How to train and play with a rabbit, rules of upbringing at home
A domestic rabbit can be trained like a cat or dog. Ornamental and farm breeds are litter-trained and respond to their own name. Savvy animals walk on a leash and jump over obstacles. If you treat your pet with care and patience, it will get used to the hands and learn to play without biting. Trust is at the core of successful rabbit training.
What breeds are trainable?
Of the large breeds, flanders are distinguished by their quick wit and good nature. Rabbits grow up to 67 centimeters in length and weigh 7-10 kilograms on average. Gray-reddish-white and big-eared, they look like giant hares. The offshoots of the breed are gray and white giants, as well as Belgian, German, English breeding species.
Flanders are farm meat-skin rabbits that are sometimes kept as pets. Of the decorative rocks intended for keeping in an apartment, the following are the most clever:
- dwarf short-haired - with small erect ears and a rounded nose;
- Dutch bicolor - gray-white eared eared similar to a bunny, with ears on the top of the head and an intelligent face;
- fox - a red animal with sharp ears, looks like a fox;
- a lion's head - a rabbit with a curly, slightly disheveled head;
- lop-eared ram - their long ears hang freely. Sheep do not hear well, but they love to play and become attached to the owner;
- squirrel - an animal with a mischievous muzzle of a squirrel and a red color.
Rabbits perceive learning as communication and play. Curious animals take part in the process with interest and learn simple tricks.
When is the best time to start training?
Training begins with three-month-old rabbits. At this age, they understand commands faster and are rarely aggressive. The character is shown by adult animals that lived with other owners.
Raising an older decorative rabbit is more difficult, as it will take twice as much time and patience. Thanks to a friendly attitude, the animal will get used to the voice and hands. Each response of the animal should be encouraged with a treat. It is believed that rabbits with higher intelligence show aggression and unwillingness to obey commands.
Rabbit training rules
From an early age, you need to create safe and calm conditions for the animal. You cannot yell at rabbits, show anger and irritation. Otherwise, the pet will feel danger and lose confidence.If the animal calmly reacts to the presence of the owner, it can be toilet trained, sit on your hands and walk on a leash.
To tray
How to train your bunny to be hygienic:
- put a litter box in the corner of the cage that your pet uses as a toilet;
- rearrange the feeder to the opposite corner;
- transfer to the tray waste left by the rabbit elsewhere in the cage.
You can put grass, sawdust or toilet-smelling straw in the tray. Rewarding your pet with a treat after every successful toilet trip will cement the result.
To hands
In a new house, the animal needs time to get used to the owner. How to help him get comfortable and tame:
- let sit in a cage for 2-3 days. The accustomed pet will eat, sleep and wash;
- when serving food, talk quietly and affectionately with an eared eared, call his nickname. The owner will associate the rabbit with food, not danger, and the animal will learn to respond to its name;
- offer a treat from your hand. The bunny may bite, but this is a natural first reaction to a new object. Gradually, the pet will calmly take the treat;
- when the pet gets used to eating from the hand, try stroking it. After the rabbit has eaten the treat, rub behind the ear with your finger and then offer the food again.
The pet will remember that the hand means food. If you put an empty palm in front of him, he will begin to sniff it, look for a treat and allow himself to be lifted. In order not to disappoint your pet, you need to treat him with a treat from the other hand.
On occasion and walks
In the same way, the rabbit is taught to walk on a leash in stages:
- put a harness next to it so that the animal does not perceive it as a hostile object;
- put on for 10 minutes a day and gradually increase the time;
- when the eared ear gets used to walking in a harness for a long time, they fasten the leash and walk at home, as if on the street.
If the pet obediently walks on a lead, it is taken out for a walk on the grass in the yard.
Teaching your rabbit simple commands
Before starting the training, you need to draw up a trick plan: write down the sequence of actions and commands in order to repeat them without changes. So the pet will remember what a certain word means and how it should act. The treat serves only as a sign that he correctly understood the owner. The main thing in training is to develop the language of communication with the animal.
Name
For the rabbit to remember its nickname, it must be short with hissing and whistling sounds. The animal must be called, offering food. Learning to the name successfully takes place during the period of adaptation to a new place.
Making a rack
To discipline a rabbit, start with a simple exercise:
- put the animal on the floor;
- raise with one hand by the front legs, saying “to stand”;
- with the second hand, show the treat and pull it up so that the rabbit also stretches;
- hold the treat over the pet's head and gradually remove your hand from under the paws so that it stays in a straight position.
The exercise can be divided into two stages: first, learn the hand-supported stance, and then gradually remove the palm.
Jumping over obstacles
How to master rabbit show jumping:
- set a low obstacle;
- bring him on a leash and pull him forward slightly so that he jumps;
- if the pet slows down in front of an obstacle, entice him with a treat and set the direction with a leash, giving the command "jump".
When the rabbit has mastered the low jump, the leash can be removed and the jump bar raised.
Flip the saucer
How to teach an animal to turn a flat plate:
- put a treat in front of him and cover with a saucer;
- give the command "seek".
To get your pet dexterous, you can start with a deeper and lighter dish - a plastic cup. Then cover the food with a ceramic bowl and then go to the saucer.
How to play with a pet rabbit?
The path of a rabbit walking around an apartment unattended can be traced through gnawed furniture and wallpaper. Curious animals need to be occupied with games and toys, like children.
At first, it is better to accompany the animal during the exploration of the apartment, to allow you to examine and sniff interesting objects. If the eared eagle climbed into a forbidden place or began to gnaw something, you need to let him know with a command that this should not be done.
Selection of bunny toys
If there is not enough time to play, toys will take the pet's attention:
- light rubber ball;
- wooden rodent in the form of a carrot or other shape;
- any small toys for dogs or cats.
Rabbits love to bury themselves under bedspreads. In order not to accidentally sit on the pet, you need to give him a linen towel, from which he will make a nest for himself. For the eared, you can put it on the floor cozier with toys. He will also enjoy sharpening his teeth on a cardboard toilet paper sleeve and rolling it on the floor.
Rabbits like to chew on paper and cardboard. Especially for these purposes, it is good to select a separate box, make holes in its walls at different heights, and put old magazines, newspapers, branches of fruit trees inside. A soft toy smaller than your pet will become its best friend while the owner is busy.
Rabbit games
Rabbits, accustomed to their owners, willingly play hide and seek. For the eared, the sudden disappearance of the "big brother" becomes a surprise, and he begins to actively look for the loss. Other simple and interesting games:
- catch-up - it's better to catch up with the rabbit on all fours so as not to scare him;
- with a ball - roll the ball to the pet so that he rolls it back in response. The animal will learn to wear a toy in its teeth and bring it;
- tunnel - construct a branched system of plastic bottles and teach the eared to crawl inside.
Rabbits love to climb heights. The animals will love the multi-level house with ladders, which can be made from planks. Hang toys-pendants on each floor - bells, figures, balls.
Teaching your rabbit a non-aggressive play style
A pet can react sharply if it rests or feels danger. If the eared is ready to play, he will bring the toy himself.
What to do if your pet bites while playing:
- divert attention with a treat;
- remove your hand and wait a couple of minutes for the animal to calm down, and then stroke it.
You should not interrupt the game and close the rabbit in the cage. He has unspent energy left, which he will throw out in another way - turn the feeder or drinker over. Rabbits are intelligent animals with an individual character that do not tolerate rudeness. They show obedience in response to kindness and patience.
