humm sound. So actually, you were right with ANOTHER sound they make.

[MimzMum]

Hmmm. I wonder if K&K is onto something. Could I be mixing grunts up with happy honks?

Thanks for all the info guys. I think BB is right, I must’ve gotten him to think that the grunt is a treat-getter. He does tend to run a tight circle when he knows they’re coming and then as my hand comes into the cage, he is oinking a bit, but there is no lunge and the ears are at attention, not flattened back on his body.

[MooBunnay]

My bonded pair of bunnies sometimes grunts when I am giving out treats and they are trying to push each other out of the way to get at them I think it is just another way for them to communicate, for most of them it can mean anger and for some of them it probably means something else. It sounds like Fiver is really getting comfortable with you, so I wouldn’t be surprised if it is just his own way of greeting you.

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