Rabbits have an excellent sense of smell and are constantly sampling the air around them to detect predators and find food. Rabbits’ powerful sense of smell is 15 to 20 times better than a human.
Rabbits use their acute smelling ability to detect predators several miles away, to smell territorial boundaries, to identify other rabbits as friend or foe and even to find food underground. A rabbit’s sense of smell helps it survive in the wild.
I was amazed at how much Rabbits rely on sense of smell!
How Far Can A Rabbit Smell?
Rabbits can “detect predators from miles away and smell food that is below ground”.
Amazingly, rabbits can smell other animals from miles away. The typical predators that a rabbit might smell and evade in North America include:
- Fox
- Owl, Hawk, Eagle
- Coyote, Wolfe, Wild Dog
- Mountain Lion, Lynx, Wildcat, Bobcat
- Ground Squirrel
- Feral Cats
- Snakes
- Racoons
Why Do Rabbits Sniff and Smell All The Time? Why Do Rabbits Smell Everything?
If a rabbit is awake, then its nose is sniffing and smelling. Even when a rabbit is sleeping, its nose may still be moving.
Rabbits are a prey animal. As noted above they are prey for many predators. Their keen sense of smell can alert them to a nearby predator and help them stay alive. So, rabbits have evolved to be constantly sniffing and smelling their environment.
Wild rabbits rely heavily on their sense of smell for several key activities:
- Finding food
- Attracting mates
- Identifying territories
- Detecting predators
- Their keen sense of smell is very important to their survival
Can Rabbits Smell Better Than Humans?
Yes, a rabbit’s sense of smell is much better, much stronger, than a human’s sense of smell!
One reason is because rabbits have about 100 million olfactory (or smelling) receptors, while humans only have about 6 million. Secondly, the part of the brain that is used in the sense of smell is much larger in rabbits than it is in humans.
Can Rabbits Smell Better Than Dogs?
No, rabbit generally do not have a better sense of smell than a dog. Dogs have about 220 million olfactory (or smelling) receptors, while rabbits have about 100 million. This is part of why the rabbit reproduces so quickly.
How Does A Rabbit Smell Their World?
Three Primary Functions of The Rabbit’s Nose
A rabbit’s nose has three main functions:
- Regulate the amount of air that flows in and out via the nose,
- Filter the air as it flows into the nose
- Olfaction (the sense of smell), also known as smelling.
A rabbit’s nose is uniquely designed to do these three functions.
The information in this post relies heavily on this great study. It found that as the rabbit sniffs, inbound air enters the nose and nasal cavity close to the nostril wall; while on the exhale, outbound air tends to flow through the middle or central part of the nostrils.
This seems to allow for less mixing of inbound and outbound air, which seems to allow the rabbit more, almost continuous, sampling of distinct odors and smells.
Further, the study states that all species of mammals that have a very good sense of smell also have a relatively complex nasal structure. Different parts or segments of the complex nasal structure have different jobs or functions.
Examples of common animals with complex nasal structures:
- Rabbits
- Mice
- Dogs
- Rats
- Deer
Conversely, humans and primates do not have a relatively complex nasal structure and therefore do not have as keen or strong of a sense of smell as the animals with the more complex nasal structure.
How Does A Rabbit’s Nose Smell Odors?
The basics are similar in many mammals in that air is drawn in through the nose. Then olfactory sensors sample the air and send signals to the brain that are interpreted as various scents or smells.
Rabbits have different kinds of specialized olfactory receptor cells located in different parts of their relatively complex nasal structure.
Additionally, Rabbits have an olfactory bulb (looks like a ball on the wall) at the back of their nasal structure. The olfactory bulb is very dense with olfactory sensory cells, or “smelling cells”, that send signals to the brain to be interpreted as distinct smells.
Do Young Rabbits Have A Sense of Smell?
The example is given that even newborn rabbits, kits, have an outstanding sense of smell as that is what guides them, deaf and blind as they are, to their mother’s nipples to nurse. More specifically a “mammary pheromone” is identified in milk. The kits can smell this pheromone and it directs them to their mother’s teats.
Can Rabbits Smell Their Owners?
Yes, rabbits quickly distinguish the unique scent of their owners. Your rabbit may smell you before they see you.
Are Rabbits Sensitive to Smells?
Yes, rabbits are very sensitive to smells. As such, you may need to be mindful of the very strong smells that some detergents and household cleaning materials have, when they are in use near your rabbit.
Additionally, perfumes and highly fragranced products that we use to keep our homes smelling pleasant, may be offensive or cause allergic reactions for house rabbits.
Lastly, if working with household chemicals or petroleum products, then you should wash your hands before handling your rabbit.
What Smell Attracts Rabbits?
Like most animals, rabbits are attracted to the scent of fresh foods that they enjoy. This includes quality grasses, hay, and green leafy vegetables.
Additionally, rabbits are attracted by some pheromones that humans cannot smell. We provided the “mammary pheromone” example above.
Cool Rabbit Nose Facts
The normal respiration rate of a rabbit is 30 to 60 breaths per minute. However, when sniffing, the rabbit’s respiration rate can be 480 breaths per minute.
That’s not a typo, that is up to 8 breaths per second. Rabbits can sample the air around them very quickly. The rabbit’s olfactory nerves that provide for sense of smell, do not repair themselves, are not regenerative. So, if an infection or disease damages those nerves, it can mean serious impact for the rabbit.
Rabbits are nose breathers; they breathe primarily through their noses. A rabbit will only try to breathe through its mouth if it is in distress. For example, if it has the snuffles, and its nose is either partially or fully blocked with mucus, then it will tilt its head up and breath through its mouth. This is stressful for the rabbit.
The article also provides outstanding graphics representing the anatomy of a rabbit’s nasal cavity.
Video of Bunny Noses twitching – cute and informative
Video compilation of cute and funny Bunnys!
This one is purely for entertainment. It’s good to smile and laugh!
This post about rabbit sense of smell is part of our larger guide to the 5 senses that rabbits use:
Hearing, Smelling, Seeing, Feeling or Touch, and Taste.
Here is the link to What Senses Do Rabbits Use?
Please click and give it a read! It is full of great information, and I guarantee you will learn something valuable.
Final Thoughts
As we’ve discussed, the rabbit has a highly developed sense of smell that is significantly better than a human’s sense of smell.
The rabbit can sniff up to 480 times in a minute; that’s 8 times a second. This remarkable feat coupled with a complex nasal structure means that the rabbit can smell predators up to 2 miles away and can smell food underground. Wild rabbits use their sense of smell for very important purposes such as: finding food, attracting mates, identifying territories, and detecting predators.
The rabbit’s keen sense of smell is very important to its survival.