Rabbit owners will know that bunnies have a variety of mannerisms. One of them that can prove quite disturbing is a screaming rabbit. It can take a newbie to the rabbit scene quite by surprise. As you may have guessed a screaming rabbit is not a happy rabbit. Your job as a rabbit pet owner is to find out exactly what is causing your pet rabbit’s screams. Here we will explore why rabbits scream and if there is anything you can do to minimize this troubling response.
What does a screaming rabbit sound like?
A screaming bunny is pretty hard to miss. The sound can best be described as loud, shrill, and piercing. It can be a bit prolonged as well. It may often be mistaken for a baby or a small child’s cries.
Why do rabbits scream?
As you may have guessed by now, rabbit screaming occurs for a variety of reasons. However, bunny screams are brought on by negative stimuli. That is to say that if you have a screaming bunny, something is wrong and it is your job to find out what is happening. Let’s get into it.
Sometimes, a bunny screams because of fear.
As you may have guessed rabbits scream when they are scared. Bunnies are essentially prey animals. If they are outdoors and they smell predators nearby they may react by screaming.
Your rabbit may react in fear if his or her environment has harmful triggers like:
- Loud noises – If you live near trains or airplanes, these may startle your bunnies
- Pets like dogs and cats – If you have pets, they may get a kick out of chasing your bunnies around your house and yard. It’s not fun for your pet rabbits. They are terrified.
You may wonder why your rabbit is always so fearful. It’s a deep-set instinct. It is built into their DNA to help keep them safe. The bunny screams to signal for help or warn other bunnies that there is danger afoot. Bunnies are very sensitive to their environment so that they can perceive potential threats. What you may perceive as a mild threat, can put your pet rabbit on high alert, resulting in extreme stress. High-stress levels induced by fear will result in a screaming bunny on your hand.
Sometimes a bunny screams because it is ill or injured.
Illness may cause discomfort and pain, causing your bunnies to scream in agony. Some conditions that are particularly painful for rabbits:
- Infection – If your rabbit has an infection in a particular area, the area may become inflamed producing painful inflammation.
- Broken bones – Pet rabbits have very delicate bones. They are often brittle and break easily. Unfortunately, they can sustain painful injuries.
- Bone tumors – The most prevalent bone tumor in rabbits is productive osteoblastic osteosarcoma. This painful cancer usually develops in the rabbits’ facial bones.
- Ear Infections and foreign objects in the ear – As in humans, ear complaints can cause quite a considerable amount of discomfort. The ruptured eardrum in particular may cause bunny screams.
- Ulcerative pododermatitis or sore hocks – This condition occurs when a rabbit’s foot develops sores on its feet. It can be caused by obesity (too much weight causing improper standing posture) arthritis, flooring with inadequate support, and fur loss on the feet.
- Bladder sludge or stones – The clinical term for this condition is hypercalcinuria or hypercalciuria. This happens when a rabbits urine thickens due to calcium salts. This prevents the rabbit from urinating properly resulting in searing burning pain.
- Lacerations or abscesses on the body or in the mouth – These injuries may go undetected. You may have to examine your rabbit to find them.
- Gastrointestinal stasis – Blocked intestines can cause feces to move too slowly through the intestines, resulting in painful bloating.
- Gas may be troubling your rabbit, and the diet can have a big influence on this. Sometimes, the vegetables that you feed your rabbit may be gaseous in nature.
Sometimes a bunny screams during a seizure.
If you have ever witnessed, your pet rabbit having a seizure, it can attest that it is quite alarming. The convulsions are often violent and extremely painful. While seizures are rare they can be brought on by the following scenarios:
- Medications – Your bunny may have a reaction to a medication that has been prescribed. You should also be very careful with dosages, sometimes the slightest overdose can give your bunny a seizure.
- Exposure to harmful chemicals – your bunnies can be exposed to toxic materials in everyday activities. If you allow your rabbits outside playtime in your garden. You need to make sure that you that it’s not directly after you have used a weedicide or a pesticide. Your bunny may nibble on the grass or the chemical may get on its fur and eventually work its way through the skin into the bloodstream.
You should also be choosy regarding the washing detergents and cleaning products that you use around your pet rabbit. We advise that you visit your pet store and look for pet-friendly cleaners so that you can ensure the health and safety of your pet.
- Sometimes, rabbits may come into contact with poisonous weeds and plants your garden. It may be a good idea, to educate yourself a bit on poisonous plants and weed them out of your yard. If this is not possible you can block off a section of your backyard, that is free of any unknown plants and let your rabbit play there.
- Viral or parasitic infections – Sometimes, these infections can attack your rabbit’s central nervous system, causing a seizure.
- If you are not sure what a seizure looks like in rabbits, they usually throw themselves on their back and thrash about. At this point, you may hear your bunny screaming.
- On a rare occasion, a bunny screams in rage.
- Although this reaction is relatively infrequent, rabbits sometimes scream when they are angry. They may do it if they do not like how you are handling them or they annoyed by a particular activity. It’s their way of telling you to stop and desist. If your bunnies are fighting, you may hear a couple of screams during the altercation.
- Sometimes a bunny screams due to poor handling.
If you are a seasoned rabbit owner, this would not be a problem for you. You already know how to hold and pick up your rabbit. However, if you are new to the rabbit scene, your rabbit may scream if you pick her up incorrectly. When lifting your bunny always support there back and hind legs. You should cradle them against your body, giving them more support and they are less likely to slip out of your hands that way. If you have children, you need to teach them how to pick up and hold their rabbits. You should also supervise their interaction. Children are not always gentle and may unintentionally hurt your pet rabbit.
Do rabbits scream before they die?
It depends on what precipitated their death. If your pet rabbit is old or ailing, you will most likely not hear him or her scream before dying. However, if your rabbit encounters a predator or your pet on the prowl, he may become extremely fearful for his life. This will result in elevated stress levels. Your rabbit may go into shock and die of fright. As a result, you may hear your rabbit screaming.
Is there anything I can do to prevent the rabbit from screaming?
There are a few things that you can do to minimize the chances of having to deal with a screaming rabbit. It has a lot to do with making your bunny safe and comfortable. Your measures can be divided into what you can do to eliminate reasons for your rabbit screaming and what to do if your bunny is already screaming.
- Firstly, you make sure that you provide a comfortable home for your rabbit. You should make sure that your rabbit hutch or cage is spacious and has proper flooring to prevent your rabbit from developing any painful sores on its feet.
- Ensure that your pet rabbit is eating properly. You should always adhere to the 80% hay and 20% vegetables/fruits/pellets ratio of food. This can help prevent painful conditions like Gastrointestinal stasis and gas.
- It is crucial that you provide a safe environment for your rabbit. If you have other pets, you should do your best to keep them away from your rabbits. And if you like in a noisy area, you may need to move your rabbit to a room, where he or she will be less affected by the noise.
If your rabbit is already screaming, you should try to soothe her, speak in quiet tones, and stroke her gently. Let her know she is safe. If a pet has started her, take her to a quiet room, so that she can recover.
- If you suspect that your bunny may be hurt, examine her for broken burns, lacerations, sores or bumps. Anything that could be the source of distress.
- If you think that your pet rabbit is either ill or hurt in some way, try to pacify her before making the trip to the veterinarian’s office. You don’t want to add to her already aggravated state. On arriving there, your bunny will get the help that he needs.
- If your rabbit is old or your suspect for some reason that your rabbit may be dying we recommend palliative care, try to make your pet rabbit as comfortable as possible. At this point, just being there will offer comfort.
Do all rabbits scream?
All rabbits have the capability to scream, but you may have several pet rabbits and never hear one scream It depends on the temperament and personality of your rabbit. Some bunnies are more sensitive than others and are easily startled. It also depends on the environment that you create. If you have done your utmost to:
- Create a comfortable, serene environment so that your rabbit does not feel threatened.
- Ensure that your rabbit is healthy.
You may never have the misfortune of dealing with a screaming rabbit.
While your rabbit screaming can be a very disconcerting experience, the key to dealing with it is discovering the cause of the distress. Once you are able to identify it, you can address the reason why your bunny is screaming. Hopefully, your screaming rabbit will be soothed in no time.