What rabbits say without speaking

 Rabbits do not speak to us. The rabbits that we know are wild. But they communicate without words. 

When we speak to rabbits, do they understand?

Interacting with a wild rabbit is not like interacting with a domesticated dog or cat. Even the least intelligent cat or dog has a toddler's language: want food, go to sleep, go away, I love you, I hate you (for 5 minutes or until the next meal), pay attention to me.

Every pet owner knows that each pet is an individual.

We do not own the wild rabbits but we have named some of them that we can identify as individuals.

Daily

Consider Daily. Daily has a favorite spot on our shaded lawn and visits it every day. We are delighted. Every morning we ask, "Is Daily there?" Daily is there. We are delighted that Daily feels safe enough to return to our lawn every day.

Yesterday, Daily was on our lawn all day. Earlier in the summer, it would go somewhere cooler during the hottest part of the day (we don't know where). Yesterday was sufficiently cool that Daily could sleep on our lawn (bunnies can sleep with their eyes open, they say). 

Last night, there were two bunnies we don't know on our front lawn. We stood at the front door. Daily was to our right, the two other bunnies to the left. 

There was an interaction that we don't understand -- did Daily try to chase them away? Daily retired to the shaded lawn.

This morning, Daily was at the shaded lawn. Later today, Melissa went out looking for Daily and did not see it. Daily jumped into view and flopped down and Melissa took photos of it while talking to it. 

Do bunnies understand what we're saying? Do they understand tone of voice? Melissa was tempted to sing a lullaby but instead narrated, such as "don't worry, the dog being walked doesn't see you. It's going away."

Daily flopped down (see Bunny Lady's Rabbit Body Language Guide) and crossed its legs. 

The rabbits have known us all of their lives. Meerkats, with a similarly short lifespan, can be accustomed to humans. 

But only one rabbit behaves like Daily. 

Rusty

Rusty runs from me and not from Melissa, ever since I had to water the lawn. That is communication by body language. I have not figured out how to tell Rusty that it is welcome to visit our front lawn. 

Meerkit

Melissa named Meerkit for its habit of standing on its hind legs like a meerkat. One time, we were looking out our window and I said that I thought we were looking at Meerkit and Melissa was not sure. When it stood on its hind legs, Melissa screamed like a delighted girl, which startled Meerkit. 

Meerkit standing

Conclusion

Daily is very special, communicating with us nonverbally, but all of the bunnies that we know are individuals.