Clicking for carrots and love
On Saturday, Rachel Harper couldn’t get within three feet of any of the feral bunnies at the Best Friends rabbit rescue ranch. On Sunday, she had two of them eating out of her hand and another one begging on hind legs. She and her mom, Wendy, spent the weekend at the Reno ranch learning how to use clicker training to communicate and shape behavior of feral bunnies.
“I found it interesting to be able to see from just the way their ears points what the rabbits were thinking,” said Rachel. “The training really works.”
Rachel started the clicker training by pushing a carrot into one of the feral rabbits’ cage. She waited. Slowly one, then two, then all eight bunnies made their way to the carrot. Rachel approached the cage slowly in a set of tai chi-like moves. When the rabbits didn’t scurry, she’d click the clicker.
Eventually the rabbits allowed Rachel to hold the carrot while they ate. She’d click. Then she’d move closer. They stayed in place. She clicked. Eventually a couple nibbled from her palm.
The clicker training sessions were presented by Santa Barbara rabbit rescue experts Jean Silva and Andrea Bratt Frick (shown right) of the Bunnies Urgently Needing Shelter organization. The women have trained rabbits to play basketball, dance, run a hurdle course and give a “high ten.” But the only goal set for the rescue rabbits was to make them a little less afraid ---maybe even friendly --- toward humans. The more accustomed to humans they get, the more attractive they’ll be as adoption candidates.
Feral bunnies are the smartest bunnies,” said Jean (shown left). “They’ve had to learn to survive, know which foods are good and bad, learn predator behavior and learn how to get along in large social groups. This clicker training isn’t just for teaching, it’s engaging to the rabbits, like a game."
Rachel agreed to volunteer to clicker-train the rescue rabbits a couple of times a week. At the rate she’s going, she should be able to turn all those ferals into friendlies in no time!
Written by Amy Abern. Photos by Clay Myers.