my bunny is weird…

[perta]

soo it’s going on a month that we’ve had -stillunnamed!- Mr. Bunny, and I have a few q’s about bunny behavior. One, randomly he just leaps into the air and dashes away…sometimes I think its cause something scared him, other times he was just sitting there and BAM there he goes. Now I know this is supposed to be a sign of happiness or whatnot, but he doesn’t seem happy when he does it lol. Just an up in the air run around and then he stops and continues doing what he was doing. My husband thought perhaps his claws get stuck in the carpet, but his claws aren’t overly long. Is this a normal thing then?

Also, since we’ve had him, he’s been getting better at interacting. He takes food from us no problem, tolerates being petted, seems to enjoy being brushed greatly as everytime I have done it so far, after he falls asleep and has one eye closed the entire time. Just one behavior on the subject that I am concerned about…sometimes when you pet him, he flattens himself as far to the ground as possible, kinda smushes himself down. Is this a sign of whoa there don’t touch me or I will bite or ok I’m gettin comfy and have at it? When he does this we let him be due to the fact we don’t know if he is happy or not.  Any suggestions?

In other news, yay we have a new bunny appointment with the vet, I think he is at the stage now where we can get him into a cat carrier (he is that big) and comfortable enough that it won’t stress him out too bad. In advance, thanks again so much for the help in the process of my finding this new furry family member, and I’ll keep ya’ll informed!!!

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

What you’re seeing is called a “binky” or the “happy rabbit dance”; Don’t worry his claws aren’t getting stuck…He’s just feeling good and happy!

Sometimes when a rabbit smooshes right down it’s a subordinate display, sort of like when another animal like a dog would roll over and show their belly. However, this would be observed say if you were chasing your rabbit and he smooshed down; Then i would interpret it as being a subordinate display.
In this case, I would say since you are petting him, this is an “I’m oooh so comfy please keep petting me!!” When a rabbit smooshes down and especially when they lower their head right to the ground this is a request for ‘grooming” (or petting). So your rabbit is just letting you know you are doing a good job and to keep going!!

And Welcome To Binky Bunny! We look forward to pictures of Mr. Bunny

[Deleted User]

Hi Peta, welcome to the world of Bunny Slavery. Sounds like Mr. B has your training well in paw. Check out the link the language of lagomorphs, you will get the whole rundown of Bunny speak.

http://www.muridae.com/rabbits/rabbittalk.html

[Lisa_43]

They sure are entertaining, I love those binkies.

[Sarita]

He sounds like a happy bunny hence the funny dances called Binkies.

He sounds like a fun little guy to me and I’m glad he is learning to trust you.

[Beka27]

Kokanneandkahlua was right on with the "bunny puddle" description…

sometimes it can be a bad thing, but usually if you’re petting when they do it, it’s their way of saying, "i’m gonna melt into the ground right here… so please continue what you’re doing."  it’s amazing how darn FLAT they can get…

[LittlePuffyTail]

Stormy gets all smushed down when I pet him too. I assume it’s a sign of submitting to me. If I need to catch him and he doesn’t want to be caught I sort of put my hand over his eyes a bit and he gets all “smushed” and I can pick him up. He also does it when the cats approach and sniff him. That’s my guess but who knows.

[Gravehearted]

Perta – it sounds like Mr Bunny is settling in quite well with your family 🙂
You’re seeing signs of a happy bunny – with the ariel binkies and smooshing during pets. ya!!

It might help to put the open carrier out on the floor several days or even a week prior to the vet visit, so your bunny can become familiar with it and mark it.

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