Do Rabbits Have A Good Sense Of Touch?
Yes, a rabbit’s sense of touch is well developed and helps the rabbit be aware of and navigate its surroundings.
The rabbit’s hair follicles are so sensitive that, to the rabbit, touching her hair or fur is like touching her skin. Like most mammals, rabbits have nerves that sense touch, pressure, and temperature branching in and under the skin throughout their bodies, with some areas of their body containing more nerves and therefore being more sensitive!
To your bunny, touching her fur is like touching her skin!
Rabbit Sense of Touch is A Big Hairy Deal!
The first thing to understand about a rabbit’s sense of touch is that the primary organ of touch is the rabbit’s skin and the hair, fur, whiskers attached to the skin. In fact, rabbit skin is very thin and delicate. They grow a soft undercoat and stiff “guard hairs” which make up their thick fur coat.
Rabbit Sense of Touch Compared to Human
Like humans and most mammals, a rabbit’s skin is the largest sensory organ that interacts with its environment. That said, the basket nerves that surround each rabbit hair follicle, described in more depth below, are super sensitive. Touching a rabbit’s hair, even very softly, is like touching their skin.
Human skin is also sensitive, but not as sensitive as the rabbit’s skin. Note that the number of touch, pressure, and temperature nerve receptors in skin varies with where on the body the skin is located and the skin’s function.
This American Journal of Physiology article takes a deep dive into hair follicle nerve receptors and how they transmit messages to the brain. The following notes are from the deep dive article and highlight some of the most important building blocks to rabbits sense of touch:
Free Nerve Endings
Feelings such as touch, temperature, pressure and pain are sensed and felt by what is called “free nerve endings”. These branches of nerves endings are in and under the epidermis, or skin, throughout the body.
Basket Nerve Endings
These basket nerve endings are branches of nerves located at the hair follicle. A large number of these in rabbits is why touching the rabbit’s fur is just like touching the rabbit.
Encapsulated Nerve Endings
These nerves are under the dermis and in some organs. In short, they perceive touch and pressure.
Neuromuscular Bundles or Spindles
These nerves are found in muscles, tendons, and joints. These are kinesthetic receptors that communicate muscle tension to the brain and detect touch, temperature, humidity, and pressure.
Sneaking Up On Your Rabbit To Grab It
You are not likely to be able to sneak up on your rabbit, but if you are, then do not grab your rabbit from behind! If the rabbit is not aware of you being near, it will be very surprised when grabbed.
Touching your rabbit by suprise will result in a heart rate jump, adrenaline will flow, and defense behavior such as scratching or biting. Either way, you are creating a tremendous amount of stress for your rabbit if you sneak up and grab it. Instead, talk to your rabbit before walking up to them and touching them!
Do Rabbits Have Whiskers? What is the Purpose of Whiskers?
Yes, all rabbits naturally have whiskers. Whiskers are a unique and special kind of hair that are thicker and stiffer than normal fur. They grow out of a hair follicle, like any other hair or fur on the rabbit. A rabbit’s whiskers have basket nerves around their respective hair follicles. As described above, this means that the whiskers are very keen sensors, or extensions, of the basket nerve sensors.
More specifically, when the whisker touches something, that pressure is translated to the basket nerves and then further transmitted to the rabbit’s brain. In short, if the rabbit’s whisker is touched, it’s like touching the rabbit’s skin.
Rabbits have whiskers around their mouth, nose, and above their eyes, like long eyebrows. Cats and rodents have the same type of whisker arrangements! Rabbit whiskers are generally as wide as the rabbit is wide. This helps the rabbit sense its environment and determine spatial relationships near its head and body, particularly in small dark spaces like a rabbit hole or warren.
Additionally, whiskers help a rabbit navigate as it scurries at high speed, zigzagging through a dense thicket to escape from a predator. This is necessary because rabbits are far-sighted. Their vision for things close to them is grainy and especially poor at night. So, again whiskers help the rabbit be aware of and navigate it surroundings.
If whiskers are accidentally cut, then they will grow back. But we do not recommend cutting whiskers, because your rabbit is used to having them and using them. Whiskers should never be plucked out as that is painful to the rabbit and serves no purpose. As in a humans, the whisker will grow back, unless repeatedly plucked so that the hair follicle is seriously damaged.
Speaking of bunnies sense of touch, whiskers, and petting, this is a good place to offer a video that explains how to handle and pickup your rabbit!
Do Rabbits Like to be Touched and Groomed?
Yes, rabbits generally love to be touched, petted, and groomed. Rabbits are very social animals that generally love attention and affection and will give affection back to you
More specifically, face, ears, back and maybe chin seem to be places that they like to be gently petted. Less favorable areas seem to be feet, butt, and sometimes stomach area. Additionally, regular grooming can create a nice bond between you and your rabbit. Here is a popular video about how to groom your rabbit!
This post about rabbit sense of touch is part of our larger guide to the 5 senses that rabbits use:
Hearing, Smelling, Seeing, Feeling or Touch, and Taste.
Here is the link to What Senses Do Rabbits Use?
Please click and give it a read! It is full of great information, and I guarantee you will learn something valuable.
Final Thoughts
As we’ve discussed, the rabbit’s skin is its largest sensory organ that interacts with its environment. A large part of rabbits ability to sense touch are the hair follicles have basket nerve branches below the surface of their skin. These sensative nerve hotspots ‘feel’ and transmit messages to the brain.
Remember, a rabbit’s sense of touch is more senstive than a human’s sense of touch and whiskers are very important to the rabbit! They help the rabbit be aware of and understand its surroundings. Whiskers also help the rabbit navigate in tight spaces.
Finally, we highly recommend petting and grooming your rabbit. Just remember to always think soft and gentle when picking up, holding, and handling your rabbit.