Although, territorial instincts should be curbed and corrected because this could cause fights with other pets and harm your rabbit. You don’t want your rabbit to lunge or bite you and you also, do not want your pet to see you as a threat. I advise that you back off when you see this happening. This could also be accompanied by vocal cues such as growling.

Once you get too close to their space they will thump as if to say “back off”. Rabbits who have strong territorial instincts will thump as a warning. This means that they did not appreciate you picking them up and could you please not do it again in the future. Or maybe you just picked up your rabbit and once you put them down they start thumping and hopping away from you. Rabbits wag their tails when they’re displeased about something. Watch for your rabbit’s tail as well, if they thump and then wag their tails they’re annoyed. Rabbits can also thump because of annoyance. When a rabbit thumps to alert a predator that they are aware of its presence, this will throw the predator off the rabbit’s trail and would just hunt another animal probably one that it isn’t aware of its presence. This is the reason why they try to sneak an attack on unsuspecting prey. Predators would rather like to conserve energy for the next hunt. This is essentially like a bunny saying “ You can try to catch me, but I’m ready for you”. Rabbits will give away their position to tell predators that they’re in a certain place but to also say that they’re ready. As much as possible, do not change their routines because this will stress them out.ĭid you know that thumping is also used in the wild so that rabbits will give away their position to predators? Yes, it’s true, and not it’s not counterintuitive. So better to soothe your rabbit and keep their stress levels at a minimum at all times. Rabbits are very fragile and if they’re scared they can die from it. Either way, you must identify the source of your rabbit’s agitation. Maybe rowdy kids are playing outside, or there is a piece of candy wrapper on the floor that looks suspicious, or maybe there’s a new pet and your rabbit is scared of them. More often than not, it is just something that your rabbit is not used to. It does not mean someone is in your house. It’s not always something serious when your rabbit thumps. It is best to check out if something’s unusual in your surroundings and reassure your rabbit. This means that your rabbit is alerted of something strange and he is scared. They will also look like they’re frozen in place. Alert rabbits will usually arch their back with their ears slightly forward. So if your rabbit is thumping, most especially if they do so continuously, you can observe other parts of their bodies to determine whether they find something threatening. Rabbit thumps first and foremost to alert their colony of danger. Here’s a breakdown of each reason behind why rabbits thump: 1. Rabbits thump because of many reasons, including sensing danger, feeling fear, a warning sign, annoyance, or a sign that they are sick.

Why Do Rabbits Thump and What Do They Mean? Although thumping is like barking for rabbits, unlike dogs, rabbits have other ways to alert for danger. Some rabbits will raise their tails to alert of danger, wag their tails even if they’re annoyed or just scramble to safety when scared. This is entirely dependent upon their personalities. Rabbits of any age, gender, and breed are more likely to thump than another but the thing is you can never really sure if your rabbit will thump or not. You might also see your rabbit thump and scramble to hide. Rabbits can thump once, twice, or continuously. Rabbit thumping is when a rabbit stomps their hind legs loudly on the floor.

Thumper the rabbit