Rabbit: tooth grinding

Question
This is the second time i'm noticing this: my bunny is sitting somewhere and
she starts constantly grinding her teeth. Its not overly loud but its constant. It
lasts for about 20 mins or until i disturb her.. I stayed up with her two nights
ago for an hour after i heard her doing it but she didnt repeat it. Today i
walked by her cage (shes free but likes to hang out in there) and shes sitting
in the corner grinding away.. I called her name and she came towards me still
grinding..

Im sitting with her now as i write this and she hasnt done it again. Im
confused. The only thing i can say is that she is eating less than usual, but
eating nonetheless.. Also there is a newcomer to our house, a boy rabbit that
im going to try bonding to her in a few weeks. I did a physical exam on her
myself and there appears to be no absesses, breaks, i poked her stomach its
firm but she doesnt seem to be bothered by it. Any ideas as to what this
grinding is? Is she just talking, or is she trying to tell me shes in pain?  

Answer
Hi Lauren,

teeth grinding (or purring) is not a sign of pain.  It's a sign of happiness and pleasure.  If you are petting her and rubbing her jaws or ears and she teeth grinds, or she's just relaxed and flopped or sitting and she starts teeth grinding lightly, that's because she's happy.  Some grind a little louder than others but generally it's fast and they appear relaxed and normal.

Teeth CRUNCHING is different.  Teeth crunching is louder, bunny looks tight and compact, in pain.  It's a chalk on a blackboard kind of sound.  But they also won't be relaxed either they will look a lot different, tight, compact, not moving.

She's happy.  That's all.

Get the House Rabbit Handbook. It covers the verbal and non-verbal signals rabbits use, among many other things.  No bunny owner should be without it.

Lee