Rabbits are fantastic companions, but sometimes their guardians, especially those who are sharing their lives for the first time with one of these small mammals, have a hard time understanding the reason for some of their behaviors.
If you have or have had a rabbit at home, it is possible that you have ever seen it turn around on itself or, what is even more curious, run around you in circles or pass repeatedly between your legs tracing a specific route. These are common behaviors in rabbits and in this article on our site we explain the most frequent causes that explain why your rabbit is spinning and what you can do you if this happens. Keep reading!
Why is my rabbit circling me?
A curious behavior that anyone who lives with a rabbit may have easily observed is that in which the animal begins to spin in a circle or in an inverted figure eight around the guardian's legs, both towards both to the right and to the left, and for a longer or shorter time.
This behavior, which can occasionally be funny, is a concern for many guardians who do not understand why their furry performs this behavior so often or why their rabbit seems to be "obsessed" with giving laps. Although it is true that this behavior may have been conditioned and, therefore, respond to other purposes, the most frequent cause of your rabbit circling around your legs is that is experiencing a spike in its heat period and that's his way of expressing it.
Rabbits, both male and female, are in heat practically all year round, but they experience peaks of greater or lesser sexual activity. During these spikes, their behavior may change, becoming more aggressive and restless, mounting objects or marking them with urine. They may also begin to circle insistently around other rabbits or their human guardians from the time they reach sexual maturity, between four and six months of age. If you want to know more about oestrus in rabbits, we recommend you read this other article: "Oestrus in male and female rabbits".
Why is my rabbit spinning around?
The fact that your rabbit begins to circle around itself can have several interpretations depending, mainly, on the context in which this behavior occurs, as well as its frequency, duration and intensity.
The two main causes are the following:
Gaming conduct
There will be times of the day when your rabbit is more active and wants to have fun and release energy, especially if it is a young animal. For this, it is important that you allow him to leave his cage on a daily basis to explore his environment and exercise. At these times, it is common for your rabbit to be playful and begin to fast and short turns on itself, interspersed with small runs and jumps. This is a normal and he althy behavior that responds to the simple desire of the rabbit to interact with you and have a good time, so there is nothing to worry about.
Stress Peak
On the other hand, if you notice that your rabbit starts doing monotonous looping loops, it does so very often (even several times a day) and in various contexts that have nothing to do with play (for example, inside his cage, when he is alone, in the presence of strange people or animals, when there is a lot of noise in the environment, etc.), you may be experiencing stress or anxiety. Rabbits are sensitive animals that easily become stressed if their needs are not properly met or if their environment does not provide them with enough well-being.
These are some causes why a rabbit may end up suffering from chronic stress that leads to the development of stereotypies (repetitive behaviors):
- Spending many hours a day indoors.
- Pain or illness.
- Getting together with other animals or people he is not used to.
- Being handled roughly.
- Not having enough places to hide or rest.
- Have a poor diet.
- Lack of socialization and/or environmental stimulation.
What to do if my rabbit won't stop circling?
In order to act correctly it is necessary to carefully analyze the reason why your rabbit is spinning, either on itself or around you. If you are not sure what is causing this behavior, we recommend that you visit your veterinarian to rule out any he alth problems and an ethologist who specializes in rabbit behavior to help you make a diagnosis and, if necessary, a behavioral intervention plan.
Castrate him
If the problem is that your rabbit insistently circles around you and also performs other behaviors such as mounting excessive or urine marking, the most likely cause is heat. In this case, the most definitive solution is Ovariohysterectomy in females and Orchiectomy in males, that is, Castration of both. If we live with several rabbits and we have both males and females, sterilization will be necessary to prevent them from starting to breed uncontrollably and also to prevent the stress that can cause them to go into heat. However, as with any other animal, castration has its advantages and disadvantages, so before making a decision, it is advisable to visit both the clinical veterinarian and the professional ethologist.
Offer stimulation
In case your rabbit flips around on himself when you are interacting in a context of play and explosion of energy, don't you need to worry or try to stop this behavior. If this behavior becomes too intense, the best thing you can do is get your rabbit's attention and offer him something to entertain himself, such as a interactive toy or something to chew on. You can also choose to play directly with him or start learning tricks and skills, as rabbits can easily learn many behaviors if they are trained through positive reinforcement.
Go to a professional
Finally, if you notice that your rabbit is spinning or performing any other behavior too often and always following the same pattern of movement, you notice that he is upset or restless, stop eating and grooming or is apathetic and even aggressive, you must take him to the vet immediately These symptoms may indicate that there is a disease in the animal or that the rabbit is stressed for some reason. Once any organic pathology has been ruled out, it is time to contact an ethologist specializing in rabbit behavior to assess the situation.
