Anti-Aggression Training Phase 1

Having decided that the main problem with trying to bond the bunnies together is Cricket's agressiveness, we are now working on making Cricket like other rabbits and enjoy their company. The first step, associating the clicker to food, is complete. Now working on the second phase, clicking whenever they get close.



Toby inches closer

Decided to start the process with Toby since Toby's proven to be a fast learner and nothing really deters him from eating. He's picked up pretty fast that what I want him to do is stick his face next to Cricket. Unfortunately Cricket has not picked up on the liking Toby by her as quickly. She will sit there and tolerate it, which is a good first step. But she starts nipping after a little bit. I feel bad for Toby since he's just doing what I'm telling him to do and getting nipped at for it. It's at least a start though. This is pretty much what the last week has been. I've read that for rabbits it's better to clicker train in short bursts of 5 minutes in several intervals than to do long training sessions. It seems to hold true. After a bit, Toby will get bored and decide to hang out behind the toilet. Using pellets as their treat inspiration has been great so far though. It's small and convinient.

Another shot of Cricket being tolerant and Toby inching

I think I'll try the banana thing in a week or so - where you put banana on the top of one's head to get the other one to groom. In this case the banana will go on Toby's head. The last time I tried it, Cricket was too scared of Bunny to even come close enough to lick her. Hopefully by a week's time she'll start approaching Toby instead of it just being one-way. Toby really is a very quick learner. He's still maintained his stand-up on command trick even though it's been a week since we clicker-trained that last.

Random picture of Cricket

All in all, things have been progressing slowly but surely. I also increased the size of their x-pens since this process has been taking longer than I was hoping it would. It's kind of sad seeing all of their toys and bunny houses unused and empty in the bunny room.

The bunny room!

Things have been progressing awesome-ly! The bunny room/library is finally finished!

The bunny room!

The next step is getting them all to love each other so they can permanently live in the room together with bunny love and peace.

Bonding status: The bonding has been going slowly but I now think that the first obstacle to beat is Cricket's angry responses to everything any other bunny does (growling and biting when another bunny goes for a sniff). I will be working mostly with her ClickerBunny style to get her to associate other bunnies with happiness (food = happiness = click = other bunnies = happiness). We are currently at the click = food = happiness stage but she seems to be catching on quickly! She's learned to stand up on her back legs at a hand sign and be rewarded by a click and treat. Again, I'm not sure if this is because of the clicker training that she's picked it up so quickly or if it's because she's naturally inclined to get food as fast as possible but it still can't hurt. Her clicker training sessions have been inside while Toby and Bunny run around outside but soon I'll start clicking for her when she sees the other bunnies/interacts with the other bunnies/sniffs the other bunnies. I've also been trying to make sure that the bunnies don't develop territory issues by swapping them from x-pen to x-pen.

Cricket is still mostly scared being outside and spends most of her time sitting in the dirt against the house but she ventures out a little.

She's also been eating flowers

So I guess overall, progress has been slow but that's nothing new.

Moving Day!

Things have been pretty slow lately training wise. All three bunnies definitely know a click means that something is coming deliciously and they all perk up. Today we're moving into our bigger house so we can start with individual one-on-one training.

But I'm comfortable here

I started clicking only when Toby stands up so now he knows that trick while the other two still just associate it with food though Bunny has started trying to copy Toby to get food faster. Unfortunately since I have a clicker in one hand and a treat in the other, it's hard to get pictures. I'll have to think of some way to fix that problem.

Toby has always been very bright to pick up whatever skills he needs to get food fastest. I'm not sure if he's picked up the standing up trick so quickly because of the clicker or because of the food lure but there was a pretty quick transitional period.

The final result that I'm looking for is currently to be able to clicker train Cricket and Bunny into liking each other. Animosity has been increasing so they're now separated. Cricket alone and Bunny and Toby together. I'm hoping to put them in joined x-pens for a the first week or so in our new place and start the bonding process over before I move them into their permanent room.

Progress Report

Clicker training has been going slowly so far. The bunnies are now associating the click sound with "something delicious is going to come" and they look around for their favorite treats if I offer them something they like slightly less. Started branching a little bit into the "put your feet on my leg if you want a treat" category - since it's easy to do with all of the bunnies at once - but haven't explored training with the bunnies individually yet.

Excuse me. We're sleeping.

We may be moving in the near future so I'm thinking of postponing the individual training to when I can actually move them to a different room. They get too excited to focus on clicker training if I move them outside.

New toy!

The binkybunny box arrived yesterday!

 

They all loved the new Yucca Toy. I stuck pellets and dried cranberries into the tiny holes and they nomed away.

Read through Clicking with your rabbit and started working with the clicker yesterday to start associating the click sound with food. They seem to be taking to it pretty well. I've decided to do this basic food/clicker association with all three at the same time (since I usually give them treats at the same time anyway) and then divide them up for clicker training in the future. Hopefully the weather gets better soon. Currently thinking that the best way to divide and conquer will be to bring the to-be-trained bunny out onto the patio.