Do they know what we say??

[LuvMyRabbits]

Hello everyone.. I'm wondering how much bunnies understand as far as words go that us humans use...I'm asking because I swear Spirit understands everything I say to her and it amazes me lol :blushan:..When shes doing something wrong and I say her name she will look at me with this face like she knows she's been bad and she will stop...also when I say cage to them at night they run right over to their cages so I know they understand at least that word.. but with her I think she understands when I say things to her just because she will listen and look at me like she understands..I know dogs understand alot of what humans say but I'm not sure how bunnies are as far as this goes.. this really intrests me because these are my first bunnies and I had no idea how clever and smart they really are and more and more each day shes looking like she understands me when I talk to her...I dunno maybe I need to seek some professional help lol

Wondering what your expierences are with your bunnies understanding words.

 

[Flashy]

I would love to say mine understand everything I say, and sometimes I truly think they do, but I think tone of voice plays a large part although some can recognise their names and such.

I remember one day it was snowing and I said to Dawn 'wow, it's snowing, go and look at the snow Dawn' and he poddled over and sat looking out of the window for a while.

the other day I was telling Sky he was the most important of all importants and little Badger came over and started licking my leg which he hardly ever does.

There are so many times when its easy to humanise them and think they understand but I don't see how they can.

Sky definitely understand when I give him the butt though (he was giving me the butt so I gave it back and he can nudging round then ran off and gave me the butt from a distance casually looking over his shoulder to check I had seen). He was pretty annoyed at me that day.

 

[Saudade]

I'd say they have about the intelligence of a four or five year old? I mean they can understand basic relationships between words and objects, ball means ball, daddy means male figure, colors? maybe... I know lucy chooses red over blue anyday, she loves the color red. She'll sleep on whichever side of the cage I drap the red towel and won't sleep near the blue towel.

They can be trained to do tricks etc. they're intelligent, they know their name...

Four or five year old might be too old, I'm not good with little children... I was reading at five... so maybe 2-3 year old? At the very least think of a person like forrest gump, they're simple, really simple, but they're not dumb not like sheep...

 

[Brandy456]

I don't know if they understand what we're saying, but the tone we use.

 

[polly]

Mine seem to understand bedtime, no, their name and they def. know sweeties and biscuits!!!

 

[LuvaBun]

I think tone does have a lot to do with it, and also how much we talk to them. I talk to mine like they were kids, and sometimes I feel like they react like kids. They all know their names, certain foods ('nana drives them crazy as they know it's banana time ), when they've done something good, when they do something bad (but they don't care ). And they now also know 'careful', if I'm carrying something hot, or if they are in the way when I'm closing their door.

I guess I just assume they know me well enough to understand

Jan

 

[Jess4921]

Smudges seems like he knows "Go back up the stairs!" of "Go in your room!" because he always listens, LOL! He also knows that when you shake the treat container, hes gonna get some nommies.

 

[MikeScone]

Certainly tone of voice matters, but I know Scone understands spoken English, at least to some extent. Without doubt he understands his name and a large number of one- and two-word phrases or commands (breakfast, bedtime, snack, treat, up, and so on). His understanding goes beyond that, though.

Not long after he became essentially free-run, I saw him in the bathroom. He won't go onto linoleum, so he leaps from rug to rug. I wanted to get a picture of him doing it, so I ran into my room and grabbed the camera, then sat down in the bathroom. Scone leaped from the rug by the bathtub over to the rug in front of the sink, but I wasn't ready. I said, "I missed that, Scone - go back and try again." He looked over his shoulder at the other rug...

... then turned around and hopped from rug-to-rug, and then back again.

Then he looked at me as if saying, "there, Dad. Was that good?" That was the first time I had an idea that he knew more than I'd suspected.

Once I had a meeting of a group at my house, and when the house started to fill up I said to Scone, "there are too many people, Scone, it's time to go into your cage". He knows the command, "go in", but that was only part of the phrase and I said it in a completely conversational tone of voice. Nonetheless, he turned around and ran into his cage (then stood up to see where the treat was).

So, yes - they know what we say.

 

[kirbyultra]

Wow Mike - that's amazing. Real nice shot, too!

Kirby knows when I am taunting him... he has a tendency to be naughty and throw his plate of lettuce down his condo ramp. I'll say "No-no, Kirby. That's not good. Good bunnies don't do that." He turns and looks at me as if to say "I am a bad boy bun!" and down the plate of lettuce goes. Also when I take his litter box out to clean, sometimes he'll want to poop before I am done. I can tell because he'll be sitting where the box usually is. I'll say "no-no, Kirby. No pooping yet." And he will hop out of the condo and wait for me. When I first got him, he was good with the litter box but would poop in the spot while I was cleaning it. We've repeated this scenario a few times, and he seems to be getting it when I say no-no.

Kirby is my <3 bunny... he picks up on my tone and general mood. When I am sad, he is extra sweet. When I am angry, he responds by becoming scared. Rabbits know a lot.

 

[Pet_Bunny]

Pebbles knows "Litter Box" when I say it. She gets naughty when she wants to pee on the floor, and when I catch her lifting her tail up to pee, I yell litter box and she scampers to the nearest box to pee.