Common Pet Rabbit Behaviours

Rabbits are intelligent animals with complex behaviours and needs. This is a brief introduction to some of the most common behaviours you'll experience when caring for rabbits. Learning to recognise and understand these behaviours not only helps you build a closer bond with your bunny but also ensures you're meeting their emotional and physical needs.

If your keen to delve deeper into the behaviour of rabbits and understand the origins of all these fascinating habits, pick up a copy of my book Understanding Your Rabbit's Habits.

Resting & Relaxing

Rabbits spend about half of their day on resting. They are crepuscular, which means they are most active during the early morning and late evening hours - dawn and dust (although pet rabbits are also often active in the afternoon). These are the times they explore, forage and play.

During their down time, they'll rest in a variety of positions depending on how safe and relaxed their feel. You might find your rabbit sitting with their feet tucked under them (sometimes affectionately called the "loaf" position), lying on their side with legs stretched out, or even completely flopped onto their side or back. The more relaxed the posture, the more secure they feel in their surroundings. A fully stretched-out rabbit or a dramatic flop is often a great sign-they're telling you they feel safe, relaxed, and happy.

Where your rabbit chooses to rest is also a clue to how they are feeling. Hidden corners, tunnels, or covered spaces may be preferred when they need to feel secure or their environment is quite busy, while a confident bunny in relaxed surroundings may nap right out in the open.

Grooming

Rabbits are meticulous groomers. Keeping their fur clean is more than just about looking good -it's essential for ensuring their coat stays waterproof and functional.

They have complicated grooming routines and it's quite enjoyable to watch. They'll clean their nose by licking their paws and wiping them up and over their cheeks, often repeating the motion several times. They'll pull down their ears one at a time, catching them between a check and their paw to wash the ends.

Grooming between rabbits social activity. Rabbits often groom each other as a way to strengthen their bonds and it helps them reach places that are more tricky to clean themselves. Rabbits request grooming from each other by stretching their head out with their chin on the floor. There is a etiquette for who grooms whom so sometimes the grooming can be one sided but neither rabbit seems to mind. You can join in with the grooming to - gently stroking your rabbit's hear, cheeks or back mimics social grooming and is an excellent bonding activity for human-rabbit friendships.

Binkies

One of the most wonderful thing to witness is a rabbit doing a binky. Binkies are exuberant jumps and twists in the air, usually accompanied by a sudden dash or zig-zag run. They're a sign of happiness and joy at life.

Binkies are most common in young, energetic rabbits and are more likely (and more impressive) when bunnies are given a large, open areas to run in. Even older rabbits will occasionally do a little hop and head shake when they're feeling especially content. Rabbits need space and to feel relaxed and have their needs met to express this behaviour, so providing a large exercise area and enriching environment is essential.

Investigation & Exploration

Rabbits naturally curious. Their instincts, both as foragers and prey, drive them to continually monitor their environment - they want to know what's new, what's changed, and whether it's edible, dangerous, or could provide a new hiding spot.

Some rabbits are bold and will hop right up to investigate something new in their space. Others are more cautious, approaching slowly and pausing frequently to assess the situation. Once a rabbit deems something safe, they'll likely sniff, nudge, nibble, and even dig at it.

These behaviours are displayed in environments that are enriching - they are a sign your rabbit is engaging with their space. Rabbits that can investigate and explore are more likely to be confident, happy, and are less prone to boredom or behavioural problems. Sometimes that natural curiosity can make things hard work for you as they'll be just as curious to investigate places and things you may prefer to keep them away from. Rabbit-proofing your space is essential-cover cables, block off access behind furniture, and be cautious about houseplants or materials that could be dangerous if chewed.

Marking

Rabbits are territorial and they use scent to mark their territory and communicate with other rabbits they live with or ones that may invade their space. They have scent glands located under their chin, which they use to claim objects by rubbing across them. This 'chinning' is harmless and just your rabbits way of saying "this is mine" - sometimes they chin their favourite people too.

Rabbits may also mark their territory with droppings and urine - this is particularly common when they change environments or other rabbits are present. Marking happens less when rabbits are neutered as this removes the hormones that drive territorial behaviour. However, even litter trained rabbits may fall-back on a little bit of territory marking when their surroundings change.

Vigilance

Although we keep our rabbits in safe, secure homes, rabbits instincts haven't changed much from their wild ancestors. Rabbits are prey animals and this makes them very vigilant. Their keen eyesight and excellent hearing is honed to detect the slightest sound or movement in their environment.

You'll often see your rabbit pause with their ears pricked up to assess the origin of a noise. Sometimes they stand on their back legs, like a meercat, to get a better look around. If they suspect something dangerous they'll bolt at top speed for safe cover. It's crucial to provide rabbits with safe spaces to hide and retreat to. Boxes, tunnels, or covered hideouts help them feel secure and allow them to respond to their instincts and minimise stress. A startled rabbit may also stamp their back feet as a warning to others - triggering a chain reaction as any companions rush for cover too.

Feeding

A rabbit's digestive system is highly specialised for processing large volumes of fibrous plant material i.e. grass. They spend a large portion of their day on eating and regular grazing (whether it's fresh grass or piles of hay) is important to keeping their gut moving and their teeth (which grown continuously) worn down.

That's why it's important to encourage rabbits to eat a lot of hay (or grass) and monitor to ensure that they are doing so. As rabbits eat a lot of the time and a lot of food, any change to this behaviour is a big cause for concern. If your rabbit stops eating (or pooping) it needs to be treated as an emergency and you need to get in touch with your vet.

Rabbits are very food motivated and will often circle your feet or stand up to beg for treats. Rabbits get very excited about high calorie foods like pellets, but it's important that you are strict about providing an appropriate diet because rabbits won't make healthy choices on their own. Given the opportunity a rabbit will eat lots of pellets and treats and that is not good for their digestive system or health. Grass or hay should form the majority of their diet, supplemented with leafy greens but only a limited amount of pellets.

Pooping

Eating a high-fibre diet means rabbits poop - a lot. Fortunately, rabbits are fairly easy to litter train as they are naturally quite tidy and use a designated latrine area. Although unneutered rabbits can scatter droppings when marking.

Rabbits produce two types of droppings. The familiar round poops are what they produce most and deposit in latrines/litter trays (or scattered around the enclosure). The second type, called cecotropes, are softer, darker clusters. Rabbits eat these directly from their bottom, so you won't usually see them, if you're observant you may see your rabbit duck their head and come back up chewing. You can learn more about the rabbit digestive system here.

Digging

Wild rabbits live in networks of underground tunnels called warrens so digging is an essential skill for rabbits and an activity they seem to really enjoy. They dig with their front feet, pulling the excavated earth underneath their belly then they turn around and push it further away with their front paws.

Although naturally rabbits would be digging soil, they'll just as happily dig up carpet or scatter litter from a tray. It's really important to give rabbits somewhere suitable they can safely dig so they have an outlet for their instincts. Allowing them to express this behaviour appropriately helps reduce frustration and can prevent destructive tendencies.

Social Behaviour

Rabbits are highly social animals that thrive in the company of other rabbits. In the wild, they live in groups, forming close-knit communities with clear social structures. For pet rabbits, companionship is just as important.

A single rabbit can become lonely and bored, even with plenty of human interaction. A bonded pair or group allows rabbits to express natural behaviours like grooming, snuggling, and playing together. Watching a bonded pair interact is one of the joys of sharing your life with rabbits.

Although rabbits are highly social with the members of their group, they can be fiercely territorial and react aggressively to unfamiliar rabbits. This can make introductions between rabbits tricky. The process of introductions is called 'bonding' and involves carefully introducing rabbits on neutral territory with close supervision to avoid triggering aggression. Once rabbits are 'bonded' they become very close companions and it's lovely to watch their relationships as groom each other, snuggle and give each other confidence.

Even if your rabbit has a bonded partner, they can still form strong relationships with humans. Spending time sitting quietly, hand-feeding treats, and grooming them gently helps build trust and companionship.

If you're interested in exploring these behaviours more deeply and learning how to support your rabbit's natural instincts, check out my book Understanding Your Rabbit's Habits for a comprehensive guide to rabbit behaviour packed full of illustrations.

Did this article help you understand your rabbit's behaviour? If so, you might like to try my book: Understanding Your Rabbit's Habits