training bunnies to come, food incentive

[Candiflare]

I'm trying to train Ralph to come when I call and I give him a pellet or quarter of a blueberry when he comes, depending on how quickly or immediately. But once he gets his prize, he just sticks around, hoping for another one. I try to send him away but he just circles me, thinking that every time he comes back to the front, he deserves a treat! Yesterday evening, he leapt up to the punnett of blueberries and emptied it on to the floor and tried to eat them before I picked them up.

Is there anything else I should be doing? Or using a sound to let him know when I want him to come so that it differentiates between him coming up to me ASKING for food, rather than him coming because I've called him?

 

[DemiS]

Hmmm, I'm not sure to be honest.
When I want Harley i say his name and either pat my leg as if to say 'come here' or just wave my hands about.

 

[prettylupin]

Is there anything else I should be doing? Or using a sound to let him know when I want him to come so that it differentiates between him coming up to me ASKING for food, rather than him coming because I've called him?

To be honest that usually is the reason behind why a bun will come when you call them! :lol: ... a food association with you, a word that they learn (their name) and the reward - food that you give. Eventually what happens is that a learned response develops and bun will come when you call their name in anticipation of food - it is the same for any animal really - Pavlov's dog and all that.
A bunny is a bunny and he won't understand the higher cognitive understanding you are trying to convey. Rabbits basically associate a word with a reward of some sort usually whether it be attention, being let out for a run, food etc. So now if I say "Nino" to my bun - he knows his name and will pause and listen or turn to look at me....there is communication there but originally I believe his response was learnt through reward of some kind, me talking to him - attention, bringing food, calling him from downstairs and he comes hopping down the stairs because he knows this means he will either get to go in the garden or it's time for bed and more food! :roll::lol: Hope that helps, there isn't much you can do, eventually when he learns his name through reward he may start to respond in the absence of any reward, but I wouldn't try and push him away after his reward as he simply won't understand.

That's not to say that a bun can't and won't seek you out of their own accord and try to communicate their wishes to you.... they can and they do...but for buns being prey animals any effort made has to be worth the risk as it were.
When it has reached my buns bedtime or time to go in the garden they will both hop over to me and then look down at the stairs and then go and sit in the doorway then come back and sit in front of me and look at me....then take themselves downstairs if i'm not picking up on the hints! Thumps's bun will ring a little bell or thump his foot to tell his mum what he wants.

 

[Tamsin]

The goal, presumably, is for him to come when called. If he comes when not called or hangs around afterwards that's fine, it won't effect the original goal. Rabbits are pretty bottomless pits for food so as long as he knows the signal means I've food here for you now everything else is okay and you can still treat him on other occasions.

 

[vickyplum]

We have different rules with ruby, when we want her to do something she might not want to eg, go back in her cage, we rattle her box of food and she gets in knowing she will get the food.

But, when we want ruby to come and see us we dont need to use food anymore (although we used to when she was a baby). We just bang on the floor or clap twice shout her name and she runs over for a stroke or a cuddle.

To be honest, for a rabbit to get used to you, food is the best way, but after a while they get used to you and run over of their own accord for a cuddle.

Hope this helps!

 

[VickiP]

:lol::lol::lol: had to laugh about the punnet of blueberries :lol:

 

[lis]

I think you're doing quite well with your training. Our rabbits hop up to us regardless of whether we call them when they want food, and when they've just been fed, they don't bother coming to us whether we call them or not. Basically, they know what they want!