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Intelligent rabbits

Candiflare

Mama Doe
What would you say denotes intelligence in a rabbit?

What sort of behaviours separate some rabbits out from being more intelligent than others?

I make the mistake of thinking that the ones who are more interactive with me are more intelligent, but I'm sure that's not the case.
 
I think Bunsk is intelligent, as he knows exactly where I hide my biscuit stash and, despite there not even being any there, he jumps up and has a good rummage in my junk for some! So he clearly remembers and knows where to go.
 
Hopscotch sits on top of the container with his pellets in.

Not so intelligent the other night though; I opened it, he stuck his head in, fell in head first, and the pellets went all over the floor :roll: :lol:
 
when I open yuris cage and take her bowl she follows me to the bag of pellets most of the time running ahead of me and waiting by it. I put the pellets in the bowl and she runs back in her cage and waits near the spot where i usually put it
 
Carlo dashes off to explore as soon as I open their door in the morning, Bobby hangs about she knows that binkies are fun, but mummy gets the noms after she changed the water :lol:
 
Mj can be really clever but he gets over excited by his pellets and becomes a bit dopey, if he gets a treat he'll keep checking your hands to see if you have any more and he now knows the kitchen and the fridge is the magic box where veggies come from and if he hangs around begging for food long enough while I'm cooking he might get some scraps.
He knows that as soon as I step in the door from work it's pellet time.

But with his pellets he keeps thinking that they'll go in his hutch (we haven't given them to him in his hutch for months and half the time once you put it down he still thinks you've got it so still follows you around trying to get them :roll:
 
So do we think this is rabbits who comply to a routine? Rabbits who know how things work? Rabbits with good memories?
 
I think my most naughty buns are the most intelligent. I think it takes an enquiring mind and a certain degree of problem-solving ability to find their way into (or out of) something/somewhere
 
Strawberry is our most intelligent rabbit. He is very naughty and will wait until we are not looking to cause mischeif! He knows exactly what time dinner is and remembered a small hole in my mums garden fence for a year!
 
From personal experience, i would say that routine plays a big part in apparent intelligience.

Take Ginger as an example, she knows exactly what to do when its medicine time, and when medicine time is, as she'll even get into position and wait if im a little late.

I give meds at 6:30am and 6:30pm to keep a good routine. At 6:30am she will have her nose through the bars of the dog crate with her tongue out waiting to start licking the metacam from the syringe and the zithromax after it.

At 6:30pm, whilst they are still free-range, she will run from wherever she is and sit in the same spot in the crate and wait for her zithromax 2nd dose.

I think that is perceived intelligience, due to routine, personally.
 
I would say it's about how quickly they can learn a new routine. I was amazed recently as we had to change the buns set-up when we had a new kitchen fitted. As a way to help me to keep the new kitchen clean, I started a new 'rule' where I would only feed the buns in their area (before, I used to put their bowl on the chair where they spend most of their time). The first day or two, the buns were a bit confused as they could hear me getting the food into the bowl, but it took them a few minutes to drag themselves off the chair to the new bowl position. Within literally a couple of days, Poppy knew that the sound of the food meant she had to jump down and she would sit in the place where the bowl now goes! Bunny took a day or so longer, but I was still quite surprised at how quickly they understood.
 
I always think with animals it's when they can easily learn and recognise a routine. Some animals easily forget (trying to teach a routine to mice can be hilarious! :D Although spiny mice are freakishly intelligent!)
 
Hopscotch sits on top of the container with his pellets in.

Not so intelligent the other night though; I opened it, he stuck his head in, fell in head first, and the pellets went all over the floor :roll: :lol:


oh that is soooo funny!!! :lol::lol::lol:

My rabbits are beginning to respond to us shaking/rattling/stirring their pellets in the tub and are learning that if they come in from the garden to their hutch, they'll get their bedtime treat :)
 
Buckley is quite intelligent I think, but it may be partly me teaching him. When he wants to get somewhere you can see him working out the potential routes, he knows his own limits as in what sort of jump he can or can't achieve. He seems very aware of his own body. He seems able to see how he could make a route work for him by moving boxes to fill gaps.
He's very good at problem solving haha.
But then I've shown him how to do these things. When he wanted to get onto something when he was tiny I would move a box for him so he could use it as a step, so he's learnt that to get to hard to reach places you move a box and stand on it :lol:
It makes bunny proofing most troublesome :lol:
 
oh that is soooo funny!!! :lol::lol::lol:

My rabbits are beginning to respond to us shaking/rattling/stirring their pellets in the tub and are learning that if they come in from the garden to their hutch, they'll get their bedtime treat :)

It was quite amusing, he came out with brown pellet dust all over his little white face! :lol:
 
Fiver is very intelligent. He can figure anything out. He can get into anywhere and he can figure out any kind of puzzle feeder in about 10 seconds. He's very destructive as well, because he is so intelligent he constantly gets bored even with a wifebun and my whole room to himself with hundreds of toys and things to jump on etc. It's impossible to keep him entertained all the time :roll:
 
I think my aggressive bun is the most intelligent. I think his aggression is more of an instinctive reaction, but when you get beyond that he's surprisingly clever:D

The other would have to be Fudge - the conti I got from my cousin. Absolute nightmare. Put her somewhere & she can find a way out/around/over/under or chew through it:roll: It becomes a project to her.
 
I think that speed of learning is 1 indicator, but they have to be motivated.
My rabbit learened the word "nooky"= humping his toy rabbit in 3 goes.
1) I said "nooky" & immediately let him hump his toy.
2) Next day, I said "nooky" Ears went up & he was very alert. Then I gave him his toy.
3) 3rd. day, I said "nooky" & he came running circled my feet very excited & thumped = "I want".

He could choose which herbs he had as a treat, he chooses which games he plays with me.
On the other hand "NO" isn't in his vocabulary - but fortunately warning of danger is!

I think that all rabbits are much more intelligent than we give them credit for.
I suspect that many give up on humans as stupid because we don't respond when they try to communicate. I certainly had far too low an expectation of rabbit intelligence before I got Thumper.
Quote Prof Neurosciences MRC unit about Thumper "That's a very complex thought process."
 
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