# Why are adolescent wild rabbits so docile? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 17, 2015, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-adolescent-wild-rabbits-so-docile/722746 "2015-06-17T13:55:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![filmore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7993a0/32.png) [@filmore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmore)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2015, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-adolescent-wild-rabbits-so-docile/722746/1 "2015-06-17T13:55:58Z")
About this time of year, I start seeing young, wild rabbits in the greenbelt around my house. The thing that strikes me as odd is that they are so docile. I can walk my dog within about 10 feet of them and they don’t run away. They are on alert, but they don’t seem too concerned. In a month or two I likely won’t see anymore until next year. We also have coyotes in the area. I’m sure they get some of the rabbits, but not all of them since they’re back every year. Are all young rabbits docile like this? Or am I just seeing the docile ones and all the wiley ones are wisely hiding somewhere? When I see the docile ones, I can’t help but think they won’t last long around the coyotes. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2015, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-adolescent-wild-rabbits-so-docile/722746/2 "2015-06-17T15:12:22Z")
They are more likely to survive if they do not move. I walk my dogs right past still rabbits, but if they run, 50% of the time the dogs get them. ---
**Author:** ![HoneyBadgerDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honeybadgerdc/32/1033_2.png) [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2015, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-adolescent-wild-rabbits-so-docile/722746/3 "2015-06-17T15:43:06Z")
This may be part of the survival strategy of the species. If a number of rabbits are easy to catch the predators would have no reason to evolve better hunting skills. Rabbits produce a lot of babies. Maybe the purpose they serve is to simply spoil the predators and keep them from getting too good. ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2015, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-adolescent-wild-rabbits-so-docile/722746/4 "2015-06-17T16:32:43Z")
What where you expecting? That all rabbits were like the one from Monty Python and the Holy Grail? ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2015, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-adolescent-wild-rabbits-so-docile/722746/5 "2015-06-17T16:35:04Z")
They’re too young to know the dangers of a \*rowf. \* ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2015, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-adolescent-wild-rabbits-so-docile/722746/6 "2015-06-17T16:49:37Z")
They have their earbuds in and they just don’t hear you. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2015, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-adolescent-wild-rabbits-so-docile/722746/7 "2015-06-17T17:18:30Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > They are more likely to survive if they do not move. This, for the most part. Rabbit kittens freeze institutionally and try to rely on not being noticed by predators. The older they get and the better able to run, the more inclined they will be to make a break for it ( to a burrow of thick undergrowth ) if approached too closely. That said rabbits like most critters can get habituated to non-threatening humans. They’re pretty much all gone now, but when I was a little kid brush rabbits were still common enough in Golden Gate Park and many were not much more skittish than the squirrels. You’d see mothers with babies happily grazing on the lawns as dozens of people walked or jogged past. ---
**Author:** ![usedtobe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ec9cab/32.png) [@usedtobe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/usedtobe)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2015, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-adolescent-wild-rabbits-so-docile/722746/8 "2015-06-17T22:43:04Z")
As suggested - in dogs (and, I suspect most predators), if you run, it means you are prey and triggers the prey instinct (kill and eat). If they don’t catch wind of you until you are within range, their best bet is to freeze and hope you don’t see them. The huge litters of rabbits is required - when you are on simply everybody’s menu, there had better be a bunch of you and you better make lots of babies. ---
**Author:** ![filmore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7993a0/32.png) [@filmore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmore)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2015, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-adolescent-wild-rabbits-so-docile/722746/9 "2015-06-18T01:10:54Z")
> [@Tamerlane](#): > > That said rabbits like most critters can get habituated to non-threatening humans. They’re pretty much all gone now, but when I was a little kid brush rabbits were still common enough in Golden Gate Park and many were not much more skittish than the squirrels. You’d see mothers with babies happily grazing on the lawns as dozens of people walked or jogged past. I worry that I’m contributing to this. By walking my dog calmly past them, I worry that they won’t think of dogs and similar animals to be a threat. That’s not such a big deal in a park, but it seems like it can make them more vulnerable in an area with predators for whom the rabbits are a food source. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2015, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-adolescent-wild-rabbits-so-docile/722746/10 "2015-06-18T03:16:33Z")
> [@Tamerlane](#): > > Rabbit kittens freeze institutionally :mad: I’m pretty sure I was trying to say _instinctually_. I blame…umm…the message board software…yeah…that’s the ticket… ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2015, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-adolescent-wild-rabbits-so-docile/722746/11 "2015-06-18T03:57:08Z")
We have one that loiters on our deck, eating bird seed and an apple slice or two we toss out for him. He’s very laid back, I think he’s a suburban rabbit too used to living near humans. Sort of like an outdoor pet, not that we can pet him. \ ---
**Author:** ![Mk\_VII](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Mk\_VII](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mk_VII)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2015, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-adolescent-wild-rabbits-so-docile/722746/12 "2015-06-18T19:30:46Z")
I remember at St Martin’s Plain army camp there were large flocks of rabbits that lived under the huts (I think) and were very tame as the soldiers left them alone. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2015, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-adolescent-wild-rabbits-so-docile/722746/13 "2015-06-18T19:51:03Z")
> [@filmore](#): > > I worry that I’m contributing to this. By walking my dog calmly past them, I worry that they won’t think of dogs and similar animals to be a threat. That’s not such a big deal in a park, but it seems like it can make them more vulnerable in an area with predators for whom the rabbits are a food source. They also need to learn that there are idiot clueless dogs out there that won’t chase them. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![The\_Stainless\_Steel\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_stainless_steel_rat/32/5727_2.png) [@The\_Stainless\_Steel\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Stainless_Steel_Rat)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2015, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-adolescent-wild-rabbits-so-docile/722746/14 "2015-06-18T20:27:00Z")
> [@usedtobe](#): > > As suggested - in dogs (and, I suspect most predators), if you run, it means you are prey and triggers the prey instinct (kill and eat). > If they don’t catch wind of you until you are within range, their best bet is to freeze and hope you don’t see them. > The huge litters of rabbits is required - when you are on simply everybody’s menu, there had better be a bunch of you and you better make lots of babies. > [@](#): > > 'All the world will be your enemy, prince with a thousand enemies. And whenever they catch you, they will kill you. But first, they must catch you, digger, listener, runner, Prince with a swift warning. Be cunning, and full of tricks, and your people will never be destroyed -Watership Down