Rabbits are not vocal animals. Thus, the screaming and sound they are making entail that they are experiencing or feeling something that they are not used to. It could be pain, fear, or anything that hurts or shocks them. Here are seven reasons why rabbits scream.
Rabbits’ Nature and Temperament
With their beautiful fur and personality, Rabbits have gained popularity since time immemorial. They have topped pet shows and made people happy as house pets. As time goes by, the rabbits’ breed has expanded and developed different characters, personalities, and traits as these rabbits undergo cross-breeding processes.
Depending on their breed, some of these rabbits may be gentle, docile, and friendly, while some are aggressive and moody. Though rabbits may show different personality traits and temperaments, they do share the same response when they feel something unusual – they make a sound.
You may hear them purring, growling, hissing, and screaming.
What Is a Rabbit Scream?
A rabbit scream open occurs when they are in extreme pain or danger. It is their way of informing everyone that they are experiencing something extreme that they can barely take.
Most of the time, rabbit screams are something to be concerned about. However, there are some cases where all you need to do is keep an eye on your rabbits.
6 Reasons Why Rabbits Scream
Like other animals, rabbits make a sound depending on what they feel. Here are the most common reasons why rabbits scream.
1. Excruciating pain
Even we humans, with our high pain tolerance, scream when experiencing excruciating pain. Pain is the primary reason why rabbits scream. These little animals’ pain tolerance is low, and what we feel as normal pain is already excruciating to them.
One example of why they scream out of pain is when they are injured. Although rabbits are active animals that exercise a lot, their bones are still not as strong as human bones. They are delicate and fragile, which makes them subject to injury.
In some instances, rabbits scream due to medical concerns like G.I. issues. One common gastrointestinal health problem is G.I. stasis which occurs if your rabbits’ G.I. bacteria are imbalanced due to poor diet, stress, sedentary lifestyle, dehydration, and other medical concerns.
Knowing your rabbits’ characteristics, traits, and temperaments is also essential. Understanding your rabbit’s nature will help you distinguish whether your rabbit needs medical help or your rabbit is just looking for your attention.
Thus, before you bring your rabbits to the vet, look for other symptoms that may indicate that they have some health issues or injuries that need to be addressed.
2. Extreme Fear
Another reason why rabbits scream is extreme fear. There are quite a few reasons that may cause them to feel fear, and one of these reasons is the predators. The rabbits’ senses are too strong to sense and know that another animal or a threat is nearby.
Also, if your rabbits are enclosed in a hutch or a pen and see predators coming at them, they will surely let out a disturbing scream. This is a rabbit’s normal reaction as they feel that the predators can quickly get them since they are locked up and can’t run anywhere.
Thus, you should put their hutches in a predator-safe place—a place where they cannot sense anything unusual, not even a bird chirping at night. Otherwise, you might see your rabbits in not-so-normal behavior or hear them scream now and then.
3. Uncontained Anger
Anger is one of the reasons why your rabbits scream. However, there is a slight chance that you will see your rabbits screaming due to anger. Rabbits are mostly known to be calm animals, meaning they don’t get angry unless triggered.
You will usually notice or see them angry if they have territorial disputes against other rabbits or are getting bullied by other rabbits. Unfortunately, if they cannot contain their anger, they will scream while showing a fighting stance.
Some signs of an angry bunny also include:
- Charging
- Growling
- Thumping
- Nipping
- Biting
4. Too Much Stress
Like most of us, rabbits can get easily stressed. Some of their significant stressors include loud music, a dirty environment, too many people, and fireworks. These stressors are fatal to the rabbits and may cause sudden death.
Once a rabbit slowly feels the effects of stress in its body, it will scream. It is their way of letting out the stress that they feel inside. Other stress contributors that cause rabbits to scream are as follows:
Small-spaced Cage
Rabbits, being prey animals, are always on the run for their life. To survive, especially the wild rabbits need to have a vast space where they can hop, run, and hide from their predators. This explains why space is critical to them.
Thus, you must build the correct hutch measurements for the rabbits to keep them caged. You must make a cage where they cannot feel trapped to lessen their stress.
Isolation
Isolation is another reason why your rabbits are stressed. Keep in mind that rabbits are social animals. They love to be with other rabbits. They love to mingle and play around. There are even cases where they love the human’s company.
To avoid this, you must get a rabbit in pair and position their hutch near your place but away from the predators. This way, they will feel safe as they will see you frequently, and they will seldom smell or notice a predator’s scent.
Food
Chewers, munchers, and eaters are just some of the nicknames that rabbits gained over time.
Thus, you must ensure that they have enough food in their hutch. Regardless of whether they are a picky eater, you must put good quality hay in their cage for them to munch or dig in. Don’t forget their freshwater, too!
5. Unfathomable Hormonal Behavior
Hormones are one of the most overlooked reasons why rabbits scream. If a rabbit has issues with their hormones, they will feel things they think are weird. Sometimes, they will not understand themselves, while some develop anxiety.
There are some cases where they will also show different behaviors that may aggravate other rabbits. Once the rabbits feel they have enough and can no longer hold their emotions, they will scream to let out what they feel inside.
This problem in rabbits can be lessened if not fixed. But, one thing that may help your beloved rabbits address this is spaying or neutering them. After the rabbits undergo the procedure, you will notice that their behavior will change and become less aggressive.
6. Death
A rabbit’s lifespan depends on its living environment, diet, and genes. If rabbits are well taken care of, they may live up to ten years. When rabbits reach their golden years and their health starts deteriorating, their behavior will change, and you might see them mostly isolating themselves.
If your rabbits reach this age with health issues and are experiencing extreme pain, they may scream before they die. No one wants to have their rabbits die screaming because of excruciating pain. Thus, you must take good care of your rabbits’ health from day one until their final days.
Thus, you must regularly monitor their health by bringing the rabbits to the vet.
Here are some signs that your rabbit is about to die. Click the video below.
Things You Need to Do When Your Rabbits Scream
Since you already know why rabbits scream, you must now know what to do when they scream. Here are the things that you must remember.
Find out what causes the rabbits to scream
Before you get frightened, jump to conclusions, and bring your rabbits to the vet, you must first check and find out the main reason why your rabbits scream? Are they something that is worrying? Do they have other symptoms that go with the scream?
Once you figure out the real cause of why rabbits scream, you will quickly know what exactly you need to do.
If they scream due to injuries, apply first aid and bring them to the vet, and if they scream due to the predators approaching, you can drive them away or put and secure your pet rabbits inside your house.
Calm the rabbits
After the rabbits scream, you need to make them feel that everything is all right. If possible, you need to stay with them and bring them to a safer place away from the predators to calm them down.
Check the rabbits
While the rabbits are still in a safe place other than their hutch, you may need to check them now and then to see if they are comfortable and are doing fine.
Closely monitor the rabbits in their hutch
You should install a machine or anything that can monitor your rabbits and their surroundings. This is why you need to monitor your rabbits’ activities and the causes why they scream. You can also prevent the predators from eating your rabbits for dinner.
Summary
Most of the time, rabbits make noises. You don’t need to worry about these noises unless they are screaming. Finding the reasons why rabbits scream gives you the idea of what you need to do once they start screaming.
