Last Updated on March 3, 2023 by Marjon Ramos
Rabbits’ screaming while dying is likely due to the pain and fear. Rabbits that are suffering from painful diseases would always scream in agony while in the process of dying.
While rabbits would typically do everything in their power to hide any signs of pain or weakness because they’re prey animals, if the pain becomes too unbearable, rabbits would always scream, which is often called “the rabbit death scream.”
Now that I’ve given you the gist of the article, read on as I explain in more detail why rabbits scream while they die:
Table of Contents
Why do rabbits scream when they die?
Rabbits rarely make a sound because it’s one of their defense mechanisms as prey animals in the wild. Making a sound would only attract dangerous predators that would get them killed.
One rare exception to these rules is when a rabbit is in so much pain that it lets out a heartbreaking scream. A rabbit will only scream when they’re dying due to painful situations like being eaten by a predator or suffering from agonizing diseases.
Do rabbits always scream when they die?
As discussed earlier, rabbits will only scream if they are in extreme pain and fear. Being prey animals, making sounds would signal predators in the wild, so rabbits would do everything in their power to be silent as much as possible.
But, if the pain becomes too unbearable, a rabbit will usually scream if its windpipe is not damaged or obstructed. The only time a rabbit would not scream as they die is when a snake chokes their windpipe, making them unable to scream while they die.
Warning! Graphic video below!
This is an example of a rabbit that’s unable to scream while it dies. The snake targeted its neck, so the rabbit was not able to let out a scream.
While a normal rabbit that’s dying would usually let out a scream like this:
Do rabbits scream when attacked?
Rabbits would only scream if the attacker hurt them badly, like when being killed by a predator. Rabbits are great at hiding pain and will only show signs of weakness like screaming when what they’re experiencing is truly painful.
Rabbits could also scream due to the amount of fear they’re experiencing from the attacker. A rabbit that’s being chased by an attacker could make a screaming sound due to the amount of fear it’s currently feeling.
Examples of screaming rabbits while dying
Here’s an example of a rabbit screaming while being eaten by a snake:
As you can see, a “rabbit death scream” is quite heartbreaking. As rabbit owners, we rarely hear any sounds from our rabbits. Just imagining how painful it must be for a rabbit to show weakness by screaming is truly disturbing.
Conclusion
Rabbits would rarely make noise because, in the wild, making a sound could invite predators. So the only time a rabbit would make such a loud noise, like screaming, is when they’re experiencing agonizing pain or intense fear.
Rabbits would usually let out a loud scream before being killed by a predator. This loud scream is called “the rabbit death scream.”
While somewhat rare, a rabbit could also let out a scream when being chased by a predator due to intense fear.
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