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Our family has kept pet rabbits for years and we’re also big lovers of music. There is almost always music playing in some room of our house, so our bunnies have been exposed to every kind of music. In this article, I’m going to going to talk about if rabbits like music and what kind of music rabbits like most.
Rabbits like to listen to music and scientific studies have shown that music reduces the stress levels in rabbits. Rabbits prefer softer and smoother music without the jolting sounds which can easily startle a pet rabbit. Some rabbits love music so much that they binky when their favorite songs come on.
Bunnies seem to prefer some types of music over others. Generally, rabbits have a more elevated taste in music. They tend to like smooth classical, jazz, blues, and some country music more than music that has loud and jolting sounds such as rock and metal music.
And this isn’t just from my own anecdotal experiences. Music is scientifically proven to have advantageous effects on animals. In fact, studies have shown that music has the same effect on animals as it does on humans. Music can reduce stress and anxiety in animals and can be used to enrich their health.
There has even been a study to evaluate the effect of music on male New Zealand Rabbits. The scientific study ran for 6 months during which the colony of male rabbits was constantly exposed to music. After 6 months it was shown that the cortisol in the rabbit feces was significantly reduced. Cortisol is associated with stress and because it was greatly reduced in the rabbit’s fecal matter it indicated that the rabbit’s stress levels had decreased while listening to music.
It is important to note as well that the CDs that were used during these studies were commercially available tapes with sounds that were specially curated to cater specifically to rabbits. Science has already found out that musical patterns that closely match a rabbit’s internal patterns such as their breathing or heartbeats greatly reduce an animal’s stress levels.
Sadly, the original music used in this study is no longer available, but you can see what it looked like here on Amazon.
However, there are lots of free YouTube videos based on the same principles that you can find here.
Kinds Of Music That Rabbits Like
Rabbits tend to like calm and soothing music, including Jazz, Blues, and Classical Music. However, some rabbits also like other types of music because they associate the sound of that music with quality time with their owners.
This is primarily because rabbits have more sensitive ears than humans and therefore can easily be startled with music that is too loud. However, no hard rule has ever been recorded that says that all bunnies hate loud music. Your bunny might be an exception to this rule.
The way a rabbit receives and perceives something is generally due to the environment that they grow up in and their personalities.
If your bunny lives in a household that is home to more than just a single person then the rabbit might be more prepossessed to enjoy or tolerate loud noises. However, a rabbit that is more used to a quiet environment would then be more interested in calming music rather than say a Queen Song.
Some rabbits are also more curious and more active than others. If your rabbit is more of the type that likes to enjoy sitting by themselves and just chilling then you should expect that they will enjoy soothing songs more than any other music.
It should also be noted here that rabbits are creatures of habit and have a very strong associative memory. If you play a certain song whenever you spend time with your rabbits then that rabbit will learn to remember the beat of that song and associate it with a pleasurable experience.
You can condition your bunny to love certain types of music or even certain songs by giving them bunny treats while a certain song is playing. Once the rabbit gets to learn that the song is usually partnered with something of high value then they will grow to like that song. You might even get to see a bunny binky whenever certain music is played!
Benifits Of Music To Rabbits
Music is beneficial to both humans and animals. Music is said to even transcend boundaries…though I’m not sure what that means, though I suspect that it alludes to how we can appreciate great beats even if the song has lyrics from another language.
Music is even used in therapy to help trigger memories. Heck, we can just hear a song and associate it with a sad time or one of the best times of our lives. For animals, we might never know what exactly is going through their minds when they hear a specific song but one thing has remained certain and that is music makes for a good tool to enrich our pets’ lives
Music Can Calm Or Soothe Anxiety In Rabbits
Music tends to calm or soothe an animal’s anxieties because some patterns or frequencies are used in music that match the animal’s internal patterns. This then helps the animal calm down and relieves the stress and anxiety that they are experiencing. Music Therapy for animals is a real method that is used to solve behavioral problems that might arise because of separation anxiety.
Joshua Leeds has studied the effect of music in human and animal brains for 17 years. He is also convinced that music is a valuable tool to increase an animal’s well-being. According to him
“We all hear a certain range of frequencies,” he said. “Whales and dolphins hear a different level of frequencies. Cats and dogs hear different levels of frequencies. Frequency is the measurement of vibration. Everything that moves periodically has a vibration. Some we can hear, some we can’t. But we are perceiving vibrations on a cellular level. We and just about everything on this planet, except rocks, are made up of molecules and there is movement in the molecules, and the net effect of that is everything is putting off a vibration.”
This means that the vibrations in music can help change the vibration rates of an animal when stressed. It is also because of this vibration rate and frequencies that animals can distinguish between classical music, rap music, reggae music, and rock music.
Music Can Provide Company To Rabbits
Rabbits are social beings so they tend to get bored if they are not mentally and physically stimulated. Boredom can lead to anxiety which in turn could lead to unwanted behaviors such as chewing. You wouldn’t want your wires or your favorite sofa chewed once you get home right?
This is where music can be helpful. You don’t need to cage your rabbit for fear that they will end up chewing through your duvet. You can put on their favorite calming sounds and this will be able to provide companionship to your pet while you are away.
Besides, if you play the same type of music for your rabbit whenever you play or spend time with them then they will associate the sound with your presence and they won’t feel as lonely. Also make sure to leave them with water, enough hay, and toys to make sure that they keep busy while you are out of the house.
How can I make my rabbit love music?
If you’re a music lover and would like to share your love of music with your pets then you can follow the advice that I listed below:
Take things slow
Sure, it’s cute that your bunnies share the same taste in music as you do, but you can’t rush the process. Remember, Patience is a virtue. You would need to take baby steps when you’re introducing your bunny to new things. Think of it as a bonding activity and not an end goal in itself, it’s always a great feeling to have someone to share our hobbies with anyway.
Pick some soft music first and try playing it at a soft volume. Calm and classical music is generally accepted to be better for animals than other loud music. Try some piano music or acoustic guitar music to start. As your rabbit gets used to it then you can try turning the volume a notch higher and then once again observe if your rabbit responds well.
You would not want to have the volume at its maximum because bunny ears are more sensitive than human ears and you might harm them in the long run
See what your bunny likes
Observe the body language of your rabbit, you will be able to know if they like the music that you are playing. You should look out for signs such as the following:
- Binkying
- Closing their eyes
- Remaining Active
- Ear Twitches
- Ears leaning forward
- Whisker Twitches
The most obvious sign that your rabbits are comfortable and are not startled by the music is their seeming nonchalance when the music is played. When they just continue doing whatever activity they are engaged in when music is played then this is a good sign that your rabbit is comfortable with the sound and does not feel threatened.
Provide Treat and Repetition
Rabbit treats are truly magical things. It will also go a long way to help your rabbits be acclimated to music. If you give them treats once the music starts playing they will come to associate that music means getting treats. You might even get an excited binky once the music starts playing.
Make the most of your rabbit’s intelligence and strong associative memory. If you repeat the same type of music while you are playing or spending time with each other your rabbit will be able to learn and recognize its beats.
This is one of the reasons why some anecdotes of pet owners claim that their rabbits like the same music as they do. They probably play the same songs over and over when they spend time with their bunnies.
Music is truly special, it helps us form a bond with our friends and our pets. Do you have any musical pets? Do you own a reggae-loving rabbit? How about a pop-loving bunny? Tell us your interesting stories in the comments below.
~Stacey