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The subject of intentional breeding or meat rabbits is prohibited. The answers provided on this board are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet.  It is your responsibility to assess the information being given and seek professional advice/second opinion from your veterinarian and/or qualified behaviorist.

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Forum THE LOUNGE Can your bunny do tricks?

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    • SeaTurtleSwims
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        Has anyone trained their bunny to do tricks? How did you do it? 

        Historically bunnies were developed for meat and fur, and more recently friendliness for companionship.

        A friend and I were joking that a fun grad project would be to develop generations that select the most teachable bunnies to create an army of genius, trick preforming rabbits How many generations would it take?? Who knows, but what I want to know is, 

        CAN YOUR RABBIT DO TRICKS??  What method did you use? For example, I used a clicker and treats when I was teaching my cat tricks. Does it work that way for bunnies??? 


      • SeaTurtleSwims
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          Can I just say HOW AMAZING THIS IS!!!!!! (insert Aladdin’s “A whole new world” realization moment song)

          https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9poWbBG-GM


        • Azerane
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            I taught Bandit a few tricks, I always intended to teach more but never got around to it. He knew spin (turn to the right), twirl (turn to the left), up (stand up) and bedtime (go back to your cage). It’s pretty easy to teach them when you have a food motivated bunn.


          • SeaTurtleSwims
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              That is so cool! How long did it take you to learn spin and up? I think he’d do just about anything for some rosemary or basil, so this could work! What did you use for treats?


            • pinknfwuffy
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                SeatTurtle, yes, most rabbits are capable of learning tricks, it can just take a long time and some are more motivated than others. The clicker training you described for you cat is exactly the same for rabbits. The only difference being that rabbits tend to have a smaller attention span than cats and dogs. For this reason it is better to teach new tricks one at a time in smaller sessions (i.e. five minute sessions 2 times a day). Sometimes they only want to try for a few seconds but the important note is to also reinforce positive behavior no matter how brief it is. I usually teach a trick repeatedly over the course of a few days and once it is learned (you can tell when they’re finally catching on), I practice the same trick for at least a week to get into a routine. Once they have it down, only then do I try to introduce a new trick. I use tiny bits of dried papaya as a treat but I’ve also seen pellets, tiny bits of carrot or fresh greens/herbs. Definitely look up rabbit clicker training and rabbit agility for more info.

                I don’t use a clicker (some are too loud for rabbits). Instead, I making a little clicking noise with my mouth every time my rabbit does the right thing. The clicker is a popular tool but the real reason behind it working is that it is a consistent sound that the rabbit associates with getting a treat. Some people even use a clicking pen for a softer sound.


              • Azerane
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                  Up was very quick to learn, spin took a little longer since he wouldn’t always follow the treat all the way around, but it wasn’t hard to teach. High value treats made teaching spin easier because he would be more keen to turn around. Just remember to break up the treats into tiny pieces so that you’re not overdosing on them.


                • LittlePuffyTail
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                    My bunnies have this trick where they just stand up and look at me and I run to get them a treat. Or maybe it’s a trick they taught ME?


                  • SeaTurtleSwims
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                      pinknfwuffy, that’s great advice! I was already suspecting the clicker would be more startling for him than anything, just by gauging his response to tv and kitchen noises, so a pen or mouth clicks is a great tip! Thank you!

                      Azerane, that is a good idea. He is not much for fruits in general, he really only likes blackberries, strawberries and apples but he is huge on veggies. I might try an apple/herb diced combo and see if that does the trick. He doesn’t really eat out of my hand, he will take long foods if that makes sense (strings of hay, leaves of kale etc) from me but has never taken something small directly out of my hand before. Will that be an issue? I guess I could just put it on the floor for him…

                      LittlePuffyTail, lolol sounds like your rabbits have you well trained

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                  Forum THE LOUNGE Can your bunny do tricks?