Do Bunnies Think?

[lilewis]

At what level (in human age) do 1-2 year old bunnies think?
Or do they ever think?
Sometimes our bunny just veg's out im the cage and stares at the wall and I wonder if he's thinking of something or his mind is just blank.
Other times he acts like our best friend, coming over to sit with us on a chair/sofa and watching tv for 30+ min while we pet him. He's turned out to be a wonderful comfort pet.
But with no voice or expressions, sometimes I just want to know what he's thinking.
He's so friendly to all, no longer destructive, and earned the right to do whatever he wants and we all give him that freedom now.
But still I wonder what this wonderful little bunny brain thinks about.
Someday the Dr. Dolittle story will become a reality. I wish it to be today.

 

[Jocee]

Ha I'm sure Bunnies do think, Bella seems to think too much and figure stuff out, one of her babies is exactly the same (always the first to figure it out).

 

[JBun]

Yep, they think. In fact some are too clever for their own good I had one bun that was just so smart, she was always managing to get into some sort of mischief.

That blank stare you're seeing, is likely your bun sleeping. Rabbits being a prey animal, can sleep in a semi alert state, in case they have to suddenly take off due to danger. So they can sleep with their eyes wide open.

To better understand bunny body language and what your bun is communicating, I would recommend clicking on the link 'rabbit body language ' in this article below. It covers it all really well.

https://rabbitsindoors.weebly.com/bonding-with-your-bunny.html

 

[Mileybun]

Miley definitely thinks about... something
I can see the cogs whirring away in there!

 

[Catlyn]

Rabbits certainly think and contemplate and make decisions among other things. Many a time they will also give signs of thinking when they're about to do something, but are not yet entirely certain about it. My boy Storm, for example, would always sit expectantly, head raised high, before he made any jump. He was clearly announcing his plans to do so, but most likely wanted someone to have his back. Musti would come immediately when i called his name and snipped my fingers, but Iris will take a long hard moment of staring me down to think if she wants to come or not.
Language of Lagomorphs was a great site for rabbit language, but it appears to have been taken down. This thread Language of Lagomorphs, is it gone forever? contains a file that has the information recorded though. So if you haven't had a chance to look through that yet, go ahead and do so.

 

[Orrin]

I've observed different levels of intelligence in our rabbits. By far the smartest was a newborn cottontail that was brought to us to save. (Dog dragged it from goodness knows where to a neighbor's door.)

The picture, below, tells me that cottontails can think, plan and even be artistic. The little rascal rounded up those cups that were scattered all over the room and arranged them as seen. Note how they are nested, alternating top and bottom.

Not only that, she had a sense of humor and played tricks on our domestic bunnies. She taught me a great deal of respect for her kind.

 

[lilewis]

Yep, they think. In fact some are too clever for their own good I had one bun that was just so smart, she was always managing to get into some sort of mischief.

That blank stare you're seeing, is likely your bun sleeping. Rabbits being a prey animal, can sleep in a semi alert state, in case they have to suddenly take off due to danger. So they can sleep with their eyes wide open.

To better understand bunny body language and what your bun is communicating, I would recommend clicking on the link 'rabbit body language ' in this article below. It covers it all really well.

https://rabbitsindoors.weebly.com/bonding-with-your-bunny.html

 

[lilewis]

Orrin, I love that photo!! It's definitely convincing.

 

[Jocee]

wow that is amazing

 

[TreasuredFriend]

@Orrin , A longtime friend whom I met when chaperoning a bunny date at the shelter continues to observe cottontail behavior on his property. As we do! I could write a chapter about cottontail behavior.

He would observe a yard cottontail stacking pie tin plates during wintertime supplements given out behind the bushes. Yup, when a dish was empty and another new dish was placed down on the ground, ms. cottontail would stack the emptied tins in a neat pile.

A released cottontail patient of mine hunkered under the Colorado Blue Spruce tree in our backyard. When hub shook a supplement container as colder temps arrived, she would hop toward the spot hub stood and do binky hops along the way.

Hub and I have been taking numerous photos of cottontails. One youngster does a contented dig for a minute, then does a flop and roll. - It is priceless to observe.

 

[lilewis]

@Orrin , A longtime friend whom I met when chaperoning a bunny date at the shelter continues to observe cottontail behavior on his property. As we do! I could write a chapter about cottontail behavior.

He would observe a yard cottontail stacking pie tin plates during wintertime supplements given out behind the bushes. Yup, when a dish was empty and another new dish was placed down on the ground, ms. cottontail would stack the emptied tins in a neat pile.

A released cottontail patient of mine hunkered under the Colorado Blue Spruce tree in our backyard. When hub shook a supplement container as colder temps arrived, she would hop toward the spot hub stood and do binky hops along the way.

Hub and I have been taking numerous photos of cottontails. One youngster does a contented dig for a minute, then does a flop and roll. - It is priceless to observe.

That's really interesting. Thanks

 

[Orrin]

I could write a chapter about cottontail behavior.

It is priceless to observe.

Thank you for chiming in with your charming anecdotes.

I feel that the cottontails in our yard are a priceless gift. I never fail to be thrilled to see them peacefully grazing on our lawn; and, they are out there almost every morning and evening. They seem to feel especially secure when our rabbits are out there, too.

There for a while it seemed as if predators had wiped out the population. In fact, I had put away our trail cameras that we used to keep track of them.

Then, one day I looked out at our bunny pasture and instead of there being two (we pair our rabbits), there were *three* of them out there. The third one was a cottontail! Some way and somehow it got through the fence to join our domestics. It made my day.

After that, our population exploded. We have at least three different litters out there this summer.

I don't expect anyone else to understand the depth of my love for cottontails; but, that isn't important. What's important is that I do.

 

[Bunnyman61]

My first ever rabbit Piper, a few months after I adopted her, stunned me with a wonderful display of intelligence one day. I awoke from sleep on my futon to see her staring at me. Once she had my attention, she ran around the futon to where my clear plastic water bottle lay beside it. She glanced at me, took a few steps back and then ran forward and head-butted the bottle, knocking it over. Then, after glancing at me again, she scurried around the futon to her water bowl, tapped the edge of it twice, and just stared at me. The bowl was empty, and she remained motionless in that spot next to it until I returned with a full bowl of H2O.

She was also a master sculptor, working primarly with the media of bathrobes and towels. Here is a glamour shot of her taken a few years before she passed at the age of ten in 2014:

 

[lilewis]

My first ever rabbit Piper, a few months after I adopted her, stunned me with a wonderful display of intelligence one day. I awoke from sleep on my futon to see her staring at me. Once she had my attention, she ran around the futon to where my clear plastic water bottle lay beside it. She glanced at me, took a few steps back and then ran forward and head-butted the bottle, knocking it over. Then, after glancing at me again, she scurried around the futon to her water bowl, tapped the edge of it twice, and just stared at me. The bowl was empty, and she remained motionless in that spot next to it until I returned with a full bowl of H2O.

She was also a master sculptor, working primarly with the media of bathrobes and towels. Here is a glamour shot of her taken a few years before she passed at the age of ten in

Wonderful story. And I'm sorry for your loss. She was very special.

 

[Nancy McClelland]

We communicate by telepathy--all I ever pick up is "feed me treats!"

 

[lilewis]

NAJAF,
You're right. We've been doing that and it's now clear that he's as comfortable with us as any human could be. Although he still likes to be alone and sleep during periods of the day, he spends a LOT of time cuddling with me and the rest of the family. What a perfect comfort animal and family member he is now.