What Can My Rabbit’s Ears Tell Me About Him?

Do you have a lop-eared rabbit?

Does your rabbit has relaxed ears (ears will rest gently on their sides)?

Do the ears swing forward?

Do the ears swing backward?

Does your rabbit has rotated ears?

Does your rabbit has upright and relaxed ears?

Does your rabbit has upright and rigid ears?

Are the ears slanted forward?

Are the ears slanted backward?

Are the ears together along your rabbit’s back?

Are the ears apart along your rabbit’s back?

Does your rabbit keeps one ear up?

Does your rabbit has swiveling ears?

Relaxed ears imply that the rabbit is generally happy and comfortable. They don’t feel like there is an imminent threat that they need to be aware of, so they just let their ears hang in a natural position.

A lop rabbit swinging their ears forward implies that the rabbit is curious or cautious about an object or sound nearby.

When a lop-eared rabbit rigidly swings their ears up and back a bit they are either afraid and telling you to back off, or they are defensive and protecting their territory. Growling, a raised tail, and a jutting chin are other signs of aggression.

A lop-eared rabbit rotate his ear or ears a little in the direction of nearby sounds when they are curious or trying to pay attention.

Another common position you will see in lop-eared rabbits who have greater mobility is known as airplane ears. Most commonly, you will see this behavior when your rabbit is very excited about something. However, you may also see it when your rabbit is on the alert.

Upright and relaxed is the default rabbit ear position. The ears won’t look rigid or be pointed in any specific direction. The ears will usually be wide apart and this time, and not touching or close together, but that can depend on the breed of rabbit.

When rabbits get scared, they will stick their ears straight up and hold them in that position. This is when the rabbit goes on the alert. They may have heard a threatening sound, and they’re trying to listen closely to figure out what the danger is and where it’s coming from.

When a rabbit slants their ears forward over its head, this indicates curiosity and caution. The ear’s opening will also face ahead, pointing over your rabbit’s head.

When rabbits move their ears to a back at a rigid 45º angle, this is a sign of anger or aggression. The inside of the ear will also be turned back and down, and you may hear your rabbit growl.

When rabbits lay their ears down along their back, they are relaxing. Typically, you’ll notice this when the rabbit is loafing around or sprawled out to relax. The rabbit will put their ears against their back to indicate that they are very relaxed and don’t see any need to pay attention to their surroundings.

When a rabbit lays flat on the ground with its ears spread wide on its back, the rabbit is taking a submissive position. The rabbit will do this to submit to the more dominant rabbit in the pair to make sure they aren’t threatening the leader.

If the rabbit is relaxed on the ground or in a loaf position, they might put one ear up to let you know they are aware and paying attention.

Rabbits will swivel their ears in any direction to listen to sounds around them. In some cases, they’ll only rotate one ear to catch a sound coming from one direction.

Sometimes rabbits will move their whole head to flop their ears around from side to side. This is a behavior that has a few different meanings depending on the context. If a rabbit shakes their ears a few times in a row, rather than just once, this typically means they have an itch in their ears. Sometimes the rabbit might shake their ears at you to tell you to go away. The other time a rabbit will shake their ears when they are performing a twisting jump that rabbits do when they are happy.