Thumping at night (and day?)

[thor]

My rabbit sometimes thumps during the night, usually around 4:30-5am. I used to think she was having a bad dream, and frightened. I'd get out of bed to reassure her. Later, the thumping continued. I wised up, and made sure she had extra water and had a snack before I retired to bed. The thumping appeared to stop for a long time. It began again last night.I wonder if she just wants some attention, or something else? Please advise.

 

[Tatum]

Rabbits (I hear) do that when they feel threatned or mad. If your bunny is an outdoor rabbit could it be there are other animals around? Otherwise i don't know..good luck finding out why she is doing that.

 

[Bassetluv]

Is your bunny in a cage at night? Sometimes they will thump out of frustration...just the fact that they want to come out and play. When I had outdoor rabbits they would thump only if they felt threatened (loud, strange noises that would suddenly frighten them) or just before I fed them. They'd see me approaching with the feed bucket and the thumps would start up...it was almost like going to see that Broadway show, "Stomp".

As for Raph (my indoor bunny right now), I have yet to figure out what causes him to thump. He seems to do so at the oddest times. He'll just be sitting there and suddenly will start thumping on the floor (rythmically too, I might add ). When I ask him what's wrong he just keeps on thumping...whump....whump....whump... LOL, a couple of weeks ago he began doing that and when I asked him what was bugging him, he just turned his butt towards me and then took off out the cat door and into the porch. And he wouldn't come out no matter how hard I coaxed. So I must've done something wrong in his bunny book, and he was punishing me.

 

[Pet_Bunny]

Pebbles rarely thumps. The only timeswere, shewas upset when she slipped off the bed and started thumping on the floor.:angryrant Andanother time was when a cat was prowling around the neighbourhood. :shock:

Rainbows!

 

[thor]

YES!!! My bun is exactly like your indoor bun! She sometimes 'rhythmically' thumps, and I can't be quite sure why? Like you say, perhaps it is frustration, and maybe she wants to come out and play. Keeping in mind, too, that rabbits are nocturnal. She is wide awake all night, and probably needs some attention at some point. She is well tempered, though. But I couldn't get over when she began thumping when company was over one afternoon. (This was during her sleepy time). I think the company interrupted her usual nap time, and she was protesting. In fact, she looked like she was sleepy, and perturbed.

 

[ilovetegocalderon]

Are they really nocturnal? I always heard that they are most active at dusk and dawn and i think there is another name for that, but i could be wrong. <y rabbit Beans always starts thumping at 6:00 a.m. if she is in her cage at that time so she is my little alarm clock and i get up to let her out.

 

[nose_twitch]

Rabbits aren't nocturnal.


"Rabbits are actually "crepuscular," meaning they are most active in the twilight hours of both sunrise and sunset.

This is because before becoming domesticated, rabbits evolved as a prey species for thousands of years. Evolutionarily it was safest for rabbits to leave the safety of their burrow and forrage for food in the transition between day and night when the light is dim. This is the time when nocturnal (night) predators such as owls can't see well because of too much light, and when diurnal (day) predators such as foxes, can't see well because it is too dark. Smart bunnies!"


(from the House Rabbit Society)