Rabbits are bizarre generally. You suppose you’re attending to know their character, when all of the sudden they begin zooming across the room and bouncing off the partitions. It’s like your rabbit has all of the sudden develop into a full-blown cartoon character who simply ate a bunch of sugar.
Rabbits are often hyper as a result of they’re pleased. Components together with age, time of day, and climate can even contribute to your rabbit’s hyperactive temper. However 9 occasions out of 10, in case your bunny is all of the sudden zooming across the room it means they’re pleased.
There are exceptions, after all. For instance, hyperactivity mixed with persistent harmful behaviors could be a signal of boredom or loneliness. In case your rabbit has not been spayed or neutered, hyperactivity can be associated to their hormones. All of it comes all the way down to the mixture of behaviors that you just’re seeing to know whether or not your rabbit is definitely upset.
1. It’s the best time of day for exercise
Rabbits are most energetic within the morning and the night. They’ll often be quiet and sleepy by way of the center of the day and even in the midst of the evening (they’re not true nocturnal animals). However then within the early morning, possibly if you’re nonetheless attempting to sleep, they’ll begin zooming round and appearing hyper. The identical factor can occur within the night because the solar begins to go down.
Whereas there’ll all the time be some bunnies who’re extra hyperactive than others, this phenomenon is quite common amongst pet rabbits. It might look like they’re getting randomly hyper, however in your rabbit, it’s simply their pure playtime.
2. Your rabbit feels protected of their atmosphere
It could possibly take slightly little bit of time for some rabbits to get used to their atmosphere. Once you first carry them dwelling, they’re only a small bunny in a brand new and unfamiliar place. Timid rabbits are a lot much less prone to zoom across the room and act hyper, so you could suppose that your rabbit isn’t that energetic.
Nevertheless, as soon as the rabbit will get used to the brand new place (which might take as little as a pair hours or so long as a number of months), you’ll discover they’ll develop into extra energetic. They’re not afraid of dancing out within the open as a result of they really feel protected of their atmosphere.
It’s additionally frequent for rabbits to get excited if you rearrange the furnishings or change one thing across the room. They’ll often try the brand new association rigorously, after which get very excited and zoom round. It’s because rabbits get enthusiastic about new alternatives to discover, particularly if it’s in a spot the place they already really feel protected.
3. Your rabbit desires one other deal with
I don’t suppose it’s a shock to anybody that rabbits have a significant candy tooth. They’ll come operating as quickly as they hear the crinkle of the deal with bag, or see the fridge door open. However generally the rabbit will get so excited that they simply begin zooming and binkying throughout the room.
Generally they don’t even have to listen to the deal with bag. If it’s the time of day that you just often feed your rabbit or give them treats, the rabbit will know and get excited. They could additionally discover for those who stand in the identical spot each time you give them a deal with. Your rabbit will begin to get excited any time you’re in that very same spot, even when there aren’t any treats in sight.
4. The climate has cooled down
One thing that I see yearly because the climate turns from summer season to fall is a rise in my rabbit’s exercise ranges. I reside in an space the place it commonly will get into 90º to 100º F in the summertime. Though my rabbits are contained in the air-conditioned dwelling, the AC can’t all the time sustain sufficient to maintain the house beneath 70ºF (which most rabbits desire).
When the climate begins to chill down sufficient that I can maintain the indoor temperature low, my rabbits have a subject day. They love the cooler temperatures a lot and are as excited as I’m that the summer season climate is lastly coming to an finish.
5. Your rabbit is younger and energetic
It’s quite common for younger rabbits to be extremely energetic and hyper. They received’t prefer to lie down for lengthy intervals of time and can always be operating from one finish of the room to the opposite, gleefully stepping into hassle and binkying round.
Most rabbits will settle down so much as they age. By the point they’re about two years previous, most bunnies will lose their child power and be extra relaxed. They’ll proceed to mellow out as they age and develop into aged rabbits.
6. Your rabbit is hormonal
Younger rabbits who’re simply reaching maturity could all of the sudden begin to present one other sort of hyperactivity that you just’re not used to seeing. They could begin charging at individuals or aggressively chasing them. They could additionally begin to seem stressed and tempo round, chew on every thing, dig into their litter field, destroy carpets, and spray urine in every single place. More often than not, this habits will cease as soon as the rabbit has been spayed or neutered.
Word that it will possibly take a number of weeks for a rabbit’s hormones to settle down after their surgical procedure. So you continue to may discover hyper or aggressive habits out of your rabbit for a number of extra weeks earlier than they settle down.
Anecdotally, I’ve additionally heard lots of tales about spring fever in individuals’s pet rabbits even when they’re neutered. Many individuals have famous that their younger rabbits will quickly develop into extra energetic or aggressive round March and April (or at the beginning of spring climate).
I’ve not been capable of finding any scientific sources that deal with this, so I’m undecided if that is fully true, nevertheless it’s price noting because it appears to be a reasonably frequent remark amongst rabbit caretakers.
7. Your rabbit is slightly bored or lonely
Rabbits will develop into stressed in the event that they don’t have sufficient area or socialization, or if there’s nothing attention-grabbing for them to play with. This restlessness can appear like hyperactivity, nevertheless it’s as a result of your rabbit has no method of expressing their pent-up power.
It can appear like persistent harmful habits or irritating habits, together with:
- Digging out the litter field
- Chewing on cage bars
- Digging into the nook of a room or cage
- Continuously flipping over meals and water bowls
Giving your rabbit more room and time to hop round in, extra consideration and socialization, and toys (or cardboard bins) that they’re allowed to chew up will assist maintain them occupied and pleased.
It’s necessary to keep in mind that all rabbits may have some digging and chewing habits, and they’re going to inevitably make a multitude, chew on one thing, or destroy one thing that you just don’t need them to. You’ll know in case your rabbit is bored or lonely if these habits are accompanied by aggressive behaviors (equivalent to growling and lunging), or in case your rabbit doesn’t present any pleased indicators although they’re energetic (like zooming and binkying)
Bonus: It’s simply your rabbit’s character
Whereas it might be an unsatisfying reply, some rabbits are merely hyper. They’re energetic and stuffed with power, at the same time as they age as a result of that’s a part of the rabbit’s character.
Typically, I discover that the smaller the scale of the rabbit, the extra seemingly they’re to have an brisk, hyper character. Massive rabbits are more likely to be calm and laid again, whereas small ones appear nearly jittery by nature.
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