How smart are bunnies?

[NunusOwner]

On an intelligence scale of:

hamster – rat – dog – cat

whereabouts would they fit?

[JackRabbit]

First, I’m not a cat person, but I would put dogs ahead of cats on the intelligence scale (spend some time with service dogs). Then, I would rank bunnies with cats.

I would have put bunnies just below cats since bunnies don’t have the sense to not binky into walls, etc., but I’ve seen cats do some pretty dumb things so I rank them the same. JMO.

[Flopsie]

hmm good question. What is the criteria for judging how smart an animal is? Is it the ability to survive? is it the ability to problem solve? or is it the ability to learn tricks?

I think rats can be taught right? A lot of experiments have focus on rats learning. Dogs I think can pretty smart since they can learn skills.

[MoxieMeadows]

Hmmm, I think rabbits are very smart creatures in many ways, but like all animals, are lacking some “knowledge” in some areas. If you watch your bun, or any animal closely, you can see very well what I mean. While dogs may chase their tails (Our husky snaps at his tail sometimes) or Cats may jump into walls trying to catch that little red dot you shine on the wall. I don’t necissarily think that it makes either one “dumber.” You can even teach pet fish to jump through hoops nowadays! So in my opinion, comparing animals “smarts” is like comparing night and day. Dogs and cats don’t “think ahead” and store food like hamsters and squirrels, so would you say now that dogs and cats are less smart then hamsters or squirrels? So in many many ways, some animals are “smarter” than others and vice versa.
Rabbits, like dogs and cats can be taught a variety of tricks, they even sell challenging toys for not only dogs and other animals now, but bunnies! Rabbits are wonderful animals and when asked to classify which animal they are smarter than I couldn’t. Because you see, each type of animal is unique and very smart in there own ways.
I’m so sorry for rambling on and on and on…
Have a great day/night!

[Roberta]

My mutant long eared pygmy wildebeest frequently outsmart the cats. They are extremely good problem solvers and don’t need repetition to learn. They do it or see it once and that’s it, they don’t forget how to open a door or Xpen or any piece of mischief they manage. They figured out how to pop and fold the Xpen by watching me do it when I cleaned the play room. After that they raced over boosted one over the top via the edge of the litter tray, Pipi sat at the joint on the other side whilst the rest pushed on the two pivot points inside and voila, they were loose in the storage area.

[Cottontail]

If we’re generalizing the whole species at once, I would put them about the same as cats/dogs..  I can’t say much for hamsters and rats since I don’t have much personal experience with them.

As for if dogs or cats are smarter? I’m putting them on level ground.  It’s going to depend on the individual.

• Most dogs are trainable, but there are some real dunces out there (usually lovable, but not much smarter than a brick). 
• Most cats are not willing to be trained (some do learn tricks), but instead learn what “tricks” suit their needs and wants… granted they have their fair share of dim-wits, too. 
• With both dogs and cats over the years I’ve had some of either species that knew the rules of the house, learned tricks, alerted people of changes, and obeyed certain commands… I’ve also had my share of dogs running into doors, walls, and random living things…. and some real ditz of cats (usually toms) that literally couldn’t find their ways out a paper bag.

So far my experience with bunnies puts them more in the attitude of cats:
They seem to have the “I hear you, I understand what you want, but I want something else,” down pact.

• what’s in it for me?
• I like doing this, so if you don’t like it that’s you’re problem… unless you show me something better.
• Keep my schedule, human!
• I might learn a trick… if it’s fun… and I get a treat… and the other human doesn’t see it so that he’ll think you’re lying.
• I expect my stuff to be where I put it… if you move it, I will put it back and huff at you!
• You may pet me…  yesss….. okay. That’s too much. Stop.   Did I say you could leave?
• Oh, you want my attention after doing something I disapprove of?  Look at my fluffy tail as I bathe….

[JackRabbit]

About xpens . . . The original Midwest crate and xpen latch (lift and slide) was redesigned because of the number of dogs that figured out how to open the double latches. The newer design (multiple catch points and lift handle to lift whole door; to close, lift handle to lift door and and latch handle down once all catch points are in place) had to have a retrofit because of the number of dogs that figured out how to open the new more secure latch system. Other manufacturers use the same latch systems as Midwest. At least one person in my house cannot seem to close the door properly. However, a thumping bunny will usually result in a trained human opening the xpen door.

My bunnies could never lift the 48″ door so I haven’t been concerned.

Animals are amazing creatures.

[Roberta]

All Xpen doors have to be secured with wire or pegs, mine figured those out straight off the bat. Nudge, grasp with teeth, lift and push.

[Roberta]

If I was going to compare them with something it would probably be a 3-4 yr old child, although I suspect Pepper is an old lady in a bunny suit.

[LBJ10]

Ability to problem solve. Yep, bunnies have that. Like I time I saw Leopold looking up at the chair. Then he grabbed their cardboard scratcher thingie and started dragging it over to the chair. Then he got on top of it, looking up at the chair some more. I’m pretty sure he would have had it figured out if I hadn’t stopped him.

[JackRabbit]

Minus one point for the bunnies . . . Exactly WHAT is Moshi going to do if he ever finally reaches the door knob? He keeps jumping for it so I gotta give him credit for persistence!

[Deleted User]

 Have you met Henry???

Notice how HIS can of coke isn’t open??? He will open it himself! Bunny’s are WAY smarter!

DAM!
 

[kirstyol]

I have a rabbit and a hamster and I would say they are equally as smart, just good at different things. Freddie (the hamster) has no fear of heights for example, he will throw himself head first off the top bit of his cage, he has never hurt himself mind you so I guess if it doesn’t hurt its ok to do again. He will also try and climb down the bars, he has never once managed this, he always falls but he tries it almost daily its as if he thinks practice will eventually make perfect! Bramble on the other hand fell off the couch once (well he was trying to get off the other half’s knee while we were trying to do a nail trim and half jumped, half fell) he was maybe 10 weeks old when that happened and he has never, ever been remotely close to the edge of the couch since. Freddie stores his food so he has a constant supply, well until the nasty humans clean his cage and he has to start his various storage piles all over again! Whereas Bramble eats his food in what seems like a heart beat then looks at us with sad face because there is nothing left for later. Freddie makes no attempt to figure out how to get around things, he will be in his ball and want to go to the other side of the room but the coffee table is in his way, Bramble would go under or around but Freddie who to be fair cant go under because his ball doesn’t fit, would just bang into it over and over again until he eventually got bored and decided to go somewhere else. Freddie can however do tricks because he learned if he did certain things he would get a treat, no such luck with Bramble I tried to reward him with treats for going into his cage at night by himself and he just doesn’t get it at all and we still have to lift him. Biggest difference in favour of bunnies – toilet training! Bramble has never peed on my floor other than when he was ill a few weeks ago – Freddie will pee anywhere and it smells horrible.

[JackRabbit]

Kirstyol — I think you actually made a clear argument that bunnies are smarter! Freddie sounds adorable and very entertaining, but maybe you should wrap the little guy in bubblewrap before he hurts himself!

[kirstyol]

He is clever in his own way lol I think if I left them both to their own devices (which of course I would never do) Freddie would definitely be ok, but I doubt Bramble would. Freddie is an adorable wee guy but he just has no sense of his own safety. Although he clearly knows where his bread is buttered, his ball opened one night while he was roaming about in the hall, we have hardwood floors so i can hear his ball moving about, noticing i hadn’t heard anything for around five minutes i decided to check on him to find the ball sitting open – no Freddie. I started franticly looking for him, hamsters are a bit like mice in that they can get into the tiniest spaces and are quite often found inside the walls of houses after escaping so i was expecting the worst. I found him, sitting in the corner washing his face with absolutely no interest in running away, i didn’t even need to bribe him to come back i just held my hand out and he jumped right on.

[LBJ10]

Hamsters are actually adapted to falling from fair heights. Their bodies are compact, so they don’t hurt themselves unless it’s REALLY high. When I was a kid, my friend put her hamster’s cage on top of the refrigerator. It somehow escaped the cage, dived off of the refrigerator, and literally hit the ground running. o_O

[kirstyol]

Unfortunately in Freddie’s case he usually lands on his head! My last hamster was a total escape artist, he was the runt of the litter and tiny he could get out of the cage and I had no idea how he was doing it. he got everywhere, in the cupboards and even once in the bath! Took me weeks to catch him in the act of escaping, turns out he was climbing to the top corner where the bars are slightly wider, squeezing through then jumping down how he lived through all the things he did I will never know but he ended up living in a fish tank for a few months after that till he grew too big to squeeze through the bars.

[NunusOwner]

I own a hamster as well. Be careful guys, them being not afraid of heights is not a sign of smartness nor is it of bravely. Their brains simply don’t register heights and they can seriously hurt themselves. They will dive off a table without a blink whereas even a common breeder mice stops at the edge.

[kirstyol]

Yup, that’s Freddie down to a tea. he has absolutely no sense of his own mortality – especially where heights are concerned.

[LongEaredLions]

I really think it just depends on the animal itself. I have had bunnies that impressed me to no end with their problem-solving skills. That being said, I have also had hamsters, cats, rats, and dogs too. I have had some smart ones, and some not-so-smart ones, and for this reason, it is very difficult to place them in order of intelligence. If I had to pick one of these species to be most intelligent I would pick rats with no doubt.
I think bunnies have nearly the same mentality as cats. I could do it if I wanted to, but I don’t want to. Rats are like dogs, they want to please. Hamsters…. They are in their own separate group!
I think my hamster is broken! She loves climbing, etc, but she will NOT jump from any height at all, Even the nine or so inches out of her cage! The door was left open one time-she refused to come out until I gave her a ladder!

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