Honking vs. Grunting??

[gelliebean]

In the last couple of weeks, my bunny began to honk a bit, or so I thought. She began honking whenever I would pick her up or accidentally touch her bum (if I touched her bum she would also spin in a circle like a ballerina). I've never owned a rabbit, and googling the noise it sounds exactly like happy rabbit honks. She also honked while being pet by my mom for the first time after being picked up by the sitter.

I realized, big mistake! She must be grunting, a new term I also learned about doing further research. My main question is, what is the physical difference between a grunt and a honk? I can kind of understand the difference when she grunts while I'm trying to pick her up to weigh her or I touched her bum. But she was making the same/similar noise when my mom was petting her, which she was sitting peacefully for.

 

[AVIE]

She might stop after the spay, I've read it's hormonal

 

[gelliebean]

She might stop after the spay, I've read it's hormonal

She's been very grumpy and needy lately. She attacked my mom yesterday just for walking into the (her) room. She'll usually hop up and request head rubs but according to my mama she lunged at her and also hissed. Not to mention the fact that she hissed at me for the first time while I was trying to get her into the crate. Took me 10 minutes to lure her in with a banana. We're both hoping her aggressive mood swings end a bit after the spay as well.

 

[JBun]

Yes, she's grunting, at least for the bum touching part. Spinning around when you touch her bum, it's hormones and a reaction to the possibility of a male bun being back there. So spay should help settle it down.

Rabbit noises can be hard to tell apart. Usually you go by the body language that accompanies it to better interpret what is being communicated. If she is relaxed or excited about something when she's grunting/honking, then it's likely a happy sound. If she seems upset or aggressive, like spinning around on your hand when her bum is touched, or when she is getting picked up, then it's likely to be irritated grunting.

I don't know if these links cover your exact issue, but they are good for better understanding the body language of rabbits. Rabbits are complicated little creatures, and it can be a learning process to understand what it is they are trying to tell us.

https://language.rabbitspeak.com/#:~:text=You can consider Lop as,yet have very different meanings.

https://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Understanding_your_rabbit