Thank you! I’m very interested in how rabbits perceive the world around them. It’s interesting to read about the way they use their senses, because our human senses are very different. Knowing how a bunny might perceive the world opens new possibilities to connect with them.
Rabbits mostly seem to use sound, touch and scent. Their vision is quite poor and they mostly see things far away, like a bird in the sky.
We, on the other hand, are very visual creatures. For us it’s no problem if someone moved a chair, but a rabbit will be quite confused and needs to work out a new mental map of the room.
Sound is something you can use to communicate enjoyment, like the purring. It can also be used to tell them something, if you use the same words every time. Breintje knows the words for “enough”, “hutch” and “do you want to join me?”. When I say the last thing he often comes to sit next to me on the sofa.
Skin contact touch seems to be important for some rabbits as well. Breintje quickly falls asleep when I roll back my sleeve and lay a bare arm around him. He enjoys it a lot more than laying against a clothed arm, and he’ll sleep longer and deeper 🙂 Comforting touch releases bonding and happy hormones, and we’re no different from animals in that.
Scent is something we hardly use, but pets use it a lot. It’s why bunnies dislike some perfumes and cleaning agents, because it’s way too strong for them. I’ve switched to scent-free soap, and Breintje doesn’t recoil from me anymore when I’ve just washed my hands ^_^
All these things can also be used to calm down an anxious rabbit, or to bond with a new bun. Going away for a while? Leave an old shirt that you’ve worn, so your scent is familiar and calming. Meeting a new bun? Try to connect while sitting on the ground, so they can sniff you. I’ve tried a lot of these sense-related matters, and it adds a whole new dimension to the human-rabbit bond 😀
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