bunny brains

Question
I have been wondering about how smart my bunnies actually are, it seems my family isn't giving them enough credit for what they can do, so how smart are they really, are they able to love you and have emotions and be obedient. Or is everything just instinct :(.

Answer
Dear Naomi,

"Smart" is hard to define. But there is absolutely no doubt that rabbits have intense emotions (these are not by any means unique to humans!)  Jealousy, anger, fear, affection, etc. are all biochemically based emotions--in humans and other animals--that are adaptive, and have served us well during our evolution,  whether we are primates or lagomorphs.

Many people doubt rabbit intelligence because (1) they haven't lived with rabbits and (2) they don't understand rabbit "language" the way those of us who live with them do.

Rabbits are not as humanlike as dogs, or even cats, which have been bred to communicate with us (especially dogs).  The language of an herbivore is more subtle and it takes time to learn.  But I've found that rabbits are highly intelligent, interactive, and social--but on their own species' terms.  To really understand and learn them, you have to live with them and learn their ways.  :)

Hope that helps.

Dana