Deciding to raise an animal is a huge responsibility. Apart from keeping your pet physically healthy, it is also vital to be aware of its emotional needs and behavior. Dogs and cats use their voice to show their concerns.
If a dog has to show emotions, it will bark or howl. Similarly, when a cat has to show its concerns, it hisses or mews. Rabbits are voiceless creatures and do not make sounds often. Hence, it is harder to decipher a rabbit’s emotional needs and requirements.
It is wise to keep a keen eye on your rabbit’s behavior to understand its emotional intelligence. As rabbits cannot make a noise, most pet owners ask, do rabbits cry?
A rabbit’s crying is different than that of a human. When your bunny is in pain, it may make sounds but will rarely shed a tear. Rabbits have tear ducts. However, their eyes only get watery if they have an infection.
To bond with your rabbit completely, you should know how your bunny expresses its happiness and sadness. Rabbits are helpless animals and depend on their owners to provide excellent living standards. Keep scrolling to learn about your bunny’s sadness and how it will express it.
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Rabbits Do Not Produce Tears When Sad
Bunnies can shed tears, but they rarely do so. Their tear ducts are in the lower eyelids and function as a drain for the extra moisture in their eyes. Besides, your bunny will only have watery eyes when it has an infection or health issue.
Your precious rabbit will not express its sorrow or loneliness by crying tears. A bunny should have crystal clear, glassy, and shiny eyes on a typical day.
Contact your vet if your precious bunny rabbit has a wet eye with gunky and damp fur around it. Your rabbit is most likely suffering from weepy eye disease, a dental problem, or an infection.
How Does A Rabbit Show Negative Emotions?
Even though your rabbit will cry in extreme cases, the animal will express its discomfort in other ways. Rabbits do not make audible sounds usually. However, in extreme cases, they can use their voice to release their pain and make their owners aware of their condition. Here is how your bunny will try to gain your attention:
- Screaming
- Thumping
- Grinding teeth
- Hissing
- Whimpering
Contact your vet if you notice your rabbit making any of the sounds mentioned above. Your bunny making sounds means something severe is happening to your precious pet. Take your bunny to get better.
Common Sounds Your Rabbit Exhibits When in Distress
You must have read that rabbits can scream. If you have been lucky not to hear it yourself, a rabbit’s scream is eerily like a child in pain.
Bunnies rarely scream when they are afraid, stressed, or highly anxious. There are plenty of other sounds that your precious furry friend will make when it is feeling a negative emotion. Here is a list:
Growling
Prey animals typically do not growl. However, when cornered or scared, a prey animal will do anything to protect itself. If your notice your rabbit growling, know that it feels threatened.
It could be you or anything else in the bunny’s environment that has triggered its fight mode. When a rabbit growls, a scathing attack usually follows it to catch the predator off guard.
Snorting
Your rabbit might make snorting sounds if it is experiencing fear or wants to show disapproval. It is a rare sign, but it can happen.
Hissing
A cat hisses at something when it wants to scare it or show that the kitty needs some alone time. Bunnies are no different.
Bunnies are territorial creatures and hate it when other rabbits invade their space. Your precious furry friend will hiss at other rabbits to tell them to go away. Your bunny rabbit might also hiss at you if it does not want to hang out with you.
Whimpering
Like a dog or child whimpers, bunnies also whine or whimper. Your rabbit will make soft whimpering sounds when it disapproves of you handling or picking it in your lap.
Pet owners observe whimpering in pregnant does more often than in bucks. A pregnant bunny rabbit will whimper when in the presence of a male rabbit due to the advances made by the mature buck.
It is a way of your poor pregnant bunny saying no to mating. Your bunny will whimper if it does not agree with its environment. There could be plenty of reasons.
Foot Stomping
Bunnies have strong hind legs and use them to stomp. Your rabbit will stomp its feet when it feels danger coming. A nervous bunny will also thump its hind legs to release tension.
In the wild, rabbits stomp their feet when they sense a predator approaching their area. It is an effort to alert and warn other animals in the vicinity of the potential danger. It is a sign of fear.
Grinding Its Teeth
When your bunny purrs, it uses its teeth to make the sound. However, your bunny will grind its teeth to show pain. The teeth-grinding of a rabbit is a mighty sound, and you can easily differentiate it from a cute purr.
If you notice your precious furry friend grinding its teeth, it is in inexplainable pain and needs a vet immediately.
Screaming
You will rarely hear your rabbit scream. If you give your precious pet a safe and healthy environment, your bunny will not need to scream. Rabbits scream when they are terrified to their bones.
There are two scenarios your poor bunny will scream: a predator is here, or your rabbit is dying. If you have an indoor bunny and hear it scream, it is the end of the line for your furry fellow.
You should contact your vet and try to calm down your bunny. You cannot mistake a scream for any other sound a bunny makes, as the scream is bone-chilling and genuinely horrific.
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Why Will Your Rabbit Cry?
Your poor bunny will cry or make crying sounds for plenty of reasons. As a pet owner, you are responsible for observing and getting familiar with your bunny’s behavior to know when it is acting unnatural. Here are the various reasons your bunny will cry:
Illness
Your bunny rabbit will cry if it is unwell and going through immense discomfort. Bunnies are prey animals and do not make sounds to avoid attracting predators. So, if you see your rabbit crying, it cannot bear the disease.
Pain
Pain can make your precious bunny cry. Look for injuries and unusual body language to find the source of pain in your rabbit. If your bunny is crying and making sounds, it is in excruciating pain and needs a lot of attention and care.
Fear
Rabbits are sensitive prey animals that are scared quickly. The slightest change in your precious furry friend’s environment can instill fear in your pet’s tiny heart and make your bunny cry.
Stress
Stress and depression are not uncommon in rabbits. You may notice your bunny making whimpering sounds due to loneliness but crying is intense. A rabbit will cry only when it is under unimaginable stress and requires your help.
How Can You Make Your Rabbit Feel Better?
If you notice your bunny exhibiting a low mood and crying-like noises, you should try to calm it down. You are responsible for your bunny’s health and happiness as a pet owner. These innocent creatures are helpless and depend on you for everything.
Give your sad little bunny loads of love and attention. Contact your vet if your rabbit keeps crying or making the sounds mentioned above. A professional is the only one that can bring comfort to your aching furry friend.
While waiting for the vet, stroke your rabbit’s back and kiss your rabbit’s head to calm your precious bunny rabbit’s nerves. It is best if you stay calm during the process. It is hard to see your pet in pain, but your bunny requires you to stay strong to take care of your cute pet.
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Final Words
Seeing your beloved pet in pain is a challenging scenario. Animals cannot tell you where it hurts or what is bothering them. You must observe their average behavior and body language to know when they shift from it.
If you are a new pet owner, look at your bunny when it is sitting, playing, or sleeping. Get familiarized with your rabbit’s behavior to remove any stresses for later on.
It would be easier for you if you could tell something was wrong with your bunny rabbit. As soon as you feel your bunny is upset, contact your vet. It is better to be safe than sorry.
