Stress In Rabbits: How To Fight It
Animals, like us humans, are prone to stress, whether in the wild or in captivity as pets. In the case of rabbits, they present a series of symptoms that, if not treated in time, can be fatal. so we give you tips to combat it effectively.
Stress: silent disease
Emotional stress is a disease that affects both psychological and physical performance in animals. Undoubtedly, it manifests itself in different ways in each species, and fighting it requires a lot of time and patience.
In the case of rabbits, we must bear in mind that these animals are in the lowest stratum of the food chain. Although we have domesticated them, they still have the instinct for survival, which makes their adaptation to the new environment a bit difficult.
Open spaces, objects to gnaw on and not being too noisy are some of the main tips we can give you to keep our rabbit calm. However, once stress begins to manifest itself, we must be very careful about how to properly treat it.
How it manifests itself in rabbits
Stress manifests itself in many ways in rabbits , especially when their basic needs are not being taken care of properly or not at all.
Species of the Leporidae family are very quiet and calm animals during the day. This is because they are nocturnal animals, feeding during the nights where they feel safest, away from predators. A sudden change in these behaviors are the warnings that they point out to us.
Signs of stress
The first warning sign that our pet tells us is if it begins to scream with a lot of volume and very often. The screams of the rabbit are very loud and particular, since in this way they warn the herd of possible dangers and predators.
Changes in your mood and your routine are also signs that something is wrong. The noise a lot to do, kick the cage or gnashing their teeth are ways to release their anger and express dominance in the presence of another male; If your rabbit lives alone or with a female, it is a serious red flag for it to do these actions.
Similarly, a rabbit is not still all the time ; his nature is curious, which leads him to explore and be in constant recognition of his surroundings. A rabbit that is still is a warning sign, since it is a sign of fear.
The reaction to staying still is common: it seeks to hide from predators in case it finds a hiding place and… Well, our home is a hiding place! This behavior usually occurs in front of other large pets or in front of unknown humans.
A more serious case is self-mutilation ; the rabbit resorts to this action when it is under a great amount of pressure and pain in some part of its body. The pain begins with the constant licking of a limb and, when they cannot stand it anymore, they end up nipping it in the bud.
What to do in these cases
It most likely sounds like an alarming case, but don’t worry. The remedies are quite simple and you just need to give him time and freedom to get better as soon as possible. First, we recommend you visit the vet because he is the specialist on how to best attack the problem.
- Make sure to give him freedom from time to time : a rabbit can go crazy if kept locked up. To avoid this, it is preferable that you let it run free on your floor or patio. You must be very alert not to eat something wrong while running with full freedom.
- Give him something to gnaw on – Rabbits love to nibble on things, and it’s a great way to let go of their worries In burrows they usually have several objects to gnaw on, so your rabbit should also have different objects to satisfy his need.
- Try to keep your area quiet: very loud noises and sudden scares are one of the main causes of stress, so your room or surroundings should be as quiet as possible. If you have visitors, don’t let them get too close to you.
- Clean their cage regularly: rabbits do not like having their environment very dirty and they start to get angry. Make sure to clean his cage regularly to avoid his fits of rage.
