Some people refer to this as oinking, and honking is a noise they make either for treats or out of aggression. I don't think there's one right answer, people just need to understand which sounds their rabbit makes in different situations.
she's obviously happy. while rabbits may make similar sounds while distressed, her position indicates she is calm and happy. if she was scared or in pain she would be freezing up and 'playing dead" with wide eyes or fighting and trying to run.
She isn't scared, she obviously knows and trusts the owner. But here she clearly wants to be left alone. Those sounds are commonly used to communicate displeasure, as is clearly the case when the rabbit gets up and leaves as this one did. Bunnies who are enjoying being pet just don't do that.
The weird thing about rabbits (and most animals in general) is that sounds can vary from individual to individual. One rabbit’s angry grunts could sound like another rabbit’s play honks. I think a better way to tell what they’re feeling is by body language, and she certainly looks pretty content with herself!
@@L1Run rats do a similar thing called bruxing, which is essentially a stimming self-soothing behaviour where they grind their teeth (which is related to boggling, where the eyes... kinda go in and out of the socket) the thing about bruxing is that it's both an anxiety-driven behaviour AS WELL AS an indicator of contentment/happiness you have to know the personality of the animal you're handling... which, we clearly don't understand the animal in the video, because this is a single video that's taken out of context relative to the entirety of the rabbit's life. we don't have the background to know whether or not the rabbit doesn't want to be left alone, and it would be foolish and overconfident to assert otherwise. vocalizations can mean all kinds of different things, and no animal is exempt from that, not even humans (e.g laughter sounds a hell of a lot like crying sometimes) and those vocalizations aren't specific to the **species**... but the **individual**. why? because vocalizations are a behaviour, and behaviours, though they can be shared between a species through instinct, are largely still dependant on the specific animal in question... and things change rather drastically when you mix in human interaction. you can look to dogs for good examples of how far human interaction can change behaviours over a long enough period of time (e.g a wild dog showing its teeth is a sign of aggression -- and in most cases for domesticated dogs as well -- but dogs can also understand that, if they're trained to show their teeth when asked, it's not a sign of aggression) just the same, cats vocalizing to communicate things is not at all a part of their ancestors' instincts. essentially, they use their kitten voice when vocalizing to humans... which is NOT something they'd do if they were feral, and *especially* not to other cats. (most vocalizations between cats are something along the lines of "back off" or "you finna catch these hands" i.e its an aggressive behaviour)
Bruh this is possibly the clearest audio of a rabbit purr on the internet. it deserves more fame Edit: upon further examination, it IS the clearest audio of a rabbit honking on the internet, and it deserves more fame
True, I never knew they did purr and snort until a few months after I got mine. I was actually worried there was something wrong with him. It turned out to be normal for a happy fluffball.
0:15 when she turns her left ear and the honking gets louder.. The owner has clearly hit the soft spot with the massage at that point 👌🏻 Seems like one happy bunny!
Bunnies are so quiet that 6 year old me though I had hurt my bun when I first heard this sound. But the breeders we got her from (bunny farm, good breeders), explained it was a sound of pure contentment. Now I live for this sound
I started playing this and my rabbit hopped across the room and stared at me, then when I stopped it , and came over to me and started nibbling my clothes like: “hey! Why’d you stop?”
My bunny passed away almost 3 years ago and she used to "honk" all the time, i really miss hearing that. Thank you for sharing this video of your bun, it brings sweet memories of my fluffy girl ❤ *I know this video is 12 years old but the algorithm just recommended it to me
My bunny I´ve had for almost 2 years just did this yesterday when I was peotting him. He sprawled on the floor, loudly chattered with his teeth and made this sound. I thought he was in pain because he never made this sound. It was after a fight with my new bunny I am currently bonding him with. It was like he needed comfort after what happened and this was his way to show me how he appreciated my company. I know because right after I finished petting him, he stopped chattering and happily hopped around all excited. It was such a special moment. He was always so skittish and gaining his trust took me over 6 months. I thought he will never seek comfort or snuggles when I got him. Bunnies are one of the greatest pets I ever had. And I hope my baby will have a long life so I can watch him hop around my apartment for another 5-7 years. I give him the best diet possible, prepare salads twice a day and free roam. He has a companion now, he just needs to get used to her, but I see some positive signs when bonding already. They don´t actually try to hurt each other. People don´t realize that owning a bunny is a lot of work, but their happy little face is worth every struggle you might encounter when giving them all they need.
For the longest time I thought my rabbit was having breathing problems or allergies or something and I couldn't really find a fix for the noise, and I felt really bad because I didn't want him to be suffering at all. Glad to know it was him purring the whole time!
Longish post about bunny sounds: This is a cross between a honk, which is usually a good sound (sometimes a sexual one if the bun is unfixed) and a grunt, which is not a good sound, usually means you are in the bunny’s space and they don’t want you there. Rabbits that are not fixed will sometimes honk to express that they are sexually active or receptive when interacted with (fix them ASAP). Fixed bunnies will honk when you are bringing their food or while playing with a favourite toy. The grunting toward the end of this video tells me that this bun was simply not in the mood for pets and tolerated it a while before getting up to reclaim its own space for a bit. This isn’t purring but I don’t think the bun is in pain or anything, just irritated. Rabbits “purr” by rhythmically chomping their molars. Mine goes “munch munch munch” to express delight when someone pets his head and shoulders, which relaxes him. Very fast chittering is sometimes also a “purr” or delighted sound, but can sometimes also indicate that they are in some pain (usually belly trouble or long term injuries like sores on the feet / sore Hocks) or fear, such as when placed on their backs (don’t do this).
Same. If he is making that noise, I cant hear it at least. Mine will grind his teeth and if he gets really happy, chatter them like you do when you're cold instead.
I thought bunnies made this sound because they were scared of my petting! Lol I didn't know their purrs sound like they're holding back pained screams 😂
UM thats a she, And the sound is a honk, and SHE is in heat, thinking that SHE is about to get boinked!!! That honking is the sound they make when boinking.
My rabbit makes the most quiet version of this along with a teeth chatter. I was worried the increase in breathing noise when petting him was a nervous response but we have a very deep bond so it couldn't be that. This just answered my question!
