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I seen this and was freaked out I thought all the bunnies where dead! :eek:
Then relized they where all in some type of trance? :confused:
Is this normal for bunny owners to do I have never heard or seen it.
Can it hurt the rabbits back in anyway or stop them from breathing?
Here is the link. http://www.mybunnies.com/trance.htm
Not at all. Lots of people do it to check teeth,trim nails ect.
It's a recommended and frequently used way of calming a nervous bunny. In the Vet Tech program I'm in, you are encouraged to trance a bunny to settle it for nail trimming or teeth trimming (in malocclused rabbits).
Now what's wierd is how you trance a chicken! You tuck their head under one wing, gently pick them up and swing them gently from side to side. Puts them right to sleep. :)
That is pretty cool. Scary looking though if you didn't know what they were doing.
I think rabbits being in a trance is a fairly natural occurance. In the wild, stoats use it to their advantage, they leap and dance around, putting the rabbit in a trance, before making the kill.
My RB rabbit Cookie used to lie on his back sometimes, but I don't think he was ever in a trance.
Being on their back does not hurt a rabbit. It does not put Miss Hoppy in a trance, either - she stays alert and ready to flip back the entire time, but that's my feisty girl!