When asked to think of an intelligent pet, most people would think of a dog or a cat; perhaps even something more exotic like a parrot. But it isn’t very often that people would immediately think of a rabbit. The surprising thing is that bunnies are actually very intelligent creatures; but how are rabbits smart and what makes them such rewarding companions?
Rabbits are very smart. They have excellent long-term memories and can remember a variety of tricks when taught. They can be easily trained using a simple clicker and a treat as a reward, however, some are stubborn and will only ever behave in a particular way if they feel like it.
One of the biggest problems for rabbit owners is that this intelligence requires a lot of mental stimulation. If you take on a pet bun, you need to be prepared to keep it entertained.
Are Rabbits Intelligent?
The short answer to this question is yes, rabbits are very intelligent animals. One of the best ways to understand this is to look at how they interact with other rabbits and with their owners. For example, if you have two bunnies, you will notice how one might bop your hand if you stroke the other. This shows emotional intelligence and even jealousy, demonstrating that the bunny understands the meaning of affection.
Moreover, you will notice that rabbits communicate their needs through body language. In addition to this, they will also understand human language. Of course, a rabbit will never be able to string a sentence together, but they can very quickly learn what different sounds mean.
For example, many owners take the time to teach their rabbit what its name is. This is one of the first training activities you can do before moving on to commands that you would like your rabbit to obey. However, if you do decide to train your rabbit, you must remember that repetition is key as this is how rabbits learn best. This can also require some patience on your part but it will be worth it in the end.
Furthermore, rabbits will respond well to being rewarded for positive actions. But owners can become frustrated because their bunny doesn’t always do as it is told, even when you know that it is trained to do something. This is because rabbits will not seek to please their owners. If you want to train your bun, you need to make sure that there is something in it for him, otherwise he simply won’t comply.
One of the first things that many owners try to do when training their rabbit is to encourage use of a litter tray. This is another way that the intelligence of a rabbit can be seen. While they aren’t instinctively going to use a litter tray, the way that they naturally toilet will soon have them realizing what the tray is for.
Rabbits are very clean animals and do not like to soil their home unnecessarily. For this reason, they will typically urinate in one corner of their enclosure. If owners place a litter tray here, the rabbit will soon come to associate it with toileting.
Entertaining A Rabbit
Because rabbits are such smart animals adopting one comes with the responsibility of giving the animal mental stimulation. The best way to keep a rabbit entertained is to give it a companion. Buying two bonded rabbits is a great way to ensure that your pets never get bored.
If you buy a single rabbit and put it in a small cage expecting it to entertain itself, it will soon get very bored and begin to behave in strange or unwanted ways. It is also possible for rabbits to become depressed as a result of boredom.
There are hundreds of rabbit toys and games available on the market but many of these are gimmicky. The best things to buy to entertain your pet are wooden toys that he can gnaw on. You can choose from balls, tunnels, mobiles, mazes, and many other things. Mazes can be used to hide treats which encourages foraging, a natural behavior of rabbits.
However, it is also important to spend time getting to know your rabbit and playing with him. Even if you are keeping a pair, they will still enjoy interacting with you and this will be incredibly rewarding as an owner.
What Is The Smartest Breed Of Rabbit?
According to wikipedia, there are as many as 305 breeds of domesticated rabbit. The mini lop is one of the most popular types of bunny to be kept as a pet and this is likely because they are so intelligent. And of course, they are mighty cute too!
However, there is a lot of suggestion that the playful and highly interactive Harlequin rabbit is among the smartest breeds.
The Belgian hare is another rabbit that many people consider to be one of the most intelligent rabbit breeds. The breed is a mix between wild and domestic animals and so, you might argue that it gained the best of each’s intelligence.
There is a common misconception that the Continental Giant is not a very intelligent breed because of its docile nature. But the opposite is true; these large rabbits are known to interact well with humans and are often very easy to train.
A lot of people pose the question of whether domestic rabbits or wild rabbits are smarter but there is no clear answer to this. You see wild rabbits are much more adept when it comes to surviving. If you placed a pet rabbit in the wild, it would likely struggle to survive more than a few days, at most.
That being said, domestic rabbits are much more intelligent when it comes to training. If a wild rabbit were to be brought into a human setting, it would be incredibly difficult, if not impossible to train it even the most basic things such as using a litter tray.
Are Rabbits Or Dogs Smarter?
Most people think that dogs are the ultimate pet when it comes to intelligence but you may be surprised to learn that bunnies are just as smart as our canine companions. That said, a rabbit can be vastly more stubborn than a pup and this means that they might not be as willing to obey as a dog.
Dogs are people pleasers and always want to make their masters happy. For this reason, dogs can be very easy to train. It is likely this that leads people to believe that dogs are smarter than rabbits. But in reality, a rabbit could be just as easy to train but he will do it when he is good and ready, thank you very much.
If you have owned a cat in the past, you will probably notice many similarities between it and your rabbit, in terms of your relationship. This is because rabbits have a similar independent nature to cats whereas dogs very much let their owners take the lead.
