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Why Do Rabbits Wiggle Their Noses? 6 Great Reasons!

Have you ever wondered why do rabbits wiggle their noses? The twitching of the rabbit’s nose is a way for a bunny to breathe easily, smell better, and can help them regulate their body temperature.

There are many kinds of animals capable of twitching noses, but rabbits most certainly do it frequently.

If you are very keen on your pet, you should know better by now.

Why Do Rabbits Wiggle Their Noses

why do rabbits wiggle their noses

This article will be your medium to know more about rabbits and why they have this kind of behavior.

If you want to know more, keep on scrolling!

 

Why Is A Rabbit’s Nose Twitching?

There can be many reasons why do rabbits wiggle their noses.

I can indicate that a bunny is calm or will manifest that the rabbit’s mood changes depending on the speed.

Since they use their nose to be aware of the environment, you could see your pet focused on you.

Why Is A Rabbit's Nose Twitching

You have to understand that the faster the wiggling, the more attentive a bunny can become.

So, let me tell you a story about my furry friend.

I have a pygmy rabbit, his name is Thumper, and he is very adorable.

So that I won’t miss out on anything while I am cooking in the kitchen, I placed Thumper near me to have a better view of him.

Of course, I moved a lot, chop here and there, wash the dishes, and cooked food.

I noticed that he was continually twitching and wiggling its nose (maybe because he thought my movements were odd to him).

I then noticed that he was more focused on me and his ears were in my direction.

Well, that wouldn’t be any surprise since rabbits need to be aware of what is around it, right?

That action is their instinct since being out in the wild, they must protect themselves to live.

Especially if the rabbit is a female, and she needs to be aware and secure her babies no matter what happens.

 

Why Do Rabbits Have A Good Sense Of Smell?

The sense of smell of rabbits is very crucial since it has many meanings and purposes.

So if we talk about wild rabbits, then you should have a good understanding that it is where they depend on living.

Why Do Rabbits Have A Good Sense Of Smell

Rabbits are prey which means more giant animals always hunt and eat them. They should protect themselves, and for them to do that, they sniff their enemies to find a way opposite to them.

As a baby rabbit is born, it is deaf and blind, but their sense of smell is already maximum.

Because their eyes are closed, they use their nose to smell and find their mother’s location.

It is significant that even though they miss some senses as they are still new-born, their noses are very much useful for them in every way.

The smelling and nose twitching allows a bunny to:

 

#1. Sense predator

Smell the scent of the predator, which is trying to hunt them. With their ability, rabbits can tell what kind of animal is endangering their life.

 

#2. Search for food

Bunnies are also able to find sources of food, and due to their excellent sense of smell, they can tell if the plant is toxic or not.

 

#3. Determine if the female is fertile

In mating, the smelling ability can tell if a female is fertile.

 

#4. Track home’s location

Since a rabbit is familiar with the smell of its home, it can track down the location and can go home safely.

 

#5. Know where their babies are

The scent of their babies is recognized to find the exact location in case of danger.

 

#6. Identify if they enter another rabbit’s territory

If they enter another rabbit’s territory, they will immediately notice it by their sense of smell.

They will most certainly avoid the area so that a bun won’t fight with the territory owner.

 

Do Rabbits Wiggle Their Noses When Sleeping?

If you have had a pet owner for a long time, you should identify each characteristic of your pet.

In that measure, you can tell immediately if their noses twitch when they sleep.

Do Rabbits Wiggle Their Noses When Sleeping

So to answer the question, no, rabbits do not wiggle their nose while sleeping. Though there can be times where it is half asleep or napping, they twitch it.

More so, the more they wiggle their nose (or faster), they tend to be very aware and attentive in those times.

Rabbits are surely amazing and as a pet owner myself, I find them very adorable and a great cuddle buddy!

More so, for a quick fact, rabbits stop the twitch if they are on alarm or at rest.

 

What does a rapid nose wiggling mean?

You are sure to have an idea about this but I think we have to further elaborate on this topic.

The fast wiggling does notably indicate one thing, and you must learn about it.

And why is that so?

It is not always due to anxiousness that your bun is rapidly wiggling its nose.

The twitching may also mean that your furry friend is stressed!

The prolonged effect of this may cause your bun to have health issues in the future (and that is something you should avoid!)

Signs that your bun is stressed:

  • Your bun may be freezing
  • It is being jumpy and hops around a lot
  • Does not want to eat food or engage in activities that you prepare for it
  • It is not grooming itself, or it is overgroomed
  • It starts to litter outside of the litter box even if you already taught it how to use the box
  • The bunny is always hiding and may seem weak
  • It tends to chew and scratch a lot (which is not normal behavior)

As you can see, there are significant reasons for rabbits to feel uneasy.

Bunnies are not fond of very loud noises and other home pets like cats and dogs.

If they encounter one of these, they might become stressed!

 

Conclusion

Therefore, there are tons of reasons why do rabbits wiggle their noses. Depending on the twitching speed, you can read the kind of mood your beloved pet is in.

Furthermore, rabbits are very attentive to every action that is happening around them. The faster that they twitch their nose, the more aware they are of the environment.

That is why you need to be familiarized with their behavior so that you won’t be confused when they do it.

So if you tend to move around always, expect that your bun will focus on you often.

More so, I am glad that you have reached the end part of his blog post, and may you have lots of information about rabbits.

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