Thumping is another one of those curious behaviors of rabbits. This is when a bunny swiftly thumps its back feet on the ground several times in a row. When a wild rabbit does this it is communicating a warning to other rabbits in its group. A thumping rabbit may have caught the scent of a predator nearby or spotted one near the group.
A pet bunny can thump as well. A pet bunny may be signaling stress or letting its owner know it’s feeling threatened. For instance, a pet bunny may thump if it is out of its cage and spots the family dog or cat nearby.
Chinning is another notable behavior of bunnies. A pet bunny may rub its chin on a box in its cage, on a toy or even on its owner’s arm. A wild bunny may go around chinning the ground near its burrow or a tree stump near an entrance to its warren. Chinning looks a lot like a bunny is simply using an object to scratch an itch on its chin. But there’s more to it than that.
A bunny has scent glands located beneath its chin. When it is chinning something it’s releasing a scent from those glands. It is marking its territory. Whether it’s a pet bunny or a wild one doing the chinning, this animal is letting other bunnies know that the territory is taken!
The scent released by bunnies can’t be detected by humans. So, it’s not going to leave behind a mess for an owner. Only other bunnies can pick up the scent left behind.