Do Rabbits Like Music? Here is What the Science Says

When my pet rabbit unexpectedly started binkying one afternoon, I wondered what made my rabbit happy all of a sudden.

But then my bunny binkied again the next day, and I realized it was the song that was playing on the radio. It is one of my favorites, and a song I play on repeat quite regularly.

When I shared this with my sister, we both wanted to know if rabbits enjoy music, or was my bunny just special.

Do Rabbits Like Music?

Rabbits do like music, but it depends on the rabbit’s personality, whether they’ve been exposed to music from a young age, and what kind of music you are playing.

There are rabbits that love soothing or classical music, and then other rabbits are happy to listen to what their owners like.

Are There Any Benefits to Playing Music to Your Rabbit?

When I listen to music, it improves my mood and reduces stress.

There are other benefits of listening to music that humans can reap, but that’s a bit outside the scope. My point here is that your rabbit can also benefit from listening to music.

There are a few benefits if you want to play music to your rabbit:

Soothes Anxiety (Proven through Scientific Studies)

Just like for us humans, music has the power to soothe and calm an anxious rabbit. A study conducted in 2013 found that music does indeed improve an animal’s well-being and relieve stress.

There was also another study that looked at the effects of music on New Zealand bucks over a 6-month period.

The researchers found that the rabbit’s fecal matter contained significantly less cortisol after they were constantly exposed to music. This proved that the rabbits weren’t stressed while listening to music.

Music that has gentle sounds and a smooth repetitive beat can help calm your rabbit’s nervous system. 

Music therapy for your pet rabbit can also help your bunny if they suffer from chronic pain because of arthritis or an injury, or when they recover from surgery.

Provide Company

If your bun is struggling with separation anxiety, you can play music so your rabbit will feel less alone.

But for this to be effective, your rabbit needs to associate you with the music that’s playing.

So while you spend time with your bunny during your bonding sessions or when you groom your bun, play the soundtrack on repeat.

And then when you are out for a few hours at work or running errands, you can play the same soundtrack and your rabbit won’t feel so lonely.

Solve Behavioral Issues in Rabbits

A rabbit that’s bored (because they aren’t mentally and physically stimulated) may also feel anxious.

Boredom also results in unwanted behaviors, like a rabbit digging holes or chewing through your carpet.

So when you play soothing music, your rabbit will feel calm and the boredom and associated undesired behaviors will subside.

How to Introduce Music to Your Rabbit

While most anecdotal evidence illustrates that rabbits love music, you may have a bun that doesn’t like music.

It seems that rabbits from pet stores take to listening to music much more easily than other rabbits.

The reason is that pet store bunnies are constantly exposed to music and noise, even from a young age.

You can teach your pet bunny to love music as much as you do, but this all depends on how you introduce music.

You need to take note of:

  • The loudness of the music
  • The type of music

I’ll share more details on these two aspects soon, but first, the steps you need to take to introduce music to your bun and get them to love music as much as you do.

Steps to Introduce Music to Your Rabbit

When introducing music to your rabbit, follow these steps:

Step 1: Start Slow and Give Treats

The process of getting your bunny to love music (if they don’t already) can’t and shouldn’t be rushed.

Think back to when you bonded with your rabbit – it was the journey that counted most and all the time you got to spend with your bunny friend rather than rushing toward the end goal.

The first time you play music, choose soothing or classical tunes and play these at a low volume. You can also consider acoustic songs or guitar or piano music.

Ensure the soundtracks don’t jump from soothing to jarring music from one track to the next as this can be very unsettling for your rabbit.

Stick with a genre so your rabbit knows what to expect.

You can also give your rabbit a treat when the music starts playing so your bunny can associate the music with something positive, like getting treats, praise, or attention.

Step 2: See How Your Rabbit Responds

When you start playing the music, see how your rabbit responds. If they look fine and are not bothered by the music, you can try and turn up the volume a little.

Again, note how your rabbit is responding. If they seem stressed and their body is all tensed up, then turn the volume down again.

But if your bunny starts binkying along with the beat or is relaxed, then you can turn up the volume more.

Step 3: Repetition

Repetition is key to getting your rabbit used to music and possibly even loving it. Rabbits have strong associative memories and rabbits are intelligent.

So, play the same type of music over and over again so your bun will recognize the beats every time there’s music.

How Loud Should Music Be?

A rabbit’s ears are much more sensitive than those of a human.

This makes perfect sense since these small mammals are prey animals, and to increase their chances of survival in the wild, their ears need to pick up faint sound frequencies.

human’s ear can pick up sounds between 20 and 20,000 hertz, while the ears of a rabbit can pick up sounds between 49 and 49,000 hertz and from a distance of 1.8 miles.

As such, it is best not to play loud music because rabbit ears are highly sensitive to sound.

When you play music to your bun, lower the treble and intensify the bass in the equalizer settings.

These changes will create a stronger beating sound, which your rabbit can identify more easily.

Does Your Rabbit Like the Same Music You Do?

There are stories that rabbits like the same type of music their fur-parents like, but this isn’t something you can bargain on.

It seems that the type of music a bunny prefers depends on repetitively playing songs in the same genre.

The first time you play music, choose something mellow like jazz, blues, or classical music.

These types of tunes don’t have jarring sounds that can scare a rabbit, and many rabbit owners say their buns love soothing sounds.

Once your rabbit is acclimated to listening to music, you can play different music in alternating kinds of music genres – at a low volume, repetitively, and with treats – and see how your bun reacts.

Identifying Whether Your Rabbit Likes Music

It probably sounds very wrong, but the best way to know if your rabbit likes the music or is fine with music playing in your house is if there’s no reaction.

A nonchalant rabbit is a bunny that doesn’t feel threatened or scared of the music sounds; they are comfortable with the music they are hearing.

There are a few other signs you may notice that will tell you your bun is enjoying the music:

  • Whisker twitches
  • Ears straining forward (like your bun wants to hear more or listen better)
  • Twitching ears
  • Eyes closing
  • Binkying

The Dangers of Music and Rabbits

There are some dangers to playing music to your bunny you should be aware of.

Firstly, rabbits get a fright very easily, and as a result, your bun could suffer from a heart attack if there are sudden and loud noises.

The heart attack will be fatal so when you play music, take your rabbit’s needs into consideration.

Secondly, loud music can cause your rabbit to feel stressed, and thirdly, it can be too loud for them, causing pain.

Additionally, there can be damage to your bun’s hearing if they are forced to listen to loud sounds.

Final Thoughts on Music and Rabbits

I love listening to music as I do chores around the house and sometimes even when I’m feeling blue. It’s great to know that my bun loves listening to music too.

These days, while I groom my rabbit or spend time with her, I play music in the background because repetition is key.

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