Clicking teeth..

Has anybody heard their buns do this? I never heard it until I got Xena..and it worried me. She clicks her front teeth, quite frequently too! It seems to be some kind of communication but I don't know what she is trying to say. :roll: She seems to do it when she hops off and flicks her feet, when she's asking for a nose rub, when she is about to lay down, after she has groomed herself.. basically just randomly! :lol:

The weird thing is...Fiver has started doing it! He has never ever done this before but for the passed few days he's been doing it. Last night he was getting cuddles and nose rubs, and whenever I finished he clicked his teeth. This is not teeth grinding or purring, it's a definite "click" with his front teeth.

Does anybody know what it means? Or has anybody else heard it?

Yes! It is supposed to be the equivalent of purring unless it is done really vigorously and then it's a sign of pain.

SJH said:

Yes! It is supposed to be the equivalent of purring unless it is done really vigorously and then it's a sign of pain.

Click to expand...

Xena seems to do it when she is annoyed too, though. I have never had a bun do it before lol. At first I thought her teeth were hurting her...but she has never been a dental bun.

Does this mean Fiver has picked up on this behaviour and started copying? He never does it whilst having a nose rub, only afterwards. :/

Yes! Humphrey does it a lot too.. But it seems to be when he's happy he does it!

Azucena said:

Yes! Humphrey does it a lot too.. But it seems to be when he's happy he does it!

Click to expand...

I will have to pay more attention as to when she does it. I have heard her do it whilst flicking her feet at Fiver/me when she was annoyed at something! Perhaps it can mean different things, depending on a behaviour that goes with it.

Bunnies fascinate me. I think it's brilliant that you can tell what they are thinking and feeling because they tell you! :lol: It's just all about understanding their language.

Vegan_Bunny said:

I will have to pay more attention as to when she does it. I have heard her do it whilst flicking her feet at Fiver/me when she was annoyed at something! Perhaps it can mean different things, depending on a behaviour that goes with it.

Bunnies fascinate me. I think it's brilliant that you can tell what they are thinking and feeling because they tell you! :lol: It's just all about understanding their language.

Click to expand...

I think that you're spot on with both Vegan bunny.
Although Thumper & now Benjie have only done it during nose rubs as an alternative to a purr, the context is the key. Sometimes they'll do the same thing in different contexts.
A sound which appears to be random can even mean "look at me I'm trying to tell you something" or "Take note".
I think that buns are perfectly bright enough to realise that we humans go round with out "heads in the clouds", & need our attentopn brought down to bunny level from time to time.

thumps_ said:

[/B]

I think that you're spot on with both Vegan bunny.
Although Thumper & now Benjie have only done it during nose rubs as an alternative to a purr, the context is the key. Sometimes they'll do the same thing in different contexts.
A sound which appears to be random can even mean "look at me I'm trying to tell you something" or "Take note".
I think that buns are perfectly bright enough to realise that we humans go round with out "heads in the clouds", & need our attentopn brought down to bunny level from time to time.

Click to expand...

Haha yes. I think Xena uses it to catch my attention. Last night I was laid in bed reading and she jumped up onto the pillow next me, all the time going "click click click" with her front teeth. She sniffed my ear and prodded me (usually meaning she wants attention) but then hopped off to the bottom of the bed before I could give her a nose rub. I think she was just checking I was there and making sure I knew she was there too! :lol:

Bouncer does this when we are talking to him and does appear to be a sign of communication. Other times are usually when he settles down to sleep in the hooman presence and after some serious nose rubs