Basics of rabbit behavior:
Training fosters happier and healthier rabbits
It is easier to train rabbits if you understand that their behavior is usually motivated by one of three things:
- their natural need and inclination to chew and dig. See article Rabbits & Chewing
- their need to communicate and our tendency to require words for understanding communications
- the social structure as seen by rabbits, in which all members of the family relate to them by way of a pecking (nipping?) order.
Age and behavior:
Older rabbits are easier to train than younger rabbits, especially babies. A rabbit’s attention span and knack for learning increases as they grow up. If you have a baby, stick with it! And if you are deciding whether to adopt an older rabbit, or litter train your older rabbit, go for it!
Young rabbits have more energy, more need to explore, and (hopefully) less training than older rabbits have. Like puppies, bunnies love to chew. Like older dogs, rabbits may still enjoy chewing, but not to the extent they did when young. Rabbits chew to wear down their teeth, which grow continuously, but they chew non-food items because they need to explore the world through taste and texture, they need to build strong jaw muscles, and just because it’s fun. Perhaps older rabbits chew less because they know the taste and texture of the world and need only food to keep their teeth worn-down and their jaws strong. In any case, time is on your side when it comes to a rabbit’s inclination to chew your great-aunt’s antique buffet. On the other hand, training does not happen by itself or simply with time.
For the companions in a family to live in harmony, a companion (human) must be committed to giving time and effort to the companion (animals) of the family. If you aren’t able or willing to commit to a minimum of 30 minutes a day of concentrated training, until the desired results have been achieved, you shouldn’t bring companion (animal)s into your home.
Preparation:Does spaying or neutering affect behaviour?
Yes! This is often the most important factor. When rabbits reach the age of 4-6 months, their hormones become active and they usually begin marking their territory. By spaying or neutering your rabbit he will be more likely to use his litterbox, as well as be much healthier and happier. Finally, NEVER, EVER attempt to use training alone to keep a rabbit from something that can cause harm or death. Toxic house plants and electrical wires should be impossible for a rabbit to reach. Counting on training or “the way she’s always behaved” with respect to such things is asking for an accident that could leave you deeply grief- stricken and your rabbit in terrible pain or even dead.
