Ears
Up, back or pressed flat.
For exampleEars pressed tight and flat against the back, with a tense, low body, can mean fear, pain or stress from handling. Lop ears can’t be read the same way.
Species / Rabbits
Rabbitbody language.
Quiet, social and always on alert, a prey animal who says a lot with a single thump.
84Signals mapped
40Science-backed references
165Unique scenarios
Start with the animal
Who the rabbit is.
Rabbits are prey animals, so their whole body is built to notice danger early: eyes on the sides of the head, ears that turn toward every sound, back legs made for sudden sprints.
Being prey also means rabbits tend to hide pain, and people often miss it. They are social too, and in one study rabbits worked almost as hard to reach another rabbit as they did to reach food.
What FaunaVera looks at
The signals we read.
A few of the channels FaunaVera watches and listens to in every rabbit video, weighed together with context and checked against a rabbit-specific ethogram.
Face
The rabbit grimace scale.
For exampleNarrowed eyes, flattened cheeks, a pinched nose and stiff whiskers are part of a validated rabbit pain scale.
Body
Loaf, hunch or flop.
For exampleA soft, wide loaf is calm. A tight hunch facing a corner can mean pain. A sudden flop onto the side means the rabbit feels very safe.
Back feet
The thump.
For exampleA loud thump with both back feet is an alarm signal that warns other rabbits about danger.
Movement and play
Binkies and zoomies.
For exampleLeaping into the air with a twist is a happy binky, and rabbits with sore ears binky less.
Voice
Mostly quiet, with meaning.
For exampleSoft tooth chattering while being stroked means contentment. Loud tooth grinding means pain.
Did you know?
When people watched videos of rabbits in pain, they mostly looked at the face, but the people who looked at the rabbit’s back and back end were better at spotting the pain.
Common misreads
- “A rabbit who sits still while being cuddled loves it.”Most rabbits stroked by a stranger stayed tense and their stress hormones rose, even though they sat still.
- “A rabbit on their back who goes limp is relaxed.”That is tonic immobility, a fear reflex. It is not sleep or trust.
- “A quiet, still rabbit is fine.”Rabbits hide pain. Check for a hunched body, a tense face and whether they are eating.
Being around a rabbit
Get down on the floor and let the rabbit come to you. Stroke the forehead, cheeks and back, and give them space to run, somewhere to hide, plenty of hay and another rabbit to live with.
See it for yourself
Your rabbit, read in seconds.
Upload a short video and FaunaVera reads the whole picture for you: an Interpretation, Voice of Animal, practical Tips and Ethogram Insights that explain exactly which signals it saw.
Where this comes from
A few of the studies.
FaunaVera's rabbit ethogram draws on 40 science-backed references. Here are a handful of them.
- S. C. J. Keating et al. (2012). Evaluation of EMLA cream for preventing pain during tattooing of rabbits: changes in physiological, behavioural and facial expression responses. PLoS ONE, 7(9), e44437. Read
- M. C. Leach et al. (2011). Are we looking in the wrong place? Implications for behavioural-based pain assessment in rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculi) and beyond?. PLoS ONE, 6(3), e13347. Read
- L. Benato, J. Murrell, T. G. Knowles & N. J. Rooney (2021). Development of the Bristol Rabbit Pain Scale (BRPS): a multidimensional composite pain scale specific to rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus). PLoS ONE, 16(6), e0252417. Read
- S. C. Seaman et al. (2008). Animal economics: assessing the motivation of female laboratory rabbits to reach a platform, social contact and food. Animal Behaviour, 75, 31-42. Read
- B. D. Chivers, M. R. D. Keeler & C. C. Burn (2023). Ear health and quality of life in pet rabbits of differing ear conformations: a UK survey of owner-reported signalment risk factors and effects on rabbit welfare and behaviour. PLoS ONE, 18(7), e0285372. Read
- J. A. Oxley et al. (2018). A survey of rabbit handling methods within the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science. Read
