Standing on hind legs and "punching" the air before cleaning self.

[Rayndance]

I'm a brand-new bunny Momma to Takoda, my lop bunny (not sure what kind, however) and a lot of the time before he cleans himself he will stand on his hind legs nice and tall and will PUNCH the air rapidly with both paws about 5-10 times before eventually relaxing and cleaning his face and the rest of his body.

Has anyone seen a bunny do this and is it normal? It's honestly REALLY CUTE when he does it. I've officially named his movement the "Rocky Balboa" and I laugh every time he does it. :biggrin: I love it so much but also wanted everyone else's input and how they react to this kind of movement. If there is a video on Youtube or somewhere with another bunny doing this, please share!

 

[Imbrium]

omg, sounds ADORABLE - I wish my lop did that!

 

[Hkok]

Erslev does it to we call it "the Ninja" (it makes the sound). the thing is you never really know when they do it so it may be hard to get on camera

 

[SnowyShiloh]

Yes, my bunnies do that! It's a normal behavior. The only reason I can think for it is they're trying to shake any debris off their paws before they wash their face?

As a side note, my Rory is prone to the occasional UTI and I can always tell when one is coming on because when he does the paw flicking before washing his face, he doesn't raise his paws as high and he kind of drums on the floor. Sometimes that's the only sign, too! Isn't that funny? I'm sure your bunny is fine, this is just a Rory quirk When he's feeling fine, he lifts his paws up higher when he flicks them.

 

[MiniLopHop]

Yes, this is totally normal. In the wild rabbits flick dirt off their feet before washing their feet. This is a cary over behavior.

 

[mdith4him]

Our bunnies do that, too. It's pretty normal, but you're right--super adorable! Sometimes if Nibbles doesn't sit up all the way we hear this *WAP WAP WAP* on the cardboard he's sitting on.

 

[patches2593]

omg my rabbit does this every time before he grooms nad its SO CUTE!!!!!

 

[Rayndance]

Haha, I'm so happy to see so many people knowing this behavior! That's what I thought it was - a carryover habit of flicking any debris off their paws before cleaning themselves. How adorable! Well he does this all the time, so I'm just going to keep a camera rolling while he's in the living room running about - he did it about 6 times in the two hours he was hanging out with us.

I just got Koda so this is all new to me, but it's just WAY too frickin' cute when they do this. I squeal every time, haha! Thank you community for responding!

 

[qtipthebun]

It never stops being squeal-worthy. I've had bunnies my whole life, and still, every time Q does it, I melt.

 

[Nancy McClelland]

all our rabbits are abnormal, but it is part of their "normal" behavior too. Finn likes to groom and run over my feet a lot, too.

 

[agnesthelion]

Yup, mine do this. I thought it was what every rabbit did my first bun Licorice did it too.

 

[sarah92lynn]

I still laugh every time I see my buns do it. So cute Lilly makes a flicking sound when she does it so even if I'm not watching her I can hear her start cleaning herself lol adorable !
:inlove:

I love it when they clean their ears too. Bunnies are just too cute all around

 

[lauratunes12]

Faith claps her paws together before cleaning her face, like chalkboard erasers... It's really cute.