Rabbit Clicker Training – First Steps

This video is in response to a request for guidance as to the first steps of training your rabbit. The PDSA and RSPCA guidelines for rabbit feeding are to us…

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43 Responses

  1. Year of Cheer
    | Reply

    This is great! I never new you could use a clicker to train bunnies. We
    have two of our own which we dressed up for a photo/video shoot for dress
    up your pet day, linked below. Ours both know their name and commands for
    treat and up, but I would like to get them to give paw and such. Thanks
    for the helpful video.

    January 14 – Dress Up Your Pet Day

  2. pepper0rabbit
    | Reply

    he is not ill but his nails are long, when he scratches me i bleed now.

  3. pepper0rabbit
    | Reply

    Only if the snow is melted
    

  4. pepper0rabbit
    | Reply

    Now pepper has to go to the vet and he’ll be very mad with me
    

  5. Kashif Kadri
    | Reply

    Woww!! Very nice your rabbit is too cute! I have too, I have white 1!

  6. pepper0rabbit
    | Reply

    this video is very useful for me thanks!

  7. Pewterrabbit1
    | Reply

    Fantastic!! Good work! Poor little rabbit – I’m so glad he’s got a good
    home! A lot of people don’t even realise that you can rescue rabbits – it’s
    such a lovely thing to do. Good luck with him.

  8. failer leader
    | Reply

    I have same kind his name Mitch :3

  9. Pewterrabbit1
    | Reply

    If you can teach her that if she comes to you when you whistle, she’ll get
    food, then you can play hide-and-seek (you hide and whistle, she comes to
    find you for food). That’s great for encouraging her to come forward. 🙂

  10. Marjolein Gijs
    | Reply

    Where can you buy?

  11. Lisa Grainger
    | Reply

    Will do! 🙂 do you know of any games I could play with my rabbit to boost
    her confidence ? 🙂 thanks x

  12. thumpersinclair
    | Reply

    Very informative I have a mini lop called thumper I am trying to train her
    just now does it work with carrots

  13. Dana Morton
    | Reply

    Hi there, this was really informative, thanks for posting. I have a bonded
    pair (plus a cat) and live in a studio apartment. Is it necessary to
    isolate the buns to start working with them? Or could I maybe use a
    different sound with each pet? At the moment they are both trained to eat
    out of my hand, so they both come running when they hear the bag of food
    rustling! It’s bunny mahem!

  14. Pewterrabbit1
    | Reply

    Thank you so much, that is lovely to hear! 🙂 With the go to command, I
    started with hand signals, getting him to go on to the mat when I pointed
    (initially he was standing next to it). When he was reliably doing that, I
    then started using the word ‘Mat’ as it was a very definite sound. I would
    say ‘Mat’ just before I pointed, and then gradually he could predict that
    ‘mat’ meant he should get on the mat! Hope that helps! 🙂 I still haven’t
    got Pewter to fetch…

  15. bluetomato1
    | Reply

    I have a somewhat complicated question about clicker training two rabbits
    at the same time! I have adopted a bonded pair, neither of which knows
    clicker training. The more skittish of the two cannot be separated from her
    sister without causing extreme alarm, but I am concerned about reinforcing
    incorrect behavior if I using the C/T and rewarding one bunny for behavior
    that the other is not performing. Short of separating them, is there
    anything I can do differently?

  16. Lisa Grainger
    | Reply

    Thanks so much I really enjoyed this and will definitely try it out 🙂

  17. Pewterrabbit1
    | Reply

    Hi Dana! Good question. It is more tricky to work with two buns – you might
    find it easier at first to isolate them (probably not completely, keep them
    within eyeshot) and then start working with them. Once they both have the
    idea, then work with them together – you have to be very quick at rewarding
    and try to use eye contact and body position to indicate which rabbit
    you’re working with. Sometimes the competition helps speed up learning
    (look at the nail filing video!) 🙂

  18. CL Harley
    | Reply

    I am going to clicker train my rabbit Freddie, he only has 3 legs due to
    the face that he is a rescue rabbit so I won’t be able to get him to stand
    lol, but I can get him to give me his paw and many others, great video!

  19. Pewterrabbit1
    | Reply

    Bodie can definitely be trained – start by teaching her to take food from
    your hands. Once she will do that, you can then ask her to do different
    things to earn a click and a reward. Pewter was 3 years old when I started
    working with him. 🙂

  20. MixMasterLuffy
    | Reply

    So is it a lot like clicker training a dog? I have experience with that but
    I’ve never had a bun.

  21. Caroline Rohrer
    | Reply

    My lop ear rabbit is 2 years old and scared of everything. Can she be
    clicker trainer or is she too old. Her name is Bodie.

  22. Pewterrabbit1
    | Reply

    I use the Burgess Suparabbit excel pellets – the actual rabbit food. My
    rabbits love it! Sometimes I vary it with tiny pieces of carrot, broccoli,
    apple etc (the size of my little fingernail). The perception of reward is
    increased if the animal never knows what it’s getting…

  23. Pewterrabbit1
    | Reply

    Good question! I’d suggest using two different ‘clicker’ reward sounds-
    perhaps a click for one and a bell or electronic beep for the other. It
    will be a little more confusing, but if you can spend a week consistently
    rewarding one rabbit when you click and the other when you make a beeping
    noise, then you should have rabbits that speak two different languages! I
    work with mine together and both use a click, but Pewt is a lot quicker
    than Babbitt and she sometimes gets frustrated…

  24. Pewterrabbit1
    | Reply

    Yeah, very similar. You just have to take things slightly slower and
    remember that a rabbit (unlike a dog) has no instinctive desire to please.
    You have to be very interesting and very rewarding for the rabbit. If
    you’ve clicker trained a dog, try clicker training another species as you
    can apply exactly the same techniques but learn a bit about the other
    species’ temperament as well! 🙂

  25. Solongo Tserendavaa
    | Reply

    Hi, very helpful video! I just got a mini/standar Rex and she’s 9 wks.
    She’s already litter trained and doing great in her cage. I’ve taken her
    out couple times to get acquainted with her new home, very curious and
    already explored the whole living room. I would like her to stay on my area
    rug (throughout is hardwood floor) and roam around as she wishes. How do I
    train her for that? I want to learn how to get her attention and start
    clicker training.

  26. Pewterrabbit1
    | Reply

    He was three when I made this video. He’s a Polish rabbit – they’re known
    for being very handsome but also quite timid. 🙂 Chinchillas are great fun
    – have you tried training yours? I’ve never trained one but I understand
    they are intelligent little creatures!

  27. mutilate6
    | Reply

    Hello there,i’m jsut about to get another young rabbit 9 weeks he will be,i
    have had rabbits for many years but want to clicker train this one,is there
    an age i should start this at ?

  28. aznboi1214
    | Reply

    He’s a chinchilla rabbit, a breed of rabbit that has agouti fur similar to
    a chinchilla, but a rabbit in every sense. He’s pretty smart as well and i
    taught him a trick every couple days, only taking the day for him to
    understand and a couple days to reinforce before school. No time for
    teaching new tricks now that school is back in 🙁 He’s already learned how
    to spin, stand, come, go to a desired point and lastly we were trying to
    get him to get acclimated with a harness.

  29. Pewterrabbit1
    | Reply

    Fantastic! Rabbits are far quicker than people give them credit for! I’ve
    just googled what a chinchilla rabbit looks like -they are beautiful!

  30. Pewterrabbit1
    | Reply

    You can probably buy it on the Internet – search for burgesspetcare on
    google… I’m not sure in which countries it’s available.

  31. Pewterrabbit1
    | Reply

    She’ll probably quickly learn to walk on the hardwood floor – it’s quite
    hard to restrict her through training as the urge to explore is probably
    stronger than the food motivation. It’s probably better to either use a
    large run or rabbit proof the room… Once she’s reliably taking food from
    your hand, then start whistling before you offer the food. You can also
    start loading the clicker and then you’re away! 🙂 let me know if I can
    help more! 🙂

  32. Pewterrabbit1
    | Reply

    Thank you! 🙂

  33. Pewterrabbit1
    | Reply

    Yes if Thumper REALLY likes carrots! Try to use tiny pieces – about the
    size of your little fingernail – that way you can do quite a lot of
    training without making Thumper full! 🙂 Good luck – I hope to see your
    progress on a video! 🙂

  34. Pewterrabbit1
    | Reply

    It’s called “Burgess Super Rabbit Excel” (search for burgesspetcare on
    google). I like it because “Grass” is the main ingredient, not lucerne or
    alfalfa that is often used. 🙂

  35. Pewterrabbit1
    | Reply

    How exciting! Do you have another rabbit that you’ll keep him with? If not
    – why not get two rabbits – they are much happier in pairs! 🙂 I’d start as
    soon as the baby has settled in – just get him used to taking treats from
    the hand and then start to “load” the clicker. Clicker training works at
    any age! Good luck – let me know if I can help at all! 🙂

  36. Pewterrabbit1
    | Reply

    Good luck! 🙂 It’s great fun – let me know if you post a video with your
    rabbit! 🙂

  37. aznboi1214
    | Reply

    Thanks for all the videos wouldnt have been able to without you! just
    wanted to voice my appreciation and also comment on how adorable Pewter is
    I watch his videos when i’m missing my rabbit haha. I really have trouble
    with the go to X command though :/

  38. aznboi1214
    | Reply

    how old is Pewter in this video? so cute! also what breed is he? I have a
    standard chinchilla myself, but Pewter is so small and cute 😀

  39. Brandi Teate
    | Reply

    Is Pewter a Netherland Dwarf?

  40. Pewterrabbit1
    | Reply

    He’s actually a Polish rabbit, but I wouldn’t recommend getting one. The
    English Polish rabbits (as compared to the American ones) have a reputation
    for being incredibly flighty. The only way we’ve managed to forge a
    relationship with him is through clicker training – he is naturally really
    fearful. They’re not really selectively bred to make good pets, they’re
    just bred for the coat.

  41. Alishba Khan
    | Reply

    Ur bunny is sooooooooo cute

  42. Marjolein Gijs
    | Reply

    what reward do you give your rabbit?

  43. Pewterrabbit1
    | Reply

    They are lovely looking rabbits! 🙂

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