Sudden fits of running, thumping and screeching

[Jiallombardo]

Hello,

First of all, I'd like to note that I live in Ukraine with my bunny, so the situation is kind of stressful as it is, and it might be a factor. She is presently 3 years old, spayed and properly vaccinated. Recently she has been flopping a lot, so I figured that she finally got used to the new home we settled in after leaving our old one due to... well, war. We moved in with a cat, male, 5 years old, neutered. The relationship between the bun and the cat is cautious -- sometimes they sniff each other, but mostly the cat flees whenever the bun charges him.

Anyway, today I observed a very weird behaviour pattern from my bun. She would start running around quickly (which I assumed was good, since it's something rabbits do to have fun), but then she also started thumping. Then she went under the table in the kitchen (that's where she lives, it's a one-room apartment in a small building), where she proceeded to thump more (albeit not as loudly), and also making a screeching noise (sorry, I don't know the proper term -- it's similar in volume to a human sigh, but more vocal, also similar to a human groan). So she would make those noises and thump. She would not run towards me when I offered treats, and would, in fact, run in the opposite direction while flicking me.

I didn't really do anything to her before this triggered, or during the whole process, I was just conversing with my wife in the kitchen. This behaviour kind of frightened me, though, as I don't recall her ever thumping so much for no obvious reason (usually she thumped in my old apartment after running below a certain sofa, which I could never really explain too).
She also grunts a lot recently -- even when we take the greenery (which she loves to eat, especially dill) out of the freezer, she would run around and grunt until given the said greenery. I thought that grunting was a sign of annoyance, and so this behaviour is completely baffling to me.

Hope someone can share their experience on this matter. Thank you.

 

[JBun]

The low grunting, honking, or buzzing sound, is when a rabbit is excited or happy. Like when they get excited for petting or food, or also happens with hormonal rabbits. A more guttural grunting or growling sound is when they're upset, irritated, or acting aggressively.

Actual screeching from a rabbit, is loud and happens when they're terrified(this usually happens when caught by a predator). It's pretty unmistakable and horrifying to hear. You likely heard a quiet squealing or whimper sound, and that's when a rabbit is nervous, or frightened and upset, but not completely terrified for it's life. Along with the thumping and running and hiding, she likely smelled, heard, or saw something that may have frightened or upset her. Rabbits have very good hearing and a sense of smell, so there can be something going on that she detects but that you may not be able to.

You can try proving her with some hidey boxes with an entrance and exit hole, or tunnels where she can run and hide to feel safe. Then it is just giving her enough time to calm down.

To understand what a rabbit is trying to communicate, you have to take into consideration not just the sounds they're making, but also their body language. For instance, tooth grinding and tooth purring can sound similar, but have very different meanings. Harsh tooth grinding is associated with a rabbit being in pain. Gentle tooth grinding or tooth chattering, is a sound they make when feeling contented, like when enjoying head rubs.

https://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Understanding_your_rabbit
Language of Lagamorphs body language info

 

[Jiallombardo]

The low grunting, honking, or buzzing sound, is when a rabbit is excited or happy. Like when they get excited for petting or food, or also happens with hormonal rabbits. A more guttural grunting or growling sound is when they're upset, irritated, or acting aggressively.

Actual screeching from a rabbit, is loud and happens when they're terrified(this usually happens when caught by a predator). It's pretty unmistakable and horrifying to hear. You likely heard a quiet squealing or whimper sound, and that's when a rabbit is nervous, or frightened and upset, but not completely terrified for it's life. Along with the thumping and running and hiding, she likely smelled, heard, or saw something that may have frightened or upset her. Rabbits have very good hearing and a sense of smell, so there can be something going on that she detects but that you may not be able to.

You can try proving her with some hidey boxes with an entrance and exit hole, or tunnels where she can run and hide to feel safe. Then it is just giving her enough time to calm down.

To understand what a rabbit is trying to communicate, you have to take into consideration not just the sounds they're making, but also their body language. For instance, tooth grinding and tooth purring can sound similar, but have very different meanings. Harsh tooth grinding is associated with a rabbit being in pain. Gentle tooth grinding or tooth chattering, is a sound they make when feeling contented, like when enjoying head rubs.

https://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Understanding_your_rabbit
Language of Lagamorphs body language info

Thank you very much! So it might have been something she smelled from the freezer, or maybe from the shower, I guess. She looks fine now, though, thank god. One question, if I may -- I can also see that ear position is a part of understanding rabbit behaviour -- but what about lop-eared bunnies? Their ear positioning is not quite as profoundly recognizable. My bun almost always has her ears on her sides, and more often then not she would move them forward a little bit -- that happens when she notices someone come in.

One thing I'm at least happy to read is that she considers the kitchen to be her kingdom, as she spreads droppings everywhere. That's good Sadly, with all the stress of the ongoing situation in the country, providing her with space to play is not always possible (more so if you're in a rented apartment, like I am presently), so I'm really afraid that she would resent me for the lack of attention, or lack of freedom...