In what way are rabbits social creatures?

[Ceevi]

I may be getting a pet rabbit in a few months, but I’ve never been much around rabbits in my life, it has mostly been cats and one pet hamster. My rabbit would have a cage that’s open all the time, so I’m assuming I’d see a lot of it. I read on a site “Rabbits need attention being a social animal. Allow 5 plus hours excerise daily.” This is something I’ve seen come up many times. In what ways are rabbits social? Is it expecting me to play actively with it or will it just tag along with things I do and such? Also does having it outside of a cage count as exercise? Like I said I have most experience with cats and mine would just mind their own business and come to me when they wanted something.

[LongEaredLions]

If your rabbit has access to a large area where it can binky/run/etc, that counts as exercise.
Some bunnies do like one-on-one playtime with toys, etc, but do largely just tag along with you. They do need a lot of attention-but are often happy to receive that through the day as you go about your activities. All bunnies have different personalities, you may want to adopt a more docile/less active bun.

[Ceevi]

Posted By LongEaredLions on 11/23/2016 4:04 AM

If your rabbit has access to a large area where it can binky/run/etc, that counts as exercise.
Some bunnies do like one-on-one playtime with toys, etc, but do largely just tag along with you. They do need a lot of attention-but are often happy to receive that through the day as you go about your activities. All bunnies have different personalities, you may want to adopt a more docile/less active bun.

Oh ok, so when not playing directly with them, they’re social in a way that they just enjoy being in the presence of others? They don’t need to directly engage all the time?

[McCord]

Open cage for my 3 buns. Run and binky and zoom. Theyll follow you around. Bucks will randomly check on you and does will keep to themselves or stay at your feet. Both will run and play in the open space you have. Youll be surprised at the fun buns can be

[Bam]

I agree buns are social creatures, but hanging out together counts as a social activity. When you see wild rabbits they often sit or lie on the grass in small groups, a yard or so between them. They look like they are doing nothing, but they are doing nothing together.

So they’re not super demanding in that respect.
There are of course reasons why rabbits like company. Company means more eyes and ears and noses that can detect dangers. It also means you spread out the risk of becoming somebody’s dinner on more individuals. A bunch of bunnies hopping away in different directions can make it trickier for a predator to pursue one bun in particular. The predator can end up with nothing, and that of course benefits all the buns.

[DorothyTheMiniSatinBun]

It is strange that the word “social” is used for such a quiet animal! But I believe rabbits are social in that they like to be around other rabbits, and if they can’t be around a rabbit, another animal or even a human would do!

I do believe some rabbits just naturally like more attention and affection from their humans than others. I was always told larger breeds and sometimes white red-eyed breeds like Himalayans tend to be more cuddly and docile. I have a very active, affectionate black mini Dutch/Satin who follows me around the apartment and climbs on laps. She likes any kind of attention/affection… she will put her head down and anxiously wait for pets, or even if I just sit next to her on the carpet while I watch tv, this makes her really happy. Any time a new person enters, she wants to say hi and check them out by sniffing them and lightly nipping at their clothes too haha. So I guess you can say this bunny is more on the social side!

[skysblue]

They like to spend part of their time on their own and entertain themselves. If they want attention they usually come and nudge you.
Sometimes affectionate, following and licking you. When mine was a baby she was crazy and super energetic. I had to run up and down the stairs for at least 5 times just to burn some of her energy. I burned out before she did.

As of direct engagement, I like to play chase with my bunny.. moving my hand fast and tapping the floor near her or running after her..
She then just binky everywhere..is hard to explain how to do it but we both have fun.

You sort of come up with your own way to play with your rabbit depending on their personality and behavior.

You can also teach them tricks!

[Azerane]

They definitely just like to be able to be around you. When I had Bandit as a single bunn, when I would open his cage for the day he would often run around and do his exploring, but when he was done if I was sitting on the couch he would come over and lay against the couch under my feet. He didn’t want to snuggle (he was perfectly able to jump onto the couch), he just liked to be close.

Now that I have my pair, I notice that they don’t really do anything alone. If one goes upstairs in their condo, the other goes upstairs. If one comes downstairs, the other comes downstairs.

[SeeShmemilyPlay]

Couldn’t have worded this better!  It’s comparable to when you and friends just hang out and watch tv or something.  Although  you’re not directly interacting with your friends, it can still be enjoyable and is much more fun than just watching tv alone!

[Author]

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