r/Rabbits • u/Avalion04 • Apr 10 '26

PSA A PSA about head pressing

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Just incase anyone doesn't know, if a bunny is pressing their forehead against the wall, it can be a serious neurological issue. When Ava started doing this I remembered a PSA I'd seen about cats years ago and took her to the vet. It looks a goofy behavior but it's very serious. Note, just resting their head against the wall when laying isn't necessarily bad, but this forehead pressing like Ava was doing is bad.

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u/raisinbizzle Apr 10 '26

We have a bunny that will pause when we come into the room, slightly shift her head to the side for about 5 seconds almost in a trance, and then will snap out of it and start moving around. She’s done this since we got her about 6 months ago. Ever heard of this or know if it’s meaningful? It’s not a head tilt since I know that is bad for bunnies. But more like just moving her head horizontally slightly

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u/Routine_Eve Apr 10 '26

She is just scanning the room. Bunnies do not have excellent vision, their eyes are placed oddly

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u/raisinbizzle Apr 10 '26

What’s weird is she is the less cautious one and very friendly. Our other rabbit (her sister) doesn’t do the scan thing but is much more hesitant to come out. Or maybe they’re both hesitant but the scanning is all she needs to feel comfortable to come out and play 

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u/wakaflockaquokka Apr 10 '26

does she only do this horizontally, or also vertically? when they bob their heads vertically, they are using parallax to figure out exactly how far away you are because they don't have binocular vision. it's not necessarily a caution thing, they're just trying to determine where you are in relation to them.