Clicker Training

[Misschief]

I was so excited to see that you can clicker train a rabbit, my Dalmatian is clicker trained so I am familiar with the theory but my questions are:

1. Can older rabbits be taughts commands and be introduced to a clicker?
2. What do rabbits highly favour? what is a "treat" to a rabbit?

 

[Moochyesh]

Marci goes crazy over (Unsalted) Banana chips.. We use those as her treats.

 

[JBun]

Raisins, craisins, banana, apple, oats, but you need to be careful about overdoing the fruit and treats with rabbits, as with some rabbits it can cause serious digestive issues. If your rabbit likes carrots then little pieces of carrots might be a better treat because it's not as sugary as fruit, so you will be able to use more of it for training. Whatever treat you end up using, make sure to slowly introduce it into the diet in small amounts and keep an eye out for soft poops or abnormally small ones. Also remember that dried fruit is much more concentrated than fresh, and so you should use much less of it.

 

[Misschief]

Raisins, craisins, banana, apple, oats, but you need to be careful about overdoing the fruit and treats with rabbits, as with some rabbits it can cause serious digestive issues. If your rabbit likes carrots then little pieces of carrots might be a better treat because it's not as sugary as fruit, so you will be able to use more of it for training. Whatever treat you end up using, make sure to slowly introduce it into the diet in small amounts and keep an eye out for soft poops or abnormally small ones. Also remember that dried fruit is much more concentrated than fresh, and so you should use much less of it.

What about dried flowers? whats like the chocolate of flowers/plants for rabbits

 

[Katielovesleo3]

1. Yes, but I like to think of them more as cues not commands. Commands are more of a do as I say or else. And a cue is a opportunity for the animal to earn reinforcement.
2. All the things they said above. I cut up "petite" sized baby carrots up reall teeny tiny so he doesn't fill up fast. Smaller than the size of my pinky nail. I cut up about 25 of those per session. Only one session per day for us.

 

[JBun]

Every rabbit is going to have a different preference for what it likes best. Generally rabbits have a sweet tooth, so the more sweet something is, the more they usually like it, but every rabbit is different. I think dandelions and lavender flowers may be ok, but I don't know if it's something that would get a rabbit very excited about. You'll just want to make sure that any flowers you use are safe for rabbits to eat. Just try different things out to see what your rabbit is going to like best, but always introduce one new food at a time and in small amounts so that if it gives your rabbit digestive trouble, then you will know what exactly is causing it and can stop feeding it.

I would try the less sugary treats with your rabbit first because once it gets the sugary ones, it may not like the less sugary ones as well. Things like craisins, are a bit like bunny crack, that's how well some rabbits like those sugary things.

 

[missyscove]

When I was clicker training Timmy (who has since passed away), I just used his regular pellets as his treats. He got excited enough for breakfast that he was willing to eat them out of my hand and thought they were really something special.

 

[Misschief]

Thanks for the advice guys, much appreciated.