The Rabbit House» Behaviour Archives – The Rabbit House

Rabbit Behaviour Book

Tamsin — Sun, 07 Aug 2011 21:00:24 +0000

I’ve got some exciting news! I’ve been plugging away at a book on bunny behaviour for ages and now it’s almost done.

Looking for treats or ready to attack, what do you think?

I have finished drawing the 100 or so pictures of bunnies jumping, stretching, sleeping, eating, washing, fighting, grazing and doing all the other things bunnies do. There are just a couple touch ups to finish. Trying to draw the difference between a rabbit that feeling a bit nervous and one that’s demanding nose rubs, for example, is certainly a good way to make you think about subtle rabbit body language. It’s amazing how many different emotions rabbits convey by just adjusting the angle of their ears.

To go with the pictures, I’ve written thousands of words all about rabbit behaviour and why rabbits do the things that they do, then deleted half and written some more. I’ve also sent it to a proof reader (bunny owner and author Chandra Beal) to have my spelling and grammar beaten into submission. Then corrected ~~all the bits marked with red pen~~. Brains are funny things; how is it possible to read something over and over and still not notice you’ve written about rabbit’s odd hobbits instead of habits?

The front cover design is sorted, it just needs the barcode and the blurb filled in on the back:

What do you think?

I’ve carried out user testing, by roping in some bunny owners to act as guinea pigs, including the awesome Diana Moll from QI Papers, whose comments were a big help. I also asked Scamp to give it the once over and sign off.

It say's in here that you have to accommodate my behavioural need to chew ... so why do you keep complaining when I eat the cupboard?

Do you think I could charge a premium for copies autographed *cough* chibbled by Scamp?

Update 1st September 2011 – It’s now available to order!

Click Here to Order your Copy

Understanding Your Rabbit’s Habits
ISBN: 978-09543500-2-4

Things I Like to Sit On – By Scamp

Tamsin — Sun, 27 Feb 2011 04:39:44 +0000

Considering rabbits are supposed to be ground dwelling, Scamp seems to spend a lot of time off the floor. He has quite a list of thing he likes to sit or climb on in an evenings exercise…

I like to sit on the Sofa, I like it even better if the people on the sofa have food. Can't stay long though, too many other things to sit on.

The table is a good place to sit, you never know what you might find there.

This is my mummies, mummies coursework, I'm just checking the spelling, honest!

From there it's only a short hop to the top of the fish tank... great look out point!

It's kind of a long way down though!

Over here are some rather nice books, I don't have time to read but I'm hoping one day they'll be high enough I can scale the wall.

Is Scamp just a funny bunny, or are their others out there that are part monkey?

Radio 4: Are Rabbits Social Animals?

Tamsin — Tue, 28 Sep 2010 00:54:06 +0000

Radio 4 had a brief section on rabbits on Friday, you can listen online here (rabbit section starts around 12 minutes in). They interviewed Brigitte Lord, a Lecturer in Rabbit Medicine and Surgery and Heather Childs, a rabbit breeder/shower.

Among other topics they discussed the social behaviour of rabbits. The difference in their points of view was quite wide!

Lord emphasised that rabbits are very social animals and that having a companion allowed them to partake in natural behaviour like mutual grooming and made them feel more safe as they could share look out duties. She stated that unless their owner was at home all day to be their companion, rabbits get very lonely and that she had experienced many behaviour problems in single rabbits because of this.

Childs, on the other hand stated “I will not sell two rabbits together under any circumstances, because at the end of the day I am frighten that at sexual maturity they will rip one and other apart.” She suggested that a teddy bear would be a better choice of companion.

I think it highlights how misunderstood rabbits still are. Although, I was shaking my head through the part about never keeping rabbits together, I can easily see how she came to that conclusion. If you put a same sex, adult rabbit into the pen of another they will, in general, “rip one and other apart”. I think many pet owners arrive at the same conclusion. It doesn’t mean rabbits don’t want social companions though, you just need to understand it from their point of view.

Within a group, rabbits form separate male and female hierarchies (pecking orders). If you pick two same sex rabbits you might be lucky and end up with two on opposite ends of the social ladder that are happy with their position and with a little pushing and shoving will get on just fine. Or, you may end up with two bunnies that will fight over who is top dog and rip one and other to shreds in the process. Rather than gambolling, the best option is to pick a male and a female because they naturally make love not war (yes I agree that is a bit corny). The overwhelming odds are that a neutered male and a neutered female (loved up bunnies is good but we don’t want babies) introduced somewhere neutral will get on great.

If you do choose same-sex rabbits neutering is a must. Having hormones that constantly drive them to compete over social rank and territory is not conducive to a stable relationship! It’s certainly possible to have rabbits of the same sex living together but it can be more tricky and you need to be on the look out for potential disputes. Hierarchy isn’t set in stone, reaching sexual maturity, a new territory or competition over food can all trigger a new argument over who is top dog. Neutering reduces the competitive urges but doesn’t remove it completely.

Neutral territory is the other important factor for successful introductions. Rabbits are ferociously defensive of their homes. But then, how would you react if a total stranger appeared in the middle of your living room? My first thought wouldn’t be “ooo look a potential new friend”. Rabbit’s feel the same way; a strange rabbit invading their space is going to be treated like the enemy, not a potential friend. They much prefer to meet potential companions in a neutral area like you might go out for a cup of coffee to get to know someone.

I wish pet shops were a bit more upfront about the pros and cons of potential matches. My very first bunnies were a pair of males, who went on to fight and had to be separated – that must be nearly 15 years ago and I still speak to owners that aren’t warned about potential future problems when their rabbits hormones kick in or even when they buy a new rabbit as a companion.

Mini Bunny Pictures

Tamsin — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 22:57:59 +0000

I’ve been drawing lots of little bunny pictures to illustrate different rabbit behaviours. Just little sketches. They are for a a mini guide to rabbit behaviour I’ve been working on. I don’t know if I’ll ever finish working on it but I’m enjoying drawing the pictures. It really makes you think about the subtle ways bunnies communicate.

Coincidentally, The Bunny Boys picked today to post an excellent photographic guide to the most important bunny behaviours, in memory of their Skittles. It gave me a good giggle! Check it out here: http://bunnyboys.blogspot.com/2010/07/homage.html

Stick around, I’m just waiting for some videos of Scamp to finish uploading in which he demonstrates cute sleepy bunny behaviour.

Trashing the Place: Bunny Boredom

Tamsin — Sat, 22 May 2010 23:55:30 +0000

This is the mess that greeted me this morning when I went to investigate the odd banging sounds coming from the kitchen:

Can you spot Scamp? No, me neither, that would be because he’s sitting under the work top in the veg rack practising his “Who me?” face. The onions are safe (removed after the previous invasion) but we may need new potatoes.

He was a bit miffed at having fun spoilt:

I think most naughty bunny behaviour is just bored bunny behaviour. Wild rabbits would usually be to busy eating to make trouble, so the obvious solution for Scamp’s boredom is food too. I cut him some grass and scattered it around the floor so he could ‘graze’. It kept him quiet for a little while at least.

Look what I found whilst cutting grass…

Do be careful this time of year if you’re mowing grass, as there are frogs and soon baby froglets crawling in it looking for bugs and shade. I was using scissors so this chap hoped off safe… maybe he’ll eat some of the slugs.

Why Rabbits Need Exercise

Tamsin — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 11:59:54 +0000

There are two major causes of health problems in rabbits: incorrect diet and lack of exercise.

Exercise is important for:

Bones
Exercise helps build bone density preventing Osteoporosis (weak bones). A lack of exercise increases the risk factors for bone fractures and breaks.

Muscles
Muscle wastage, particularly in the backend, can effect a rabbits ability to hop normally and move around. The heart is also a muscle and exercise help keeps it fit, so reducing the risk of heart attack.

Mental Well Being
If a rabbit does not have the space to exercise then it does not have the space to exhibit normal behaviour. Rabbits are built to run and hop. This can lead to a whole range of behaviour problems including aggression, over grooming, repetitive bar chewing/cage rattling etc.

It is also a risk factor in many other illnesses including obesity, fly strike, gut issues and sore hocks.

Please give your rabbit room to move. Rabbits should have a run a minimum of 6′x4′ but preferably bigger or access to a larger area regularly so they can run.

BBC Wildlife’s Ruthless Rabbits

Tamsin — Mon, 18 Jun 2007 01:36:26 +0000

I picked up a copy of BBC Wildlife today. It features an article by Dr Diana Bell on the territorial behaviour of wild rabbits. Bell has studied a colony of (European) wild rabbits at the University of East Anglia for the past 23 years.

The European Rabbit is the same species as our domestic pets, so understanding their behaviour can provide a helpful incite into the behaviour of our pet bunnies.

For example, Bell describes how male rabbits:

patrol their territory boundaries, scent-marking them with urine and secretions from their chin and anal glands to ensure that their neighbours respect these borders.

Behaviour which I’m sure is very familar to those who have lived with an unneutered buck.

Another interesting part is the social structure within the warren. The males and the females each have a social heirachy (pecking order) which they may fight to maintain. This provides a potential explanation for male-female (neutered) pairs are the most successful match in pet rabbits. Two or more of the same sex rabbits would naturally form a heirachy and if they don’t agree who’s boss that’s when fights can occur.