Do rabbits think like us...

[rachylou]

It do we humanize them?

 

[Barn Yard Bunnies]

They don't think like us.

 

[Lisa1981]

So does that mean I’m reading facial expressions wrong.

 

[happybun]

Erm… yes. To an extent. When young, mine definitely thought I was their carer and they liked that.
As they got older, they thought I was poor quality staff and were less tolerant.

 

[Lisa1981]

Mine are already at the older stage even though they are only 5 months.

I’m talking about fed up, grumpy and confused looks. Beauty has always told me what she’s thought of me with looks and it’s not ever posative

 

[William]

Well no other living beings think like humans. Even other humans don't think exactly as you do.

I imagine to a certain extent they do - I think people sometimes forget we're animals too, there's similarities if you look. But they don't have abstract thoughts like we do.

 

[rachylou]

But would Jims have been wondering why I was staring straight ahead instead of looking at him when he was passing?

 

[Sarahbun]

But would Jims have been wondering why I was staring straight ahead instead of looking at him when he was passing?

Maybe, he may have thought you were keeping a look out for him to keep him safe x

 

[rachylou]

I just keep thinking he would have thought 'mummy doesnt even want to look at me' and have been sad

 

[Zoobec]

Animals don’t think the same as us. You were there with him, and that would have been all that mattered to him.

 

[binkyCodie]

other animals don't think like us - and while we are animals too, we are far more advanced that any other animal on our planet. we've had civilisation and have far different processing brains than other animals. we're far more advanced genetically, mostly thanks to evolution.

rabbits do not feel nor think the way we do. the only thing that they really feel is fear, and the only reason they feel that is because its vital for their flight or fight to kick in. otherwise, they probably would not feel it at all. other than that, they do not really "feel" like us. they can not think. they can not process information like us.

they can of course feel pain too. but this probably isn't in a emotional pain scenario, this is a physical pain response. I am not sure if rabbits have the ability to feel "emotional pain", and its not to the same extent as humans.

other animals are more advanced, dogs seem to feel happiness and love us. other animals just aren't (yet) capable of that.

animals do not think nor feel the way we do, emotionally we're probably the most advanced. animals do not have those emotions, they do not really have "free will" - following patterns mostly for breeding cycles or weather. they can not do things out of spite, despite what people believe.

in all honesty imho humanising animals is what often causes them to suffer. people won't spay/neuter their animals for "fears of how the animal feels". they will not to this or that as "what if the animal doesn't want it" or similar. they won't put a suffering animal to sleep because of "the pets feelings".

the reality is is that we are putting these human emotions onto animals that they do not feel. animals follow patterns, they do not have free will as we do.

animals don't (currently) tend to feel emotions that are necessary. they have what they need to survive, which is often the emotion fear & physical pain, and that is all they need. other emotions would cause them issues, such as needing more recourses for the energy expended on them.

the bottom line is is that animals don't have a conscious - not in the way humans do.

there's no way Jim could have been thinking "mummy doesn't even want to look at me" as he doesn't even have the brain capacity to think like that. these animals only know a few things: to pass on their genes and breed to ensure their species survival, fear to help stay out of danger, and physical pain to remind them not to do that thing again.

but also, as harsh as this is - it doesn't matter anymore. Jim is gone.

I have learned that beating yourself up really does nothing.

you can not change the past. I can not change the past.

I have spent so much time beating myself up over things - oh how I should have done that for Snoopy or this or what if that. but the reality is it doesn't matter. he is gone, dead. no amount of mentally torturing myself will change what happened or bring him back. the only thing I can do is learn from it and better how I cared for him.

I can remember him yes, I cry over him yes, I wish that things had been different, I do. but sitting here "what if I did something wrong" doesn't change anything. beating myself up and going over every scenario "what if I just did this oh I'm such an idiot" doesn't change it.

Snoopy is gone, Jims is gone. neither of us can change that.

mentally torturing yourself "I did it wrong!" or "what if he had thought this" (which he doesn't process the mental capacity to do) isn't helpful for you. you are only making yourself more miserable and upset. you are only puting things into your head and making yourself upset. you are only beating yourself up which doesn't change anything.

not to say it doesn't hurt, because it does. but what you are doing to yourself will not change anything.

the past is the past - to quote the Lion King "you got to put your behind in your past."

gentle hugs, and reminder to not beat yourself up x

 

[William]

other animals don't think like us - and while we are animals too, we are far more advanced that any other animal on our planet. we've had civilisation and have far different processing brains than other animals. we're far more advanced genetically, mostly thanks to evolution.

rabbits do not feel nor think the way we do. the only thing that they really feel is fear, and the only reason they feel that is because its vital for their flight or fight to kick in. otherwise, they probably would not feel it at all. other than that, they do not really "feel" like us. they can not think. they can not process information like us.

they can of course feel pain too. but this probably isn't in a emotional pain scenario, this is a physical pain response. I am not sure if rabbits have the ability to feel "emotional pain", and its not to the same extent as humans.

other animals are more advanced, dogs seem to feel happiness and love us. other animals just aren't (yet) capable of that.

animals do not think nor feel the way we do, emotionally we're probably the most advanced. animals do not have those emotions, they do not really have "free will" - following patterns mostly for breeding cycles or weather. they can not do things out of spite, despite what people believe.

in all honesty imho humanising animals is what often causes them to suffer. people won't spay/neuter their animals for "fears of how the animal feels". they will not to this or that as "what if the animal doesn't want it" or similar. they won't put a suffering animal to sleep because of "the pets feelings".

the reality is is that we are putting these human emotions onto animals that they do not feel. animals follow patterns, they do not have free will as we do.

animals don't (currently) tend to feel emotions that are necessary. they have what they need to survive, which is often the emotion fear & physical pain, and that is all they need. other emotions would cause them issues, such as needing more recourses for the energy expended on them.

the bottom line is is that animals don't have a conscious - not in the way humans do.

there's no way Jim could have been thinking "mummy doesn't even want to look at me" as he doesn't even have the brain capacity to think like that. these animals only know a few things: to pass on their genes and breed to ensure their species survival, fear to help stay out of danger, and physical pain to remind them not to do that thing again.

but also, as harsh as this is - it doesn't matter anymore. Jim is gone.

I have learned that beating yourself up really does nothing.

you can not change the past. I can not change the past.

I have spent so much time beating myself up over things - oh how I should have done that for Snoopy or this or what if that. but the reality is it doesn't matter. he is gone, dead. no amount of mentally torturing myself will change what happened or bring him back. the only thing I can do is learn from it and better how I cared for him.

I can remember him yes, I cry over him yes, I wish that things had been different, I do. but sitting here "what if I did something wrong" doesn't change anything. beating myself up and going over every scenario "what if I just did this oh I'm such an idiot" doesn't change it.

Snoopy is gone, Jims is gone. neither of us can change that.

mentally torturing yourself "I did it wrong!" or "what if he had thought this" (which he doesn't process the mental capacity to do) isn't helpful for you. you are only making yourself more miserable and upset. you are only puting things into your head and making yourself upset. you are only beating yourself up which doesn't change anything.

not to say it doesn't hurt, because it does. but what you are doing to yourself will not change anything.

the past is the past - to quote the Lion King "you got to put your behind in your past."

gentle hugs, and reminder to not beat yourself up x

I think you've got a good point there about beating yourself up. I'm trying to remember this.

I agree that Jims certainly wasn't thinking that, and that animals don't think like us, and humanizing them is bad because people need to clearly understand their pets and animals in general. E.g. your betta fish will not be lonely, your rabbit doesn't care that you're spaying her and depriving her of having babies, etc.

I disagree though that animals mostly don't have emotions except for fear and physical pain. Animals (not just dogs) definitely have a range of emotions. They just aren't as emotionally complex as we are. Otherwise they'd basically be just a step above a rock. I think people not understanding this stuff causes people not to value them, which is way more dangerous than people humanizing them. You know, like, why does it matter if cows, sheep and pigs are treated badly - after all they can't feel happiness. That's just not true at all. They feel some of the same kind of pleasures in things that we do.

 

[rachylou]

I think you've got a good point there about beating yourself up. I'm trying to remember this.

I agree that Jims certainly wasn't thinking that, and that animals don't think like us, and humanizing them is bad because people need to clearly understand their pets and animals in general. E.g. your betta fish will not be lonely, your rabbit doesn't care that you're spaying her and depriving her of having babies, etc.

I disagree though that animals mostly don't have emotions except for fear and physical pain. Animals (not just dogs) definitely have a range of emotions. They just aren't as emotionally complex as we are. Otherwise they'd basically be just a step above a rock. I think people not understanding this stuff causes people not to value them, which is way more dangerous than people humanizing them. You know, like, why does it matter if cows, sheep and pigs are treated badly - after all they can't feel happiness. That's just not true at all. They feel some of the same kind of pleasures in things that we do.

I believe they definetly have emotions, when Jims was a baby/toddler he was a little monkey, he would chew the wall and check I was watching and when i would tell him off he would do it again then i would walk over to him and he would binky away and then do it again so he had a cheeky and miscbevious side for sure.
Cookie gave Dan the silent treatment when he went back to work after a long period off looking after me, the day he came back she turned her back to him when he went to see her then she peeked round to check he was watching and turned back again quickly.