Would you help me with an experiment?

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a7736100

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I'm thinking of using a clicker or whistle whenever feeding so they associate food with the sound. The idea is that if they escape perhaps they'll come to you when you make the sound.
 
What would you like in the form of help? I know that clickers and association is a proven method with the Pavloviann way of training animals so I can see it possibly working with enough patience. I don't have that much patience of course.
 
Read Don't Shoot the Dog by Karen Pryor
She is a behaviorist and was marine animal trainer for many years.
 
Mine are pretty much self trained to be back by feeding time anyway, should they get out. They know about what time of day I feed and most feel more secure in their holes and feel that their hole is their property. The couple times I've had rabbits get out they are within feet of their hole waiting for me to put them back and feed them. Good idea though and I have seen a few videos where rabbits have responded very well to clicker training, if your feeding times differ much it might still be worth a shot. Hope this helps and good luck!
 
I had an otter doe fall out of the open outdoor pen sometime between Christmas eve and Christmas morning. I looked everywhere, and when I could not find her, left the door to the bunny barn open. Right before leaving to go to family's house, I checked the barn, and there she was looking for food. Mine's respond to the sound of the bag opening, the can opening, and I'm pretty sure they recognize my footsteps.

You should be able to make this work.
 
Clicker only works if your reward for coming when called is better than being free, frollicking in the yard and eating lovely fresh grass. Your bun my come to investigate but likely won't stick around too long.

I used to have a free range colony. We would open the gate in the morning, leaving it open all day, and let the critters (chickens, geese, ducks, pot belly pigs and does) loose into the horse pasture and get them back in using scratch grain as bait in the evening. We would shake a bucket of grain and call 'come and get it!' and the poultry and pigs would bee line for the barn. The rabbits would slowly wander in, some faster then others, and I would go get the horses and goats set up for bed, come back and shut the gate. Usually it was the Dutch and NDwarfs who decided to take their chances in the wild but we had very few losses and one anti social sable point ND doe pretty much lived out for 5 years.
 
You can always just shake a can of pellets. ALL of my animals come running when it's feeding time, whether it's their food or not. And by all, I mean the rabbits, dogs, cats, horses, sheep, chickens and guinea fowl. My pond fish follow me around while I walk past the pond, hoping I drop food but they know if I stop and they see the can, they will be fed. =D Same with my aquarium fish, they see the can and race to the top.

Getting rabbits to associate a clicker to food would be easy.
 
I'd go with the shaking a can of pellets sound too. But clickers or any sound will work as well.

I had a bunny once who came when I called him. I went out on walks unleashed and had him loose in the garden (supervised) like a dog. They're not stupid animals...
 
No, they're not, Zab. I had house rabbit as a kid and they were really smart. That is what I dislike about having so many, the one on one time is less and they are out side so I don't get to watch their antics while lounging around in the evening.
 
Adding to my post.
I couldn't really train mine, when they see me they come running and then follow around in their pens...


Are you hoping someone tries this and takes a video?

I had a SF buck who I would let free to roam with my chickens, when I would tap the ground, he would hop back to me to be locked up for the night. I still tap the ground when trying to get rabbits to come to me in tractors, some come, some need a stick helping them come forward.
 
I have a doe who escaped the pen several times. The first few times it was no problem catching her but now she won't allow me to catch her. I'm afraid to leave the pen open as the other 3 would probably run off. Would be nice if they can be trained to go back in the pen on their own.
 
I have two that love to escape, so they no longer live in open top pens, but in tractors.
You'll probably have to be far more interesting than freedom for those to come back on cue.
 
When I step out the back door...any time of the day/night...I am greeted by the Muscovies hoping for a treat. They will then follow me around as I tend the other animals. The chickens are the next to respond, usually before I'm off the steps...they come running as fast as they can to the near end of the coop and then wait for the goodies. The ducks remain underfoot as I head to the rabbits where they clean up after the rabbits...if there isn't much to clean up, they give me the "look"...the "please, mom, can we have rabbit/chicken feed" look. They get some of both. Then, I go feed the chickens and collect their eggs. The ducks watch to see if I give the chickens anything I didn't give them. The chickens watch to see if I give the ducks something I didn't give to them. The rabbits are just interested in knowing if I have brought them anything yummy.

I've had one escapee from the rabbit hutches and no, she wasn't interested in getting caught. I had to get a "hav-a-heart" trap to catch her as she wanted to nest up under the old camper-turned-storage-shed.
 
I did this with one of my does, starting from when she was 8 weeks, she is a senior now, and ill admit im not very diligent in her training anymore, and yet she still come when i click.
 
I find that starting the babies on butter crackers when they start eating solids works even when they are adults and escape :cheesysmile: And I have had a few escapees this past summer LOL
 
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