How do I get my bunny to come when called? ...

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BunnyMommy

BunnyMommy

Well-Known Member
Joined
Apr 12, 2004
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Location
, Georgia, USA
Hello again, everyone. As you can imagine, my sweet little bunny has a mind of his own.

My question is this: Is it possible to train him to come whencalled or must I simply accept that he has a mind of his own and justget with his plan? :? He recognizes hisname, he knows when I'm calling him; he just simplycontinues to go along and do just what he's doing at any given momentand I have to practically go and "herd" him or pick him up to get himto go where I want him to go or to come to me.

Thanks in advance!
 
Some will, most won't. Depends upon thebun. Easiest method is to bribe him with a treat you know hecan't resist. Make him aware you have the treat in hand, stepa few steps away and offer it to him, while saying,"Come!" Ifhe comes, give it to him and attempt to pet him and make a big fuss,preferably in a high pitched, cooing voice, like one might talk to ababy child.

Keep repeating that sequence over time, while gradually steppingfurther away.. Hopefully, he'll make the connection and startto come running every time. Once that is accomplished, startbacking off on the treat and substituting the petting and attention asthe primary reward.

Most of our five buns don't come and we consider ourselves lucky if theoutside free ranging buns(during the day)simply allow us topick them up when it is time to place them in their hutches for theevening. More often than not, we end up chasing them aroundthe yard with a long handled crab net until we,either, corner them, ornet them.:p

Buck
 
LOL! :D Oh, I'm laughing so hard that my tummy aches!

Thanks, Buck! I see that my bun is just exhibiting true "rabbitude".

It's good to know that I'm not the only one who has to chase bunnies at the end of the day to make them go into their "house".

Will let you know if I make any progress in getting him to come when called.

(still laughing!)
 
You may find that rustling a bag and giving atreat will help to train your bunny to come when called. Wehad a rabbit that would come running when we opened the fridge becauseshe knew there were grapes in there :) One day she grabbedthe entire bag and took off with them!

Our little hamster also cannot resist the rustling of a bag and will come running :)

Pam
 
Hi BunnyMommy,

98% of the time, Tucker always comes whenI call out hisname. If he doesn't, I getvery worried that there'ssomething wrong or he's locked in my other room. There wasonly one time that I can recall that he didn't come and that wasbecause he was in my bedroom, hiding under the bed. He KNOWSthat room is off limits. (Troublemaker!!)

As Buck and Pam pointed out,a treat goes a long way in thetraining of that. Sometimes if he doesn't want tostop, he'll race around me in a circle to let me know that he's aliveand well. He doesn't always get a treat from me anymore andcalling him doesn't insure he'll stay with me, but he does check-inwhen I do call Tucker. He usually makes me call him"Tucker-Bucker" twice to get him to respond, I guesshe wantsto be certain that I want him. They sure can be stubborn,ey? I know exactly what the ignoring you attitude is allabout.

He'll come to my niece and nephew as well when they callhim. It always shocks people that he knows his nameand he responds to "get in your box."

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

Buck,

What was the book you were reading at one point about the lady thatsays that they understand commands? I think I had heard itonce that rabbits can understand up to 50 words, but don't recall fromwhere. It was a book, but unfortunately, I don't rememberwhich one.

-Carolyn



 
Carolyn, I just love reading about Tucker'sexploits and experiences! He sounds like the most wonderfulbunny! And how gracious of him to go ahead and come whencalled ... I wish that he could have a little "talk" with mySherman. :?

Thank you to both Carolyn and carrots for your input!:dude: Will let you all know how it goes. I've justfound out that in addition to apples Sherman simply goes WILD overpineapple! I think that I may have found myenticement. ;)
 


Hi BunnyMommy,

:)

If I'm not mistaken, pineapple is good for the little man as wellbecause it helps to clean the digestive system. Ever notice any'hanging poops' on the wire of his cage after he eats it? That's a signthat there was hair in his 'tubes' that were cleaned out. Sorry to getgraphic, but it's a good sign. (Moderation is the key due to sugar inmy view though.) Rabbit pellets a few at a time are also a treat to thelittle ones.

Thanks so much for your nice nice words about my Tucker. He's morehuman than most of my co-workers. :? He's definitely more fun andchallenging, I can tell you that!

Just out of curiosity, when I've called him tonight, I noticed that heWould Not Come until I called him twice in a row. Or unless I say,"Come here Tucker Bucker Bucker Boy!" but that would sound like Tuckertwice too. Rabbits and how they think: Who Knows!

I enjoy your input to this forum very much.

-Carolyn
 


Ya know, BunnyMommy, you really got me thinkin. :?

I'm watching what I'm doing with Tucker that makes him come when I call him.

When I first got him, I realized that if I sat on the floor in front ofmy couch, he would hop up on the couch. I definitely got more visitsfrom him that way. He likes resting his front paws on my shoulder andbeing eye-to-eye with me. I'm more comfortable now on the floor restingon the couch than I am sitting on the couch. Bottom Line: Tuckertrained me to where I should sit if I wanted his Company.

Tonight, without even realizing it, I said out loud, "Look a daBayyyy-beee Boooooooyyy!!!" and he came running and skidded on thecouch next to my shoulder. I talk to him without even realizing itmyself. I'm so used to him being there that I call him all the time andhe always comes running and looks at me like, "What?" (My father drovemy mother crazy with that trait, and I guess I have it!) Another time,I said, without realizing it...."WHO'S da most bootiful baby in daWORLD???" and he came skidding into my shoulder again.
After he went in his litter box like a good boy "without being asked",before I knew it, I was Nose to Nose with a Rabbit I got two kisses onthe nose and then a stretched out neck and eyes looking towards thetreat basket.

He'll take what he can get from me, be it a treat of a cheer.

Don't underestimate talking to your rabbit. I talk to Tucker all thetime and I'm constantly amazed at his body language to what I say.

You'll develop a relationship and a way that you and your rabbit willconnect, and when you do, you have to tell us your stories!

-Carolyn
 
My bunny is deaf.... lol. She never comes to me.She only comes to me when I pretend I'm dead... then she just sniffs atmy face and hops all over me, then goes backto running aroundthe room.... so, yeah... I dont think most bunnys come to you just bycalling them.
 
lol,I find if I pretend that I don'twant them around me, they come! I call them and no way are they comingto me! But try to take pictures and you have to run from them becausethay always have to be right there!

Carolyn,

That's very sweet, I don't have that relationship with my bunnies quiteyet. But it's quite good for about 10 to 11 months of having them.Mocha loves to investigate mom and Spice like to be glued to my leg. Inotice more now then ever how friendly Spice is only with me, he alwayswants pats from me, I guess I just have to work up on the trust scalewith them. Mocha trusts me enough to flop on my lap, but he trustseveryone, includig dogs!
 

Michelle,

Is your bunny RRREALLY deaf or just doing what she wants? Hmmmm.... They play that game ya know. "Selective Hearing".

You try what Pam says about shaking a bag or box of yogurt treats and see how deaf she is then!
;)

* * * * * * * * *

M&SMom,

It took Tucker about a year and 1/2 and then some to trust me. Hedidn't want anything to do with me, and believe me, I didn't push him.I didn't Dare! I was afraid that he'd have the mind of an elephant andnever forget if I did.

He'd be on the floor relaxing and I'd go to pet him and he'd run away.This is the little stinker who's litter I was changing, feeding himdaily, sending as much love to him that I possibly could and I couldn'ttouch him! :X

Finally, His Majesty let me touch his pretty fur. I didn't dare takeadvantage. I kept my body away from him and reached out to pet himtwice, then walked by him like he wasn't there. I had to do that acouple hundred times and we slowly grew from there.

"Rome wasn't built in a day"

:?

Believe me, I've Earned every bit of bunny love that I get!

-Carolyn
 
lol, Spice is like that, Mocha on the other handlets me lay right beside him and play with his feet and pet his belly,he just loves it.
 
WHAT happens to us? I find myself calling Jezebel(if I want her majesty's attention that is.....) Fuzzybell??????ohhhhhhhh my ! I never, ever, EVER even tickle a baby's chin let alonetalk like that! But like Carolyn said, she will answer to what sheprefers (depending on the day, say she is having a good hair day, orher "scarf" is looking particularily elegant-dewlap) They love toignore certain words, and one of them is "time to go home" since I knowthey know it, for when I say it-Jade makes a mad dash for the wrongcage to distract me while Jezebel races for behind the couch. I swearif rabbits could laugh, my two get such a good chuckle on a dailybasis. All in all though I would have to say yes, they KNOW theirnames~but choose not to respond to them
 
I think she really is deaf. She doesn't respond toanything. You can yell all you want, clap as loud as you want, she justsits there. Even when you have your treat box shaking near her shedoesn't respond. My guess is that my brothers drums made her deaf. Whoknows...
 


Aww, that's a shame, Michelle. :X I suspect your correct.

-Carolyn
 
I think she can hear a little bit, like if I doclap as loud as I can she'll twitch her ears or move a little bit, butshe doesn't jump like she used to. So either she's just used to thenoise, or she's gone partially deaf.
 
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