Mirrors? o.0

[MagpieBunnies]

Does anybody else’s buns like mirrors?

I have a stainless steel fridge that reflective and a floor length mirror that Hemi will sit in front of anywhere from 1 minute to up to 5 or so. He will just sit there and stare, or sometimes raise up on his hindlegs and sniff at his reflection. And then almost without fail he’ll race around the room or binky all over the place. I think its absolutely adorable but I wanted to get others’ two cents on the new interest.

I was kind of thinking that maybe it’s because he’s not neutered yet that he might think its another rabbit, hopefully he doesn’t think his own reflection is a doe , don’t want to disappoint the little guy. Or even if its just another way for him to entertain himself, does he have the capacity to realize its his own reflection?

Sorry for all the questions I’ve posted lately!  Like I said in my intro, I’m completely new to rabbits, well small animals in general. Just trying to get my bearings. I have a 100lb dog and three cats at home, and I work at a ranch with horses, and though my dog is abnormally smart my cats are a bunch of idiots. As much as I love them, they are. Horses might as well be humans they’re so easy to understand. So gauging a rabbit’s intelligence (though I already know Hemi is very smart/mischievious), temperment, mood, needs, is quiet the challenge. I’m used to the yowling, mewing, barking, growling etc that my animals have no problem using when they want something.

Thanks again for all the help I’ve gotten so far and hopefully I will be able to return the favor in the near future!

~Meagan

[Elrohwen]

Otto will stare right into the tv cabinet – the glass acts a bit like a mirror and he may be able to see himself, I’m not sure. We always say “Otto, don’t sit so close to the tv! You’ll ruin your eyes!” And then he turns around and glares at us. Lol.

Working with horses will help you with bunnies! Many of us here with horse and bunny experience see a lot of similarities between them. They have very similar digestive processes and many of the issues horses can have are pretty much the same in bunnies. The more I look, the more I see similar behaviors.

[MagpieBunnies]

Interesting… I guess I haven’t had Hemi long enough to really notice the similarities, but I will definitely look for them now.

[MagpieBunnies]

The more I think about it, the more I can see where you’re coming from. I’m sure if I find them similar enough I will become as obsessed with rabbits as I am with my horses.

[Elrohwen]

I think they definitely both have a “prey” mentality that many dog and cat people don’t understand at first. They don’t play with toys the same way as dogs and cats (not really into chasing or pouncing) and they don’t react to us in the same way. Though I don’t think Otto would appreciate it if I climbed on his back and tried to ride him around! Haha. Hannah might make a nice little show jumper though ….

[KatnipCrzy]

Binky Bunny mentions on Jack’s Bio page that he used to honk at his reflection in the mirror when she first adopted him. He had been previously paried with a mate and the mate was adopted without him- so poor Jack was lonely and seemed to think his reflection in the mirror was his “missing” mate as she looked like him. Such a sad story. : (
So I definitely think they see themselves in the mirror but think it is another bunny- that is my theory as opposed to knowing it is themself in the mirror.

[Lani]

I’m glad you mentioned this because I’ve also wondered about putting a mirror in my buns running space or condo, similar to bird mirror toys. We used to have a bird that was so entertained by looking at her reflection so I’ve often wondered if my bun would enjoy this as well. I’ll have to pick one up next time I’m out for bun supplies

[MagpieBunnies]

I thought about getting a smaller mirror for him in his cage but I have him out when ever I’m home so he seems perfectly fine with the fridge and other mirror. All he really uses his cage for anymore is to poop, eat and sleep.  

[Zombie-Sue]

That’s one of the cutest things I’ve ever heard xD My rabbit doesn’t ever look at the mirror, so I always thought he couldn’t really comprehend it maybe.

[Monkeybun]

Whenever I have the bunnies up on the bathroom counter for grooming, they can’t stop staring at the mirror

[Eepster]

Interesting…

There aren’t any mirrors in the den where Porky lives, but it sounds like so much fun for the bunnies that maybe I should put n in there for him.

[Dee]

Aw, that’s so cute- I wish BunBun and Nelli liked the mirror . They both ignore their reflections completely. BunBun seems like the kind of bunny who would love to look in the mirror- he’s very “human” and enterrtaining. Nelli is different- she isn’t as sociable and playful, and she gets scared easily.

I agree about horses and bunnies being alike in many ways! I figured out a while ago that I prefer prey animals to any others- I love hamsters, rabbits and horses. And they really have some major similarities- they all spook pretty easily because they’re always on the lookout for predators, they’re quiet and usually fairly reserved with their attention and their digestive systems are very delicate. Handling them is completely different from handling a dog or cat- they really make you earn their trust.

[BinkyBunny]

 Katnip’s recollection was right.  Jack absolutely would hang out with his reflection,, ask it to groom, honk at it, and then lounge with it.  Later when he was bonded with a real bunny that groomed him, he stopped cuddling with his reflection.  Once he had a real bunny buddy, he started running by the mirror and sprayinging his reflection….so that had to go.  

This is Jack when he was a little frustrated with the fact that his reflection wouldn’t groom him. (He’d put his nose down to request, but then push it up to try and figure ot a way to mount this disobedient buddy)  It was a bit confusing for him sometimes, but normally he’d then just give up and lounge next to it after that.   (The original stunt double, the bunny in a sweat suit in the background, didn’t appeal to Jack at all…..it was all about the reflection back then.) 

 

It would be great to see photos or even better yet, video of miror interaction of those of you who have bunnies who notice their reflectiosn. 

[RabbitPam]

Love that pix of Jack. Face it, BB, that stunt dummy has awful taste – Jack has better taste in clothes.
I think he sprayed after bonding because he was telling that mirror bunny what he was supposed to do, and he’d found a mate to do it. Nyah nyah.

Sammy ignores the wall mirrors here completely. In fact, the minute the toy bunny didn’t groom her, she ignored it too. When I pretended to have the toy groom me, she got interested again.

[BinkyBunny]

Posted By RabbitPam on 04/15/2011 02:20 AM
Love that pix of Jack. Face it, BB, that stunt dummy has awful taste – Jack has better taste in clothes.

I know, right?!  Cmon’….soooo 80’s!!   

 

 That guy came cheap so…yeah…..I’ve learned my lesson, and now stick to stunt doubles with class. 

[lashkay]

Ha ha, Jack looks so cute trying to figure away to mount his reflection!!

[Jenna, Chubs & Comet]

Haha, that is the cutest picture! Neither of my bunnies show ANY interest in stunt doubles. They just look at me disdainfully as if to say, “what do you expect me to do with this?” even after I got a super cute, real looking one…lol

[BinkyBunny]

Posted By Jenna, Chubs & Comet on 04/16/2011 08:24 PM
Haha, that is the cutest picture! Neither of my bunnies show ANY interest in stunt doubles. They just look at me disdainfully as if to say, “what do you expect me to do with this?” even after I got a super cute, real looking one…lol

It can help to get your bunnies scent on it or yours.  All you have to do to get your scent on it is cuddle with it over night, or hang out with it while you watch TV.   You may get strange looks from family members, but you can just say that you felt sorry for the stunt double…he’s been rejected by all of the other bunnies.  

You can also brush your bunnies and then take their hair from the comb, and rub it all over the stunt double.    

That can help him “fit in”.  If that doesn’t work, then looks like his destined to be a stunt double on standby. 

[MagpieBunnies]

I love the picture of Jack. So adorable! Hemi unfortunately is very difficult to get a picture of these days. But i’m determine to get a picture of him trying to interact with the “other rabbit”.

[lynnbunn]

My rabbit Romeo is interested in the mirror too. Whenever he ventures into my room to see what’s new under my bed he gets caught up with my mirror. He just sits there and smells it. Lately though, because he has a bunny buddy now, it’s not that fun for him anymore.

I bet he was sitting there telling himself how beautiful he is.

[Author]

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