Animals are more clever than we think. These curious creatures tend to surprise us in unique ways. People love to raise cats and dogs as their beloved pets as they can learn their names, ownersâ faces, behaviors, likes, dislikes, etc.
Many people have started realizing that rabbits make great pets. As these fragile animals have picked up popularity in the market, a few people know rabbitsâ nature. Pet owners have plenty of questions about bunnyâs food, sleeping patterns, health concerns, safety, etc.
However, the most common question is about a rabbitâs smartness and ability to recognize its home and owner. So, can rabbits recognize faces and know their owners?
Yes, rabbits know their owners. They recognize them by their face, voice, and smell. It takes a little while for a rabbit to familiarize itself with its owner. However, once your rabbit has saved your memory, it will remember you even if it has not seen you for years.
Creating a bond with your rabbit can be initially challenging because rabbits are anxious prey animals that get scared and startled by everything. You will have to make careful and calculated efforts to make your bunny comfortable with you. Keep reading to know how your rabbit bonds and remembers you!
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How Do Rabbits Recognize Their Owners?
A motherâs smell calms a crying newborn baby at night. Babies have a strong bond with their mothers. Bunnies have a similar relationship with their owners. Pets are an enormous responsibility because they do not only rely physically on you but emotionally too.
Your rabbit will get emotionally attached to you and associate certain things with your warmth and presence. Your rabbit can recognize your presence via the following things:
Your Scent
Rabbits have a heightened sense of smell. As prey animals, their noses are sharp, so they can recognize the scent of a predator in their surroundings to save their lives. Their sensitive noses also make them understand when a person is safe.
Your bunny rabbit will memorize your scent to know when and where you are. If you have a rabbit, you must have noticed your precious furry friend running toward you before seeing you. That happens because your rabbit smells you before it sees you.
Changing your perfume can be confusing for your bunny rabbit, as it will change your scent. Your bunny might only recognize you after seeing your face. However, your rabbit will memorize your new scent and associate it with you in a few days.
Your Face
Your furry friend has a sharp memory. Rabbits can memorize peopleâs faces and remember them for many years. Your precious furry friend will keep your unique features in his head to label you as its caretaker.
Even if you have a big family, your rabbit will treat you differently if you are your bunnyâs primary caregiver.
A rabbit can remember a face for many years, even if it has not seen a person for many moons. It must be surprising to see your bunny act cuddly towards a friend you meet after a couple of years.
Your Voice
Rabbits have sharp ears and can hear even the faintest of sounds. It helps them hear danger from afar and hide in their burrows in the wild. Your pet uses its listening ability to understand its surroundings and recognize its owners.
Your rabbit listens to your call because it associates the voice coming to its ears with its owner. You must have noticed your rabbit, knowing you are in the other room, even though it cannot see or smell you. It happens because your rabbit judges your voice coming from that room.
How Long Does It Take Your Precious Rabbit To Memorize You?
When you meet someone new, it takes time for you to memorize their name and face. Your precious furry friend will take a few days or weeks to remember your face, voice, and smell.
A bond between you and your pet will take effort to make. You will have to make a little extra effort to create a healthy and precious relationship with your bunny rabbit.
When you bring home a new rabbit, take it easy. Please do not rush to pet and cuddle with it.
You are a stranger to that furry animal and must recreate boundaries with your rabbit. Rabbits are fragile and anxious creatures that get startled quickly. It is best if you carefully tap your bunny rabbit on the nose without making any sudden movements.
If you scare your rabbit at the beginning of your relationship, your rabbit will associate fear with you and never bond. For a comfortable bond, you should reach your bunny slowly and observe its reactions to know what is okay and what is not.
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How To Create A Strong Bond with Your Rabbit?
When you have a baby, it genetically feels closer to you as it has been a part of you before its birth. Your pet rabbit has seen the world before you.
There is a chance your new pet had a previous pet owner. As bunnies have a strong memory, your new rabbit will remember the behavior of its previous caretaker.
You will have to take some measures to replace and make your place in your rabbitâs heart. Do not worry; it is not as hard as it seems. Here are a few tricks you can do to make your rabbit fall in love with you:
- For starters, be patient. You will not be able to create a strong relationship with your bunny within a day. Do nice things and spend time with your bunny for a couple of weeks so your rabbit can memorize your personality.
- Spend plenty of time with your rabbit. Bunnies need to feel comfortable and sense warmth from their owners to feel safe and secure. Have an hour or two dedicated to playing and snuggling with your bunny daily.
- Understand your precious furry friendâs need to be alone. People cannot socialize all the time. They need to be alone to recharge their battery. It is the same for your rabbit. If your rabbit does not want to spend time with you, that is okay. Your bunny can get cranky, hungry, or just tired.
- Give your bunny a reward in the form of a treat when it socializes with you or others. It is a simple reinforcement trick. You can do this to teach your rabbit other things as well. When your rabbit does something appreciatable, feed your furry baby a treat to show your appreciation and affection.
- Incorporate your bunnyâs schedule into yours. Rabbits are crepuscular, which means they are only up at dawn and dusk. Stay up during these hours to spend quality time with your precious pet. Do not disturb it when it is sleeping in your waking hours. It can ruin your efforts to become close to your bunny.
How To Know If Your Bunny Loves You?
A rabbit will associate good and bad memories with the people it meets. Your bunny needs to remember you with good memory and warm feelings. It is the only way to ensure a strong bond between you two.
If your rabbit thinks of you as its best friend and has memorized you with a good memory, it will exhibit the following:
- A happy and content rabbit will exhibit binkying around you. Binkying is when a bunny hops and turns mid-air in joy.
- A safe and happy bunny will run in circles around your feet. It is a good sign if you notice your bunny going crazy around you.
- Your precious pet will ask you to touch and rub its head. Bunnies are anxious creatures, and it soothes them when their trusted caretaker gives them gentle rubs and snuggles.
- A bunny does relax unless it feels safe. If you notice your rabbit flopped on the floor just breathing, it has given you its complete trust.
- Your rabbit will rub its teeth together and make clicking noises if it recognizes you as safe. As prey animals, rabbits avoid making sounds. So, think of it as a catâs purr when your rabbit clicks.
- Like other pets, your rabbit will lick and nibble you to show affection and trust.
- A bunny is less likely to sleep calmly in an unsafe and unhappy environment. If you notice your bunny taking quite a nap, it recognizes you as safe and a source of happiness.
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Final Words
For your bunny to recognize you, you must make it comfortable and easy around you and your house. Once your rabbit associates you with good memory and comfort, it will come running to you wherever you are by noticing your face, voice, or smell.
Give your precious furry friend loads of love, attention, care, and snuggles. A happy bunny lives long and brings positive vibes to the house. Respect your rabbitâs space; in return, it will give you unlimited nibbles, licks, binkies, and love.
