Understanding Rabbit Noises
What’s that sound? Rabbits have a noise for every occasion. Here are some noises your bunny might make.
- Purring
- Honking
- Buzzing
- Clucking
- Grinding
- Screaming
- Hissing
- Muttering
- Wheezing
- Growling
- Whining
Happy Rabbit Noises
If you hear your rabbit making these noises, it’s a good thing!
Clucking or Chirruping
A rabbit’s cluck is a soft, gentle noise that sounds almost like a hiccup.
This is a happy sound that female rabbits usually make when feeding their kits. Any rabbit might make these noises, however. And when they do, it means contentment. You might hear it in rabbits sleeping, or when they're eating.
Buzzing or Humming
If your rabbit is in the mood for love, it might make a humming or buzzing sound. You’ll usually hear this from boy rabbits that have not been neutered.
Honking or Grunting
Honking and grunting are amorous signs. These rabbits' noises are a bit more serious, though, than buzzing. If a rabbit is honking, grunting, and circling, it's a sign that the mating dance has begun.
Both males and females make these noises. If your rabbits have been neutered, they may honk and grunt out of general excitement, like if they see you coming with a treat. They may also do it to get your attention.
Purring
A rabbit’s purr is different from a cat’s purr. It’s softer, and the rabbit makes the noise by rubbing its teeth together rather than vibrating the throat muscles. Purring can be a sign of contentment. However, it’s also easy to confuse purring with teeth-grinding, which means that your bunny is in pain. When in doubt, look for other behavioural signals.
Rabbit Warning Sounds
Your rabbit also has noises to warn you, or other rabbits, that it’s unhappy.
Sighing
Sighing means something similar in human and rabbit languages. It means your pet is resigned to something it’s not particularly happy about, like being brushed or having its nails clipped.
Whining or Whimpering
When your rabbit whines or whimpers, it's a sign of unhappiness with the situation. Your pet may whine if you try to cuddle it against its wishes, for example. It might whimper if put into an enclosure with another rabbit that it doesn’t particularly like. Females may also make this sound if males are making unwanted advances.
Snorting
Snorting means your bunny is getting irritated. Snorting often precedes growling.
Grunting
Grunting can be a happy noise, but in a different context, it can be a sign of annoyance.
Muttering
When you see someone walking around, muttering angrily to themselves, how do you think they’re feeling? It’s the same with rabbits. If your pet sounds like it’s muttering under its breath, it is probably one annoyed bunny.
Hissing
Hissing is a warning to other rabbits to get away. If your rabbit hisses at you, consider doing the same.
Growling
If your rabbit growls at you, it’s time to step away. Growling means a severely annoyed rabbit. Your bunny may follow up a growl with a lunge, or even a bite.
Rabbit Distress Signals
Rabbits have ways of telling us that they’re afraid, in danger, or in severe pain. If your rabbit makes these sounds, you need to act fast.
Teeth Grinding
If your rabbit is grinding its teeth, especially if it’s sitting in a hunched-up position, this means your bunny is in pain. Rabbits are prey animals, which means that they try to hide illnesses and injuries. So if you notice it, it’s probably worse than it looks. Time to go to the vet.
Wheezing or Sniffling
It’s important to understand the difference between wheezing and sighing. A sigh is usually just one big exhalation, and it’s a sign of contentment.
Wheezing, though, sounds like laboured breathing, and that’s what it is. If your bunny is wheezing, they’re having problems breathing. It may be a respiratory problem, to which rabbits are prone. These kinds of problems can become very serious very fast. So contact your vet immediately.
Screaming or Loud Squealing
If you’ve ever heard a rabbit scream, you won’t forget it. Screaming means that your rabbit is under attack or in extreme pain. Some rabbits have screamed right before dying. Hope that your rabbit never makes this noise. But if they do, understand that you need to find the source of the problem and deal with it immediately.
Final Thoughts
Our rabbits are talking to us all the time. They’re just speaking a different language. If you make an effort to learn their language, it can help to strengthen the bond between you and your bunny.
16 comments
Our female bunny B’Elanna, buzzes a lot. When we clean her enclosure, move her blankets and when she runs up to us to be held. Which is also strange, she absolutely loves to be held.
I am still a nit confused which one it is how ever my bunny is making a hissing sound and it is clod there
My female bunny makes a sound like a baby horse, almost like she neighing when I pet her. She is caged mostly because we have a male & they are not fixed yet. Yes we do switch them out hourly (For them bunny critical peeps). The male is WAY more calm than our female when we let them roam around the house. It seems to us that she prefers the cage. When she does make those noises our male will immediately go to her cage & attack us on our clothes “as if he wants her out” but to be honest we have let them roam & she wants nothing to do with him. My question is what does her sound mean??
My bunny is on antibiotics for 10 days for suspected uti as his bottom is suddenly wet. Eating and drinking normal but let out screams this morning. Back to vets for pain relief . He is kept clean and I’m gutted this could be a uti. Anything you can suggest.
Hi my female rabbit pixie makes weird whimpering or screaming noises whenever I touch her . Pls help
Maybe she just does not like being picked up. They like having a dark place.
Oh my god I’m so sorry that your rabbit is doing them nosies I didn’t know
We adopted a mixed breed rabbit. She murmurs to us, and mutters, a LOT! I have had a HARD time finding out anything about it, as we have four rabbits, and none of the others do. It is not a “purr”, or any of the other noises I have read about in several articles. She actually mutters and murmurs. She’ll do it when we are petting her, or while she’s out running around and popping, or lying down.
Seems to be a happy gal, and no signs of pain, but she is a VOCAL rabbit!
Actually, it’s nice to hear, as we just had our last guinea pig pass away, and none of the other rabbits vocalize. Just wish there was more to find out about it, online. Seems to be rare, as it doesn’t coincide with any other common rabbit sounds.
my rabbit has been doing this since yesterday, sounds like a grunting or whimpering noise and im worried, it physically looks like he has hiccups but the noise sounds like what I described. it also sounds weird when he drinks water.
Thank you so much for this, I was worried our little guy was sick but know I know he is just happy!!