Some people worry that if they are gone for a very long period of time, their rabbit will forget them. If you are only gone for a few months, like the way I went to college but came home after every semester, then in my experience it's unlikely that your rabbit will forget you.
Rabbits have a short-term memory that lasts for less than five minutes. Despite this, rabbits retain important information for longer periods. If something holds emotional resonance for your rabbit, she'll remember it. This includes human owners and rabbit siblings.
Yes, the pet rabbit recognizes and will remember their human owners. As the human owners spend a lot of time together with them and share a connection of love and care, it is natural that the rabbit will build strong memories of them.
Anything longer than 24 hours is too long – and even that is pushing the solitude limits of rabbits. Rabbits are social creatures and require about as much, if not more, interaction and maintenance as dogs do and more than some cats need. Considering rabbits to be low-maintenance pets does them a grave disservice.
Contrary to popular belief, the baby rabbit is not called a bunny. Instead, they share their scientific baby name with animals like cats and foxes. That's right! Baby rabbits are called kits, kittens, or kitties. Female rabbits are called does and males are called bucks, just like baby deer!
Rabbits go through 5 distinct life stages. Within the first 12 months, your rabbit has already experienced 3 of these stages as they grow from a baby and teenager, to a young rabbit. After that, rabbits will remain adults for 5-7 years before developing the characteristics of elderly rabbits late in life.
If you spend a lot of time with your rabbit, they will undoubtedly miss you when you're away, the same way you miss them.
Rabbits are not the kind of pet that you can ignore and keep out of sight all day. If they are not given enough attention, rabbits can exhibit destructive behaviors or become severely depressed. They are social animals that need the company of others in order to be happy.
If your rabbits look tucked up and quiet with their chins tucked in and noses not twitching this can be a sure sign of them feeling unhappy or stressed, as this is not a normal position for a rabbit. Moving or running away. Your rabbits may turn and move away from you (or each other) if they're unhappy.
Because rabbits are social animals, they will often get depressed if they are left alone for too long.
Rabbits are often very shy and can take a while to warm up to new people and trust them. It might seem like they are aloof or skittish animals by nature. However, if you give them time and teach them to trust you, you'll start to notice your rabbit choosing to stay with you and become more affectionate.
But we all love our rabbits here, and we want to know if they can understand that we love them. Rabbits are social and intelligent creatures. They'll know that you love them; you just have to learn how to say “I love you!” in a way they'll understand.
Ask any bunny owner who interacts regularly with his pet and he'll tell you that, just like dogs or cats, rabbits get to know their owners well. They recognize them by voice and sight and will even come on command. Bunnies may even follow their owners from room to room and jump up on their laps when called.
Most bunnies will be affectionate when they feel safe with you. That may take a while, though. And when it does happen, bunny love will look different than cat and dog love.
Offer a treat
The easiest way to apologize to a rabbit is to offer them the treat.
For a rabbit to be comfortable with being picked up, they must learn through positive experiences that being lifted isn't something that causes harm. This should start when they are just as few weeks old as part of socialisation.
Your bunny should not forget you in a week. I have gone away several weeks this summer and I am always greeted when I get back by licks and cuddles with the bunnies. As long as he is in good hands, there is nothing to worry about. Sometimes a bunny may pout a little when you've been away.
Rabbits aren't dogs; they're not going to really learn a great deal of English commands. 'NO' can be quite effective, although it is more a case of tone and pitch being indicators of trouble rather than any recognition of the word itself.
Rabbits are social creatures who can easily get lonely if they are left alone for most of the day. Unfortunately, loneliness is a familiar feeling among rabbits who are kept alone in a cage with limited time to spend with people.
3 - 5 years old: Middle Age
They may also become more and more affectionate, particularly house rabbits who live closely with their owners. Their level of trust in us has built up to the extent that they feel completely safe and secure in their home and able to truly relax and take it easy.
IDEALLY, find a bunny at least 12 weeks (3 months) old and weaned. Respectable breeders should be open to keeping the bunny for an extra week or two of weaning, and it could save your bunny a lot of stress (and possibly its life).
Unlike their wild relatives, who live for an average of one to two years, domesticated rabbits can live between eight to 12 years. This is because they are not exposed to disease, food scarcity and predators.