Young Rabbit panting

Question
I have a 3 month old dwarf rabbit who I have only had for a short time. I have noticed that when I pick her up from her cage she makes noises similar to panting. She is always happy to leave her cage but I am worried if this may be a sign of a health condition or difficulty breathing.  If you could tell me what this means I would greatly appreciate it. Thank you.

Answer
Hi,

it's probably her just breathing hard because you're picking her up.  Most rabbits do not like being picked up (even if they are okay being held or happy when put down again).  Just the pickup itself is generally stressful to rabbits as they live on the ground.  Being picked up means their ability to get away from predators is gone.  It also mimics being picked up by a predator.

They need to tolerate it because it is necessary for you to be able to safely pick her up.  And it sounds like she does.  She'll just breathe a little harder initially.  Just keep petting her head and talking soothingly to her to help calm her down and let her know everything is okay.

Spend some time on the House Rabbit Society web site (www.rabbit.org) and look through their hundreds of articles on all aspects of rabbit care and behavior.

Also find a good rabbit vet (not all are) there as well:   www.rabbit.org/vets/vets.html

I'd also pick up the books I recommend in my profile info to have on hand.