Head bobbing

[Dylan]

Hello! One of my rabbits has the entire world wrong with him, but I am just curious about his behavior today. Whenever you take him out, if you hold him, put him down somewhere, put him in a carrier and move him, etc he bobs his head up and down over and over and over again. We’ve described it as looking like a lizard when it sits there and just bobs it’s head up and down. If I put him in a carrier, move him and then open it, he pokes his head out, bobs it up and down for a while and then hides back inside. After a round or two of this he comes out and runs around. He isn’t a shy rabbit at all, but all of the forums I have read said usually they do this to scope out heights. Sometimes he is on the floor or being held though, and he does it anyway even when he isn’t preparing to jump (actually, he doesn’t do it when he is going to jump). I have also heard it’s most common in REW’s, which is funny because I have two of them that don’t do it, and then this one does! He is brown and white, brown eyes. Anybody have some insight for me?

[Luna]

Hi! When he bobs his head is it straight up and down, or unsteady? I’m not sure whether or not it is to scope out heights specifically, rather it sounds like he is scoping out his whole environment. I’ve seen Luna do this on a few occasions, but very briefly, and not usually in places where she’s familiar.

[Dylan]

Luna, it isn’t unsteady. He gets ear infections pretty often, even after the surgery, so I’ve seen him unsteady. Nope, he does it whenever he moves, even in the same room he has been every day. The vet doesn’t seem to think anything of it, just that he is a cautious goofball! I have noticed that he does it more often when his bonded girl isn’t in his sight!

[Bam]

It sound so like he could be checking out the environment. It’s pretty common in bunnies, but I thought it was mostly a lop thing. My Bam does it. He’s a lop.

[Author]

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