When my bunny runs around the house, I sometimes see her twitch her tail.
Is she trying to perhaps wag her tail like a dog, or does this happen for some other reason?
asked Aug 5, 2014 at 0:49
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I have noticed that sometimes, one of my friendliest rabbits doing what seems to be a fast quick tail wag when I touch her. It is like a side to side tail wag, maybe 10 or 20 times in a second or two, usually when she is happy or excited. It is not consistent. Can you expand your question to include more detail? Is what you are seeing the same as what I am seeing?– James JenkinsAug 5, 2014 at 10:21
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@JamesJenkins That seems to be what she is doing, but she doesn't seem to do it as much as yours. Like you also said, she only seems to do it when she is really happy. I was just wondering is she is trying to wag her tail.– IHeartBunniesAug 5, 2014 at 21:22
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I did some research (quick search, not exhaustive), there seem to be several rational offered from happy to defiant. There are a few videos online, and some that could fall into either end of the spectrum. I did not find any quality book references. I look forward to reading an answer to this.– James JenkinsAug 6, 2014 at 0:47
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@JamesJenkins Every time my rabbit does it, she jumps into the air, and then she moves her tail. I believe she is just really happy, but I will research it, and see what I come up with.– IHeartBunniesAug 6, 2014 at 0:52
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1 Answer
From RabbitResource:
Tail-wagging
Believe it or not, your rabbit can, and will wag his/her tail. Indicates defiance – “No, I don’t want to go to my cage!” -or- “You can’t make me!” -or- “You’re not the boss of me!” Watch closely and you’ll see that your rabbit will occasionally “back-talk” – they just think you won’t notice!
Although, from the examples I found, where owners describe what the rabbit was doing when the twitching happened, it seems rabbits also do it when they're excited. It might just be like when dogs wag their tails; "While some wags are indeed associated with happiness, others can mean fear, insecurity, a social challenge or even a warning that if you approach, you are apt to be bitten". (Phsycology Today)
