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do rabbits get headaches?

I was sitting in a traffic jam today and noticed a rabbit standing on its hind legs, pulling leaves from a willow sapling. I know that willow is a folk remedy for headaches because it contains salicylic acid, which is similar to aspirin. This made me wonder if the rabbit instinctively knows about this property or if it simply enjoys eating willow. I tested my daughter's rabbit with some willow leaves, but it shunned them. I'm curious about how one might determine whether rabbits have an awareness of the medicinal properties of certain plants, or if they just choose their food based on taste.

3 Answers

Most animals experience side effects from hormonal increases in their bodies. For example a lot of female animals such as birds, cats, pandas etc get very irritable, short tempered during breeding season. Many owners experience that their pets might start to nip when they are experiencing hormonal changes.

As far as rabbits are concerned I believe they are just as susceptible to effects of hormones but I would not assume it is in the same manner we humans experience it. The biology and cognition of a rabbit is completely different than a humans so one can not call it pms which is a term that describes the mood changes a human woman experiences before she menstruates. Also since rabbits do not speak it is virtually impossible to establish whether or not they suffer from headaches. In short, rabbits may react to their hormones but not in the same way we humans do.

,,Well this is clear dat they get hormonal prob.. and they do not get head ache bcoz if dey get head ache, so they will be dead or be very serious..

Not sure about headaches, but pretty much all mammals get pms. Animals don’t bleed alot (I have never noticed it.) but I don’t know enough to say whether they do or not.

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