Rabbit personalities

[Niomi]

Nine years ago I adopted a rescue, and I still have the paperwork on how they determined his personality. I thought I would share an abridged list of the things they looked at. This was done with the help of a computer program.

Is he good with children under 8? How much bunny-proofing does he need? What is his activity level? Is he suitable for a first time rabbit adopter? What type of home environment would he be alright with, calm? busy? alright with being left alone? Would he be alright with other pets in the house? What is his social interaction like, does he enjoy being around people and other pets? Would he make a good candidate for a therapy animal? Agility candidate?

Rabbits were then labeled with a personality type:
RESILIENT: Okay with noises, pets and children. Does not get stressed out by going to the vet. Tolerate being picked up and held.
SUBMISSIVE: Tolerant of being held, petted and groomed. Does not seek to be alfa by grunts or nipping. Prefers a quiet environment and tends to hide when noise or activity level is high.
MELLOW: Often prefers to relax and lounge instead of running. Little interest in toys. Rarely nips or grunts and is less likely to get into mischief, needs little bunnyproofing and tolerates being picked up and held for short periods of time.
SOCIALITE: Likes to be around humans and other animals. Comes to greet people and seeks out attention. Wants to be where the activity is and enjoys being part of the family.
DOMINANT: I was not given a definition on this type of personality because my rabbit did not have a dominant personality. My rabbit scored high in resilient and socialite, and had medium scores in mellow and submissive.

 

[Butterscotch]

Very interesting! I would be curious to hear how they described dominant. I wish they had included that information there. Thanks for sharing!

 

[Niomi]

My rabbit was one of the first rabbits that they used this program on. I had him for a couple of months when the Humane Society sent me an email and asked me to answer questions so they could try the program. Now, my guess is that the local rabbit society fosters as many adoptable rabbits as they can, and then fills out the questionnaire. Then the rabbits are labeled with a personality type, such as: Eager Explorer, Calm Cuddler, or Social Butterfly.

 

[Niomi]

I found some more information on rabbit profiles. Dominant is also called Individualist. They are described as being independent, not actively seeking attention, wants attention on their own terms, keeps busy with toys and ripping up cardboard, and gets into mischief due to boredom.

 

[Butterscotch]

I found some more information on rabbit profiles. Dominant is also called Individualist. They are described as being independent, not actively seeking attention, wants attention on their own terms, keeps busy with toys and ripping up cardboard, and gets into mischief due to boredom.

Sounds exactly like a little naughty doe of mine....