Rabbits are loved due to their cuddly and lovable, and playful nature. They are highly social and love to form a close bond with their owners. Besides that, they are also intelligent beings and can show multiple emotions in different situations.
Are rabbits jealous? Rabbits can become jealous. They are generally very demanding and seek your attention a lot. If they feel that their owners are not giving them enough attention, they can get jealous. They may start to become more recluse and may not even respond to your calls and gestures.
Possible causes of jealousy in rabbits
They usually become jealous if you do not give attention to them. Being intelligent animals with strong personalities, rabbits can become jealous for multiple reasons. These are-
- You have multiple rabbits and give more time to a particular one. Then the other rabbit may get jealous. A bunny can also get jealous if it feels that you feed other rabbits more and different foods.
- Rabbits can also get jealous of humans. A pet bunny will get jealous of any human if you spend more time with them. That means rabbits can get jealous of your partner, your children, or even any friend.
How to check if a rabbit is jealous?
Rabbits usually show different signs if they are jealous. At first, their signs and expressions may seem amusing and entertaining, but try to observe. A rabbit will usually show the following expressions-
- If you give more attention to another pet, the rabbit may get jealous and annoyed. In such cases, the jealous bunny will nudge you with its nose and shuffle over repeatedly. Some rabbits may also make grunting sounds.
- If you are enjoying company with other humans and the rabbit feels that you are not giving them enough attention, it will get jealous. The rabbit will directly butt into the scene and sit on your lap or right beside you to get attention.
- Rabbits may start becoming aggressive and destructive if they are jealous. They might end up destroying your home if they feel they don’t get enough attention.
- If your rabbit makes eye contact with you for once and looks away, they are jealous. They are trying to make you realize that they also need your attention.
- If your pet rabbit approaches you and turns away just after a few seconds with a side-eye, lookout. It can be a sign of jealousy.
- Rabbits also give their own silent treatment to express their jealousy. They will come towards you but will ignore you entirely during their path.
- A rabbit may cover their eyes with its ears. It is a gesture to express that your rabbit does not hear or see you, and you need to approach them with love to make them happy.
Final Words
Rabbits are individual string animals displaying multiple emotions. They can become jealous if they do not feel wanted or neglected. Rabbits also display different emotions, and owners should take a cue from these signs. Pet owners should take care of their rabbits and ensure they do not feel neglected.