Are rabbits afraid of snake smells?

[ThorBunny]

Weird question: Do rabbits react to the smell of snakes? 

Backstory: We’re going away in January and a friend has agreed to watch Thor while we are away. In exchange I agreed to watch their snakes while they are gone over Christmas. We were planning on having them come to our apartment. They obviously will be kept in a separate room in secure tanks and in any case they are much too small to pose an actual threat to Thor. But it got me thinking, will she react at all to the smell, will she be afraid? Does anyone here have experience with pet reptiles and rabbits? If it is likely to be a problem I will arrange it so that I can still take care of the snakes but they won’t stay in the apartment. 

Thanks for any insight 

[Wick & Fable]

My inclination is no. Snakes don’t really give off odor due to their life and nature, aside from their anal gland matters.

This is also from knowing that Wick does not mind smells from other predator animals. A day interacting with cats, dogs, etc.. and he doesn’t seem to act differently.

If your rabbit does, it’s probably based on a general unfamiliar smell, not snake specific.

The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.

[Wick & Fable]

(+) Also, there is a pet tarantula in my place Wick sees sometimes. Also not fazed.

The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.

[ThorBunny]

Thanks Wick I won’t stress about it then, I’ll worry about it if she seems bothered at the time. Come to think of it, Thor doesn’t respond to strange dog and cat smells when I come back from petting friends pets either.

[Sunny]

I have a gecko (I know it’s not the same thing as a snake lol) and my rabbit is also isn’t bothered by his presence.

[OverthinkingBun]

Hi! I have snakes! (they are little, and they are kept firmly separate, and I had them LONG before I adopted the bun) My rabbit has never shown anything but slight, mild interest towards them, and only when I am moving them around outside their terrarium. She has never reacted to their smells. My bunny is a skittish one who has shown fear at a wide variety of noises. When I first brought her home, she freaked if I so much as played a soft song or turned on Netflix, and once dove for cover when a hummingbird looked at her through the window. All this is for reference, when I say that she has NEVER been scared of my snakes. I think our domestic rabbits have just had their instincts bred out of them

So my guess is that everything will be fine, ThorBunny. It’s great that you have mutual petsitting

[ThorBunny]

Thanks everyone! To finish out the story, the snakes have arrived and there have been no issues at all I even took one out and handled it, then went to pet Thor and she didn’t react at all.

Silly bunnies, I really thought they would retain some of that predator instinct but I’m happy that she is not fussed. Also, the snakes are beautiful! What cool pets.

[OverthinkingBun]

Great – I’m glad it worked out!

[ThorBunny]

My husband is much more disturbed about them being in the house than Thor

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