Minds of Magic: Exploring the Intricacies of Rabbit Brains

An Overveiw of a Rabbit’s Nervous System

A rabbits brain is in it’s skull, or in a more technical sciencey way, it is enclosed in the cranial cavity of the skull. The brain itself and the spinal cord make up the central nervous system.

The nerves that come out of the brain and spinal cord are called, you guessed it, cranial and spinal nerves.

The autonomic nervous system includes the sympathetic nervous system and the parasympathetic nervous system.

The autonomic nervous system regulates involuntary processes like heart rate, blood pressure, respiration, digestion, glandular and sexual arousal.

While the sympathetic nervous system responds in stressful and dangerous situations, it raises the heart rate, passes more blood to areas of the body that needs more oxygen, and helps to respond quickly to get out of danger. It is connected to the spinal nerves, and has three ganglia in the neck, ten in the thorax, six in the lumbar, four in the sacral (near the hips) and one in the cordal. There is a total of 24 ganglia on each side of a rabbit.

The parasympathetic nervous system‘s job is to relax and reduce a body’s activity. It is found in the head and neck and sacral regions. The parasympathetic nervous system is formed by the fibres of the IIIrd, IVth, IXth and Xth cranial nerves, and form the 2nd, 3rd and 4th sacral nerves. The IIIrd cranial nerve runs to the ciliary ganglion and in the optic nerve and then control the iris of the eye. The fibres from VII and X control the salivaray gland, lungs, heart, liver, parts of the alimentary canal (caecum), sphincter, and pupils. The sacral parasympathetic nerve fibres form the pelvic ganglia and they control the bladder, kidney, rectum and gonads.

All of these parts, the brain, spinal cord, the nerves and the autonomic, sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems make up the parts of a rabbits nervous system.

A closer look at the central nervous system

The following description made me laugh:

The brain of rabbit is essentially made on the same plan as that of the frog and other vertebrates but in rabbit is more complicated.

Which sciencey person wrote that? Honsetly. It doesn’t even make sense.

That description is from Notes on Zooology: Nervous system of rabbit.

I think what they meant to say was:

The brain of the rabbit is similar to that of the frog, due to its size and basic structure; however, the rabbit’s brain is more complex as it is controlled by many more nerve fibres and neurons in the brain and nervous system.

Comparing Brains

They say, the more convolutions (lumps and bumps) in a brain, the smarter the critter. Rabbit and frogs brains are pretty smooth… hmmmm…

Neurons are cells that transmit information through an animal’s nervous system so that it can sense stimuli from the environment and behave accordingly. Neurons are packed to form structures like the brain in vertebrates.

The approximate length of a rabbit brain is 5cm, and it’s weight is 12 grams. The approximate length of a frog brain is 2cm and the weight is 0.1 grams.

Then why compare the rabbit brain to the frog when they are dissimilar? Who knows, but let’s go with it. Maybe someone can explain it to me one day… _{I think I figured it out… both rabbits and frogs have “kicky” back legs. 😜}

Understanding the parts of the rabbits brain

A rabbits brain is surrounded by 3 membranes: piamater, arachnoid and the duramater. The piamater is a thin membrane that has a lot of vessels in it that helps control the flow of blood around the brain, the duramater is the tough outer membrane and the arachniod is between the other two, in it are two spaces called the subdural cavity and the subarachnoid cavity which are connected by fibres.

The subdural and subarachniod cavities are filled with the liquid called cerebrospinal fluid.

The brain can be categorised into 3 regions:

1. the forebrain or prosencephalon
2. the midbrain or mesencephalon
3. the hindbrain or rhombencephalon

The hindbrain consists of the cerebellum (or the metencephalon) and the medulla oblongara (or the myelencephalon).

A rabbit’s cerebellum is well developed and has a large lobe called vermis. The two lateral lobes on the side of the vermis are floccular lobes. The cerebellum has a number of folds, which increases the grey matter. The cerebellum has no cavity. It is responsible for equilibrium and it coodinates the voluntary muscular movements. The pons Varolii are strong fibres that connect the two halves of the cerebellum together.

The Medulla oblongata controls digestion, respiration, excretion and circulation. It is at the back of the brain where it connects to the spinal cord.

More Information

• Corpus callosum: a bundle of nerve fibres that connects the two hemispheres of the brain.
• Corpus albicans: is a glandular structure located in the brain that is formed from the remnants of the ovarian follicle after ovulation.
• Four optic lobes: recieve and process visual information.

How domestication has changed rabbit’s brains

Scientists raised 8 wild rabbits and 8 domesticated rabbits under very similar conditions to minimise environmental changes and effects. The MRI data were taken by another scientist who was unaware of the wild or domestic status of the animals.

There were profound differences betwen the brains of wild and domestic rabbits:

• wild rabbits had a bigger brain-to-body size
• domestic rabbits had a smaller amygdala and a larger medial prefontal cortex
• domestic rabbits had less white matter across their enitre brain

These differences make sense because we all know domestic rabbits are less fearful and aren’t as flighty as wild rabbits. Wild rabbits have a very strong flight response becuase they must stay very alert and react quickly to survive.

The reduced white matter means that rabbits have compromised information and emotion processing, which is probably why they are slow at reacting and much clamer than their wild cousins.

The selective breeding process has changed the domestic rabbit’s brain to make them slower, calmer, less emotional, and not as scared. While the reduction in subcortical white matter showed that the corona radiata and corpus callosum in domestic rabbits have reduced neural processing ability.

The probelm with having a larger media; prefontal cortex is it reduces fear and has been shown to facilitate extinction, because animals won’t run away from threats. It also makes it harder for them to learn how to stay safe; however, it gives them enhanced emotional control. This has shown through scientific studies, that rabbits with a larger medial prefrontal cortex easily repeat learned behaviours, but struggle with conditioned respones which are those that become associated with a consequence.

The amygdala influeces aggression and allows the rabbit to respond to stimulation. The amygdala produces the defence response, which has been reduced in domestic rabbits. The fight-or-flight behaviour has been lowered due to selective breeding designing animals to be nonaggressive and non-attentive, which is totally opposite in the wild where the rabbits who survive are aggressive, avoidant, and attentive.

A domestic rabbit’s brain is four times heavier than a wild rabbits, and only slightly larger in brain volume.

Rabbit Mammary Pheromone

The learning of different odours starts in the uterus, through a process called chemical signaling. Once kit rabbits are born they undergoe a huge developmental change. They must adapt to the new environment, by learning new behaviours and physioligically by moving parts of their body in new ways. One of the main changes is the ability to locate the milk. Scientists have studied this behaviour questioning whether the kit’s whiskers come in to play whether it is a function in the brain that is stimulated, or whether it is an olfactory sense (a sense of smell) that enables them to find the source of milk.

They have found that European rabbits in particular have chemosensory communication between the mother and the young, and it plays a significant role in changing the ways the kits behave.

The mother rabbit releases a molecule, called the mammary pheromone, which triggers orocephalic responses, which is when the kit moves its head and mouth to locate the nipples for suckling, it also starts the kit’s ability to learn about the odour which acts as an instigator for cognition. Rabbits are currently the only known mammal to excrete this pheromone.

Once the kit breathes in the mammary pheromone, its brain starts a consolidation process that will be maintained for the rest of its life. This gives the kits the ability to learn about different odours and acts as a “cognitive organiser” to allow them to discover more about their complex environment. It also is suggested that the mammary pheromone may also be one of the non-photic cues arising from the mother, which stimulates synchronisation of the circadian system during pre-visual developmental stages (Brain anatomy of the 4-day-old European rabbit).

Kit rabbits open their eyes between day 10 and day 13, and during the time that their eyes are closed, they mother is giving them non-photic cues, which are behaviours and smells that they don’t have to see. Cues like anticipating food helps the kits to start their circadian rhythm, and this develops within the first 4 days after birth.

During daily nursing, the kits learn about the different smells that the mother gives off, and this is reinforced while suckling.

Chemosensory communication is vital in mammals, as it is used in behaviours including reproduction, feeding, predator avoidance, and mother-young relationships. The mammary pheromone is known scientifically as 2-methylbut-2-enal, and it is critical to start the suckling behaviour of newborn rabbits, as well as reward, motivation, learning and memory formation, homeostatic areas engaged in food anticipation, and regions implicated in circadian rhythm and arousal, as well as in motricity. (Brain anatomy of the 4-day-old European rabbit).

Scientific experiments have been carried out on large litters of rabbit kittens, some given the pheromone and others given a smell of distilled water or a neutral odorant (ethyl acetoacetate). Scientists concluded that the pheromone controlls the suckling behaviour and initialises learning, while the neutral odourant triggered no behavioiral sniffing response.

Old information suggested that the mammary pheromone is detected by receptor neurons in the olfactory lobes, this information is then passed to the brain, specifically the coritical nuclei and the amydgdala, then to the hypothalamus which controls the endocrine and autonomic responses. This information was dismissed and new studies have found that once the pheromone reaches the olfactory lobes, it coats them leaving a “map” of information. This map stays with the rabbit for its life. The rabbit can recognise its mother’s mammary pheromone forever.

Social Odours

All mammals give off the same pheromones and odourous secretions. These can be classified into two groups: identifier and emotive. Identifier odours are those that are produced through metabolic processes, without stimulation, like digestion. While emotive odours are produced through an emotional state or external process.

There are nine recognised social odours: species, age, sex, colony membership, individuality, social status, reproductive state, maternal state and stress.

Scientists can isolate particular odours and have tested them on animals, which has shown behavioural changes. The way the animal reacts depends on its current hormonal state and the life experiences it has had. They are using this information to help with conservation, in that helps wildlife management with captive animals with things like captive breeding, reintroduction to the wild, translocation, social behaviour, predataion and movement.

Important Pheromones and Hormones

There’s a whole lot of sciencey jargon that goes with understanding the different pheromones and hormones. Let’s look at some that may help with understanding rabbit behaviour and what triggers it.

Firstly, a pheromone is a substance that is secreted outside the individual and received by a second individual of the same species. That second individual will react in accordance to that pheromone. Pheromones are chemical signals that are produced and recieved by members of the same species, where the sender and reciever will get benefit.

Scientists started looking at pheromones in the 1950’s, by purifiying just over 5g of the male silk moth attractant bombykol from 313,000 female silk moths. Bombykol has become a classic example of a sex attractant hormone, because it attracted male silk moths over large distances.

There has been debate about using the word “pheromone” with vertebrates, because scientists didn’t see a “definite response” in tests. Mammal behaviour has been isolated down to learning and context, which makes observing the responses to chemical signals much more difficult to define, and it was very rare that many animals reacted in the same way all of the time.

Animals release pheromones into the environment in many different ways. The main way is through urine and feces; boars leave pheromones in their saliva; rabbits have the mammary pheromone to help kits feed; and, hamsters have a sexual pheromone that females excrete.

Animals also have scent glands under their chin, that when rubbed on objects leave pheromones behind. Scientists have discovered that little is known why animals rub their chins on objects, and the roles that the pheromones play, although they have agreed upon the fact that it is nothing to do with territory.

The organs and pathways that pheromones take into the brain is quite complex due to the discovery of the tiny subsystems found within the main olfactory epithelium (MOE) and the vomeronasal system (VNO). Historically, it was thought that pheromones could only be sensed by the MOE, but it is now accepted that both MOE and VNO can sense them. The MOE senses the primary gas or aerosolised chemicals, and the VNO senses liquid signals.

Aggression

The article Identification of protein pheromones that promote aggressive behaviour suggests that pheromones are compounds emitted and detected by members of the same species, as cues to regulate social behaviours such as kit suckling, aggression and mating and that the neurons that detect the pheromones are thought to be in the vomeronasal organ (VNO) and the main olfactory epithelium (MOE). When an animal smells a pheromone it triggers the neurons.

One particluar ligand (molecule attached to the atom of the pheromone) has been analysed to suggest that it promotes aggression. Through analysis it has been found that the aggression is dependent on the presence of a particular protein, which is a major urinary protein (MUP) complex, and aggresive behaviour is induced by the MUPs in the VNO circuts.

Baically, when talking about rabbits, fighting males will spray each other. The urine that is srayed has MUP in it, which is breathed in by the other rabbit in the fight and it triggers the recognition of the hormone in the VNO and the MOE, which in turn makes the fight last longer because it promotes aggression.

According to the study, intact male urine was put on the backs of desexed males, and this caused the castrated males to start fighting.

Adrenal Gland

Once a rabbit is neutered it may still display behaviours like humping. That is because even though the ovaries and testes are removed, the adrenal gland still produces sex hormones – especially during spring.

Some rabbits will show these behaviours more than others, and that is because their adrenal glands produce more testoterone than others, and in some rabbits the adrenal gland will produce more testosterone once the testes are removed.

During the spring, neutered rabbits may show social, sexual, or mild aggressive behaviours. Females will try to dig burrows.

Don’t try to bond rabbits during spring and early summer.

What is the adrenal gland?

Well, firstly, there are two of them. They are near the kidneys and are the same size and shape in both males and females. The glands regulate the stress response by releasing steroid hormones. The adrenal glands respond to signals from the pituitary gland, which in turn reacts to signals from the hypothalamus. This is known as the hypothalamic pituitary adrenal axis.

According to Vetlexicon, if your rabbit has the following behaviours maybe you should get your rabbit checked for Adrenocortical disease:

• Increased sexual behaviours:
  • increased urine spraying
  • mounting objects, humans and other animals
  • loss of litter training
  • aggression – chasing, biting, scrating to humans and other animals
• loss of body condition, moulting, unable to keep weight on
• may or may not have enlarged sexual organs

It is common in older rabbits (7+ years) but can appear in younger rabbits. All cases have been reported in neutered rabbits. Both males and females can get it.

Vets are becoming more knowledgable in diagnosing Adrenocortical disease.

Understanding the rabbit brain

Studies conducted on rabbit brains are usually focused on adults, and there isn’t much information about the young rabbit brain. Any studies conducted on rabbits between the ages of 4-40 weeks resulted in grainy, low-quality MRI images, and this creates missing data.

The 4-day old rabbit brain appears to be similar to the adult brain, but it is more cramped in the skull, especially with the olfactory bulbs and cerebral hemispheres.

The seven main sections of the brain:

1. main olfactory circuit
2. accessory olfactory circuit
3. limbic-related areas invovled in reward and motivation
4. learning and memory
5. homeostatic-related areas
6. circadian rhythm and arousal
7. motricity

Main olfactory unit

The olfactory epithelium is found in the main nasal cavity where receptor neurons link to the main olfactory lobe (MOB). These neurons make up most of the lobes. The lobes themselves are circular in young rabbits and more pear-shaped in adults. The MOB is responsible, in the first few days, for sensing odours and giving reactions to them. It is also the circadian pacemaker, which depends on the mammary pheromone, which trains the kits when it is going to be mealtime.

Accessory olfactory unit

These are found at the bottom of the nasal cavity and connects to the back of the MOB. It is the part that is used to locate the mothers nipples. In adult rabbits it is the part that plays a role in odour-guided reproductive behaviour.

Limbic-related areas

Kit rabbits get one chance a day, for around 5 minutes, to feed. Scientists believe that due to this behaviour, regions in the brain that are involved in reward and motivation, and learning and memory will develop early on. They think that odour learning occurs perinatally, which boosts the development of these libic-related areas of the brain.

Perinatal is classed as when a rabbit becomes pregnant, until a around 6 weeks after birth, once the kits are weaned.

Learning and memory

The reward system in the brain are the areas that control incentive, pleasure and positive reinforcement. In young rabbits, this is triggered by having an appetite and being fed. The ventral pallidum (VP) is involved in classical conditioning in the adult rabbit, but its purpose in kit rabbits is unclear. The accumbens nucleus (Acb) is activated when the kit senses the mother coming and preparing for feeding. The olfactory unit kicks in when the kit is being fed and it is considered a reward. The lateral septum, found near the corpus callosum, is involved in emotion, fear, aggression, stress, learning and memory, and it may be the part of the brain that sustains the mother rabbit’s daily nursing rhythm. When a rabbit has lesions on the lateral septum, there are negative effects on maternal insticts. The amygdala is well-known to be involved in the reward system. Both adult rabbits and kit rabbits have the same shape and size amygdala; however, in a kit some parts are harder to define.

These sections of the rabbits brain can be trained to accept rewards, or it can be trained to show the fear response. Adult rabbits who have been trained to accept rewards through incentives are less likely to show fear responses; however, once fear has been stimulated as a kit, adult rabbits tend to show negative responses more frequently.

Rabbits learn through a process that uses chemosensory cues while young. This is triggered by the hippocampus which is the main region for learning and memory. In adult rabbits, without proper training, the hippocampus is involved with avoidance, and can be re-trained though conditional training approaches.

Homeostatic-related areas

Homeostasis is when an organism maintains stability when adjusting to conditions that are best for its survival. The organum vasculosum of the lamina terminalis (OVLT) plays an important role in homeostasis, it has special permeability characteristics to help with osmoregulation (maintaining the rabbits water content). Homeostasis is controlled by the hypothalamus, which is important in sleep regulation, thermoregulation, sexual behaviour and maternal behaviour.

As the kit rabbit grows, the neurons in its brain change and develop. Between 3 and 7 days the hypothalamus starts producing vasopressin and oxytocin (neurohypophysical hormones). Oxytocin is essential in reproduction and mother-kit bonding. Vasopressin contrils water ingestion and thirst. At 7 days, the hypothalamus is still not very mature and needs more time to develop further.

Circadian rhythm and arousal

Circadian rhythms control a variety of physiological events, like metabolism. In rabbits, the suprachiasmatic clock (Sch), which is the main part of the master circadian clock, is a small nucleus that is in the ventral hypothalamus just above the optic chiasm. It is hard to find in 4-day old rabbits, while in 7-day old rabbits it is easy to find and they have a solid circadian rhythm. It controls when the rabbit’s sleep-wake pattern, learning and memory, feeding and energy balance.

Motricity

The ability to move muscles is called motricity. Many parts of the rabbits brain help with the acquisition, representation, execution and control of muscle movement. The main parts of the brain that control motility are the basal ganglia the cerebellum, the motor cortex and prefrontal cortex, which form motor and cognitive circuits.

At the back of the brain, 4-day old rabbit kits have an underdeveloped cerebellum, which has two hemispheres, and contains a narrow midline called the vermis. The cerebellum, controls movement, balance, learning and proprioception (the ability to feel the movement of the limb). Adult rabbits have a slightly different shaped cerebellum due to maturity.

The effect of handling pre-weaning rabbits

Breeders suggest that by handling the rabbits shortly after birth will decrease the fear response that kit rabbits have towards humans.

What is the TRUE effect of handling?

Here is a timeline of the various studies conducted:

• 1989, it was suggested that handling after 10 weeks of age was effective in reducing fear.
• 1994, studies showed that handled in the first week of life, fear was reduced.
• 1996, studies suggested that rabbits had higher growth rates and hight activity levels if they were handled between 10 days to 10 weeks of age.
• 1996, it was showed that minimal handling reduces shyness, especially if the rabbits were handled in their first week of life.
• 1999, another study suggested that rabbits were affected positively if handled close to the time of feeding.
• 1999, a report, by another group of scientists, suggested that handling is effective if performed around nursing time.
• 2000, a study showed that handling could be damaging for kit rabbits during the first week of life.
• 2000, found that kits handled around nursing time became tame at weaning, but it was only effective if they were handled within 30 minutes after nursing in the first week of life.
• 2004, found that handling in early life significantly affected rabbits’ reactivity in behavioural tests.
• 2012, found that rabbits handled from 14-33 days were more inquisitive, playful and did not display fear.

So, which is it?

No matter which study was conducted, they all resulted in the same outcome. Handled rabbits from an early age are less fearful, inquisitive and bold.

If rabbit kits are handled in the first week of age, it is important to note that the development of the kit’s olfactory system is much more sensitive during maternal visits, so handling is not effective while the mother is about to nurse, during nursing, or post-nursing. But it is effective when the kits are getting ready to nurse, when they are most active, and 30 minutes after feeding. This helps imprint “human smell” on the kits olfactory lobes.

Results show that 1 minute of early (after the first week) daily handling of kits (stroking, moving legs, patting heads, not picking up) is more beneficial while their eyes are still closed, before nursing, reduced fear reactions towards humans.

Once their eyes are open, after 10 days, it is beneficial to start picking them up and moving them around the nest, and putting them somewhere safe (on your lap) and patting them.

Kits who have been handled a lot before weaning are thought to learn human-specific behaviours, which means they learn what humans do, and this in turn made them less fearful, and were much bolder, and had the ability to approach humans after weaning.

Kits who were introduced to a cat several times before weaning were not scared of cats after weaning.

It is important to introduce your pre-weaning rabbits to as much as you can, and continue these introductions post-weaning. This has proven to be beneficial for the rabbit and for the carers.

Nitty gritties

As we discussed above, baby rabbits need lots of socialisation and human contact to become calm and cuddly pets from a very young age. breeders who spend a lot of time with their bunny kits will produce good pets. By spending time with the baby bunnies, the breeder is, unknowingly, getting the bunnies brain to create gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) which allows brain cells to communicate with each other, and everything depends on that strength. If it is faster and stronger the more the brain will work better. GABA plays a key role in controlling stress, it settles brain cells when they get overexcited. If there isn’t enough GABA in the brain, and the neurons get too excited, it results in stress and anxiety. Anxiety is the brain doing it’s thing but a little too much. Medication can ease anxiety, as they mimic the role of GABA in the brain, but long term use can permanently damage the brain. That’s where exercise and a healthy diet come into to play. Exercise creates dopamine, which produces pleasure, satisfaction and motivation. It also kicks in the competition against others, or simply enjoying peacefulness of the scenery. This makes the body function at a higher level and lifts the levels of serotonin which carries messages between nerve cells and the brain, and plays a key role in mood, sleep, digestion, nausea, wound healing, bone health and blood clotting.

Put simply, as the breeder spends time with the bunny kits, the babies brains are developing neurons to keep it calm in humanised situations. Then when you collect your bunny from the breeder, it’s up to you to maintain that level of development until it is about 3 years old. Bunnies brains are very similar to human brains in the way they develop from birth and how they learn. This is called cerebral maturation and scientists have studied it for many years. According to the National Library of Medicine‘s study called New Insights into the Developing Rabbit Brain Using Diffusion Tensor Tractography and Generalized q-Sampling MRI (March 2015), bunnies brains start growing steadily after the 4th week after birth. The main growth of the brain occurs between the 4th and 12th week. This is when bunny owners need to spend a lot of time with their rabbit and teach them how to be calm and think through problems. In the 20th week, brain development hits a plateau because the brain is thinking about everything it has learned and needs time to digest the information. Then it starts up again by week 24, where there is more rapid learning and growth of the brain. It plateaus again and more often after 32 weeks, so learning stages are shorter and sharper. Until the bunny gets to 1 year old (52 weeks) and then the learning is more gradual and the plateaus are less prominent.

This is a graph to show what it looks like:

A breakdown of the graph:

• 0-4 weeks – Survival off mother and gaining required nutrients to support growth.
• 4-8 weeks – Starting to learn about eating different foods and slowly weaning off mother’s milk. Learning about the environment, rules and play.
• 8-12 weeks – Learning to care for itself, grooming, cleanliness. Consumption of different foods – learn about different tastes, likes and dislikes.
• 12-16 weeks – Discovery of world through play. Learn about human family members – who is their primary carer. They attach themselves to a person, another pet, toy or blanket.
• 16-20 weeks – Bunny will be 4 months old, heading to 5 months. Test boundaries. Learn through play. Make own rules. Test new foods and tastes. Learn meanings of some words and can apply them. Can learn name and react to it. Positive reinforcement.
• 20-24 weeks – PLATEAU 1 – Bunny will be 5-6 months old. Solidify everything they have learned. Allow time for neurons to grow and develop.
• 24-32 weeks – Learn through play. Good time to start teaching basic tricks/skills/words. Extend skills. Develop rules for play and rules for family. Positive reinforcement.
• 32-34 weeks – PLATEAU 2 – Bunny will be 8 months old. Solidify rules and develop skills.
• 34-36 weeks – Learn through play and bunnies will create their own games. Work on more more tricks and skills. Revise all tricks and skills learned so far. Positive reinforcement.
• 36-37 weeks – PLATEAU 3 – Bunny will be 9 months old. Solidify knowledge. Good time to test all knowledge, don’t introduce anything new.
• 37-41 weeks – Learn some more through play and rules. Try new foods and practice skills. Positive reinforcement.
• 41-42 weeks – PLATEAU 4 – Bunny will be 10 months old. Give bunny the chance to think about everything so far.
• 42-45 weeks – Create new learning activities through play. Tasks should become tougher but not unachievable. Positive reinforcement.
• 45-46 weeks – PLATEAU 5 – Bunny will be 11 months old. Repeat new skills and activities to solidify learning.
• 46-48 weeks – Develop skills through play, give tasks to solve. Positive reinforcement.
• 48-49 weeks – PLATEAU 6 – The next learning will be a steady climb to setting personality traits and developing new rules. Make sure you revise everything with the bunny.
• 49-52 weeks – Solidify everything. Revise. Play. Can add another simple skill.
• 52-84 weeks – Learning will slow down. Bunny will find it harder to learn new things, but it still will be achievable. Take more time to teach things step by step.
• 84-104 weeks – Bunny will be between 21 months to 2 years old. Things slow down even more after 2 years of age. But learning things is still possible.
• 104 – 156 weeks – Bunny will be heading towards 3 years old. All nurons will be set, and even though it’s possible to teach new skills, it will take a very long time.