The Language of Lagomorphs

Your Guide to Rabbit Communication

Further Reading

Here are more places to read about rabbit behavior, training, and other behavioral issues, including other people’s conclusions about what various signals mean. Since I first started this guide in 1999, I’ve been happy to see so many other terrific online resources appearing that include information about rabbit communication. This is great! It’s been amazing to see how many people, even those who live with rabbits, are outright shocked at just how communicative they really are once you learn to notice. The contrast between this reality and the popular misconception that rabbits “just sit there” could not be greater.

House Rabbit Society

Other Rabbit Communication Web Sites

Note: I will ONLY add links here to educational articles and sites that specifically address topics in rabbit behavior and training. For general information and other rabbit sites you can look here, here, here or many other places. If you have questions, please try one of the online forums like Rabbits Online, or BunSpace.

Also, I’ve provided a page with my notes on behaviors that I believe might be signals but which I’m not quite sure about.

Printed Books

These books are particularly good for insights into rabbit behavior and understanding some specific signals used for communication. Some I haven’t read yet and am relaying the opinions of other folks.

  • House Rabbit Handbook, by Marinell Harriman (Drollery Press, 1995). This book is required reading for all rabbit companions. It has critical information about rabbit care that you may not easily find anywhere else. Highly recommended.
  • Hop to It: A Guide to Training Your Pet Rabbit, by Samantha Hunter & Samantha Fraser (Barrons Educational Series, 1991). This is an excellent resource packed with great insights and useful training tips. Highly recommended.
  • Why Does My Rabbit…? , by Anne McBride (Souvenir Press, 1999). This book is particularly good at explaining how the behavior of domestic rabbits derives from the normal behavior of wild ones. It doesn’t duplicate the Language of Lagomorphs guide, though they overlap a bit.
  • Rabbits For Dummies, by Connie Isbell and  Audrey Pavia (For Dummies, 2009). A good general book introducing you to pet rabbits, from the familiar series. Includes much more and useful behavior information compared to other introductory rabbit books.
  • The Bunny Lover’s Complete Guide, by The Bunny Guy (Director Properties 2012). Lots of good stuff in this general rabbit book, but be cautious about using it as a sole source of advice regarding diet.
  • Understanding Your Rabbit’s Habits, by Tamsin Stone (T-Squared, 2011). I haven’t read this one, but it looks interesting. A bit pricey for its length.
  • 10 Rabbit Behaviour Problems Solved, by Tamsin Stone (Amazon Digital, 2012). KINDLE ONLY. I haven’t read this one, by the same author as the previous title, but it looks interesting.
  • Creating a Peaceable Kingdom: How to Live With More Than One Pet, by Cynthia D. Miller & Susan Gross (Animalia Publishing, 1997). Especially for a house with different kinds of pets, I haven’t read it but the reviews are very good. May be out of print.
  • The Private Life of the Rabbit: An Account of the History and Social Behaviour of the Wild Rabbit, by Robert Mathias Lockley (Readers Union, 1976). This is a scientific monograph about wild rabbit behavior, but is very readable for the layperson. It’s out of print, but you might be able to find it used.

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