Does this sound like normal bunny behaviour?

[Missymumu&Coco]

I recently got a female dwarf bunny (not quite sure exactly how old, a few years I think) several months ago, and am finding that taking good care of her require far more knowledge than I currently possess. I know what to feed her, and how to play with her and all of that good stuff, but I'm starting to notice some things that she's doing, and I'm wondering if they are normal bunny behaviours. I'm mostly asking because some of them are new behaviours I haven't seen before (though that may be because I simply wasn't paying close attention), which makes me wonder if she's sick or hurt. I've got a tendency to be a bit paranoid, so I thought I'd see if these were normal bunny behaviours before I panic.

The first thing she's doing that I wonder about is laying down. Not unusual in itself, but when she lies down and I look straight at her, her eyes look narrowed. Is she simply lazing about, or is there cause for concern there?

The second thing she's doing is one of the biggest concerns. She's using her hind leg to scratch behind her ears, and then she's licking and biting her hind legs. She's also licking and possibly biting her front legs, and I caught her rubbing her back on the ground a few minutes ago. This makes me think that something is making her itchy, but I don't know what that could be. She's an indoor rabbit, so I don't think it's fleas (though it could be). I read that rabbits scratch behind their ears and then lick their back paws, so I was wondering if that's simply all she's doing, or if I need to be concerned.

I know that 'binkying' is something bunnies do, but do they do it in small bursts? Whenever she's 'binkied' before, it was a pretty lengthy occurance, but today she's stopping every few seconds to do something else (like bite at things or scratch herself).

I'm just worried about her, and it's too late to get her to a vet today. Are any of these behaviours abnormal?

 

[Azerane]

The lying down just sounds like a relaxed bunny to me. Rabbits are crepuscular, meaning that they're most active at down and dusk, so much of the day they do simply spend time lounging around. If it looks like she's trying to press her belly to the floor, or shifting repeatedly like she can't get comfortable, that can be a sign of gastro intestinal stasis, but your bunny just sounds relaxed

Scratching behind the ears and then licking/nibbling the foot is pretty common behaviour, however if you're seeing it a lot, it may be a sign of something else like ear mites, or possibly fleas. The other option is that she may be allergic to something, maybe the particular type of hay, or a product you use to clean her cage area.

As for binkies, some rabbits binky a lot all at once, and others do have crazy short bursts of it. If she's stopping frequently from whatever she's doing to scratch at herself, it's likely you have some sort of underlying issue. I wouldn't worry too much about the vet being closed for the day, neither ear mites, fleas or an irritation are going to be particularly harmful overnight, just an annoyance. I would just keep observing her behaviour so you've got plenty of info to tell the vet when you do get to see them

 

[PaGal]

I agree with Azerane.

If she is eating well and pooing like normal then more than likely she is just relaxing. Is she moving her nose a lot at these times when she is laying with her eyes half closed? When buns are sleeping they don't always close their eyes. Their noses are usually pretty still as well.

The scratching could be a problem but may not be. My hubby swore when we first got Thumper that he must have fleas because he spent so much time grooming. And yes, he would suddenly stop in the middle of running around or jump up suddenly from laying down to scratch an ear or groom another part of himself. I have never seen any of my three rub their back on a floor or anything else for that matter but it could just be your buns personality. Keep an eye on her and check her over closely. If you see any fleas (they're not usually that hard to spot) any black or red specks in her fur or on her skin, any red areas on her skin, dry and flaky skin or dandruff then your bun has a problem.

As far as the binkying goes, it could be that when you first brought her home she had a lot more energy to burn off if she had been in a cage a lot before you got her. The girls used to do a lot more of it when I first brought them home. They had been kept in a very small cage with no time out. Plus they also spend more time tearing and digging their cardboard boxes, chewing cardboard and trying to destroy my carpet.

 

[bellaterra214]

Your bunny is fine. All of these are normal things bunnies do.

First concern: Rabbits are prey animals, so when they sleep they can sleep with their eyes open. Like sleeping, without sleeping so they can be aware of their environment at all times. The first time I saw Sebastian do it, I swear I thought he was dead. If you are unsure, just watch their bellies and you can see her sides moving up and down which tells you she's breathing.

Second concern: She's just grooming herself. Since they can't reach the back of their head, they use their foot as a loofah. If you are concerned she might have fleas, I would get

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004QREPBS/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20


since you have a dwarf. Mine range from 2-5 lbs, so it is 1 drop each once a month. I would also make sure her ears are clean. Check to see if there are any red bumps or flaky patches of skin. If so, she might have ear mites.

Third concern: There's no set time limit on binkying. I have noticed that younger rabbits can binky forever, while after a spay/neuter or even the rabbit getting older, it short spurts of binkying. Lulu, unspayed 4 month, does laps around Bino (neutered, unknown) and literally use him as an obstacle course. I would be more worried if she wasn't binkying. Long or short, means your rabbits is happy!

Hope this helps.