Female rabbits make grunting noises for a variety of reasons. Grunting can indicate that your rabbit is feeling threatened or wants to mate. She could also be grunting due to an injury requiring immediate attention, so it’s important to carefully examine your rabbit during this time.
Rabbits make a surprising amount of noise. They squeal, click, hiss, cluck, grind their teeth, purr, honk, stomp and grunt. Rabbits in the wild use different noises to communicate with other rabbits.
Grunting is an entirely natural way for your pet female rabbit to communicate with you or other nearby rabbits. While grunting is usually nothing to be concerned about, there are times when it may require further investigation.
What You'll Learn
Why Do Female Rabbits Grunt?
Grunting is one of the most common sounds a rabbit makes. Your female rabbit may be grunting for the following reasons:
They’re Feeling Territorial
This can occur when a rabbit is in a new home or is introduced to another rabbit for the first time.
They Feel Threatened
Something possibly startled or scared your rabbit, causing her to feel threatened.
They’re In Pain
A rabbit will grunt to indicate she is in pain.
They’re Looking to Mate
If your rabbit is unspayed and in heat, she may grunt to indicate she wants to mate.
She’s Pregnant or Has Babies
It’s natural for a female rabbit to grunt when pregnant or feel protective of her babies.
Is My Female Rabbit Feeling Territorial?
While it’s natural for male rabbits to grunt at each other over territory, female rabbits also exhibit territorial behavior. The below situations might cause a female rabbit to become territorial:
- Bringing a rabbit into a new environment. Female rabbits sometimes feel territorial when they are in a new home. The rabbit may feel protective of her space and grunt at you because she doesn’t trust you.
- Introducing new rabbits to each other. When introducing new rabbits, go slowly. It’s best to do this in neutral territory. This helps eliminate your rabbit feeling territorial about her personal space.
- If a new rabbit is grunting at you, proceed with caution. Don’t make sudden, quick movements towards the rabbit. Try offering treats to soothe the rabbit and earn her trust.
Stand quietly and let the rabbit approach you on her own terms instead of reaching out to her. Reaching out toward the rabbit could make her feel even more threatened.
While it’s normal for there to be some initial grunting when introducing new rabbits to each other, it’s best to separate them if the grunting doesn’t subside, or it could escalate into more aggressive behavior.
Is My Rabbit Grunting Because She Feels Threatened?
If something startles your rabbit, it could cause her to feel threatened, and she may grunt as a result. Reasons your rabbit might feel threatened are:
- Being approached too quickly. It’s important not to run toward or move too quickly at your rabbit as this might cause her to feel threatened.
- Reaching down to pick them up. Rabbits are prey animals and have a natural fear of something looming over them.
- Something unknown near their environment. If your rabbit is in an outside pen, she may feel threatened at the sight of an unknown animal or person.
Is My Rabbit Grunting Because Of An Injury?
Sometimes grunting indicates that your rabbit is in pain. When you hear your rabbit grunting, the best practice would be to promptly examine her to check for any injuries.
Because rabbits have very delicate bones and spinal columns, they can be prone to back and leg fractures. If possible, observe the rabbit moving to see if she is limping. If your rabbit is limping or unable to put weight on a limb, this could indicate a fracture or sprain.
If your rabbit will let you examine her, check her over for any wounds or hot spots. If you suspect your rabbit has an injury or an infection, it’s best to take her to a veterinarian.
Is My Rabbit Grunting Because She Wants To Mate?
If you have an unspayed female rabbit, she will want to mate upon reaching sexual maturity. This generally occurs between four to six months of age. Grunting is part of mating behavior among rabbits, so you will hear grunting during mating time.
If you don’t plan on breeding your female rabbit, it’s important to separate her from any male rabbits at this time. You might want to consider having your rabbit spayed. Spaying offers many benefits.
One of the benefits of having your rabbit spayed is that she will make a better pet and is less likely to be aggressive towards other rabbits. After being spayed, your rabbit’s grunting should eventually subside.
Is My Female Rabbit Pregnant?
Female rabbits may start to become territorial in the early days of pregnancy. If your rabbit suddenly starts grunting and growling at you, this could indicate she is pregnant.
If you have a female rabbit with babies, it’s more than likely she will grunt at you if she feels you’re threatening her babies in any way.
Mother rabbits are very protective during the first few weeks after giving birth and while nursing. Approaching her during this time may cause her to grunt or even growl at you.
If you try to handle or remove one of her babies, this will also cause her to grunt and possibly bite you. It’s important to proceed cautiously when handling babies around a mother rabbit.
Female Rabbits Grunt For A Variety Of Reasons
Most of the time, a female rabbit grunting isn’t a reason to be concerned. However, it is a good idea to investigate the behavior when observed to ensure that your rabbit doesn’t have an injury.
Remember to proceed with caution when examining your rabbit to avoid escalating the situation into more aggressive behavior.
