Is my rabbit in pain?

[princessangrypeppers]

 I heard that tooth grinding could be an indicator of pain. He’s doing that, but other than that, he seems completely relaxed, and is just resting. Should I be concerned?

[Balefulregards]

I think the key is the whole body language of rabbits – My rabbit Coco will “Purr” when happy – both when I am giving good rubs in her fave places, or sometimes when she is happy and content and on the edge of snoozing.

But again – it is body language dependent – If your rabbit is relaxed – stretched out and at ease, then No – I doubt it is a tooth purr of pain.

If your rabbit is hunched in a corner of the room/cage and is quite tense and obviously stressed, then Yes – that is a pain tooth purr.

I have found as a first time rabbit Mom ( almost a full year!) that learning to “read” rabbits is a much longer and quieter process that a cat or dog.
Have you read the Language of Lagomorphs?

[bunnytowne]

Cotton will tooth pur rtoo when I talk to him and he is sitting in his house relaxing.  Most likely your bun is happy purring.  A nice visit from the tooth purr fairy.

[princessangrypeppers]

Ok, thanks! Bamber’s a new rabbit, so anything he does that even barely suggests he might be feeling the slightest discomfort makes me super worried  He does seem fine, though, so I guess I should be at ease.

And yes, I did read the Language of Lagomorphs.

[MooBunnay]

Another indicator of the pain is how loud the tooth grinding is. If it is very loud and can be heard from a distance away, then it is probably an indicator of pain. If the sound is very soft and can only be heard if you are right next to the bunny, then it is probably just a bunny “purr.”

[bunnytowne]

True True MooBunny…   when I am sitting a ways from Cotton and talking and he starts his tooth purrs I can’t hear them but I can see his mouth moving like he is purring. 

Also if  a bunny doesn’t feel good they may get fussy and nip you.  Since this is a new bunny I wouldn’t take it as something to worry about if it nips you and tries to push your hand away or something.  It is a means of communicating for some buns if they dont’ feel like being petted at that moment to take your finger in it’s teeth gently and move your hand away. 

Ruby is real big on that.  Cotton too when he is climbing on me

Hmm how did we get from tooth purring to this?   My mind does a wander

[BinkyBunny]

Also, sometimes bunnies will tooth grind loudly when they are anxious.   Bailey would do this everytime we would go to the vet.  She hated just being there.  She had to go so often due to her illness.

Even some purrs can be little louder.  Jack’s purrs are quick little bursts of quiet grinding, while when Rucy is complete bliss of being petted, hers will go from quiet to sort of loud  – much longer than Jacks.  

Some bunnies who are having digestive upsets will hunch up, but they will also sometimes stretch out to find relief, but usually there is heavy breathing with that or they become lethargic, and many times a bunny will change positions.  So, it becomer obvious when the stretched out lounge is not the norm.

From your description though,  it seems like your bunny was purring because he was just relaxed and happy. 

 BTW – I love your Avatar photo – cutie pie face. .

 

[princessangrypeppers]

Posted By BinkyBunny on 03/06/2009 10:45 PM

Also, sometimes bunnies will tooth grind loudly when they are anxious.   Bailey would do this everytime we would go to the vet.  She hated just being there.  She had to go so often due to her illness.

Even some purrs can be little louder.  Jack’s purrs are quick little bursts of quiet grinding, while when Rucy is complete bliss of being petted, hers will go from quiet to sort of loud  – much longer than Jacks.  

Some bunnies who are having digestive upsets will hunch up, but they will also sometimes stretch out to find relief, but usually there is heavy breathing with that or they become lethargic, and many times a bunny will change positions.  So, it becomers obvious when the stretched out lounge is not the norm.

From your description though,  it seems like your bunny was purring because he was just relaxed and happy. 

 BTW – I love your Avatar photo – cutie pie face. .

 

Interesting, thanks!

And thanks for the compliment on my avatar, too

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

I ditto-sounds like happy purring to me!

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