I already understand the appearance and spiltting a rabbit. Chris Capehart showed me some more ways rabbits can be used in an act. One was finding a selected card without using any carrot scent. Another way is rubbing the selected card on the rabbit to have it change to a different card.

What are some different effects you know of where a rabbit can be used?

How about the bunny box where people think they have a fair choice of magic items like the following:
the cups and balls, a top hat, a lovely assistant, a magic wand, a decks of cards, the linking rings, dove, and rabbit. Inside the box you have a prediction. Force the rabbit and go from there.

Dynamike,

Contact Bill and Ruth Pitts about the Cavalcade Of Magic (March 2008) program speaker about training rabbits to actually do animal tricks! The lady who spoke has a business in Eureka Springs, Arkansas.

I was especially impressed with the rabbit's training to take and deliver items (cards, money, notes, etc.) to another person.

Bob Sanders
Magic By Sander

PS --- I'll be up your way some through August 10th.

Dave Emery out of Vancouver Washington put a booklet out on training Rabbits. I've seen a few things he's trained rabbits to do and it's pretty amazing. I think his website is emagicland.com.
Bob.

Jsbloom, excuse me for not being clear. I was speaking of something the bunny could do as Bob and Dr. Delusion described. When I carry my bunny with me I only want to use props that will fit in my pocket.

Thanks Bob and Dr. Delusion. I will contact those people.

My rabbit will "pick a card" as some will (on one of these threads it was wisely suggested that you take a deck of cards to the rabbit breeder's to see which baby bunny is curious enough to pull one out of a fan). However, when the bunny is on stage, she freezes and will not select the card which she so readily takes when we're playing at home. Anyone got any advice for how to get the rabbit to "unfreeze."

Another rabbit "production" from Chris Capeheart actually uses the rabbit as a prop. You have the produced rabbit sitting on your table, and then, with your Miser's Dream pail, "pull" coins out of the rabbit's rear. Clearly not for everyone; but hilarious in the right setting. Capehart has another great gag of implied body humor. He sets a doll on a lota bowl and then just drains it periodically. I suppose you could do this to good effect with a spring rabbit, or a live one if s/he'll sit still (although the live rabbit would probably fall in and be uncomfortable).

I think it's not so much about training the rabbit to do tricks, but making the rabbit seem like s/he's doing them. I'd think of the rabbit more like as a puppet doing magic (there are threads at Little Darlings about "one-handed magic tricks" for vents, and - I hear - a good DVD by Steve Taylor), than actually training them to do magic. I think I have a smart rabbit, but I don't see training her to do many tricks, although a few magicians, like Tricky Ricky do seem to have trained them to do some basic stunts. I'd bet using them as puppet-like props is a lot easier than actually trying to train them.

Thanks Guys.

Mumblemore, I put a mesage in "I'm A Real Boy" section and emailed Steve Taylor.

Dr. Delusion, That is the right website. I emailed him at dave@emagicland.com

Bob I contacted Bill & Ruth at 479-484-7512.

Thanks again.

There is a hard to find book titled "Specialised Children's Entertainment" by Eric Sharp. It does show a few animal gags in the book. One is training the rabbit to keep knocking your magic wand off the brim of your hat. Another is how to train a rabbit to pick a card (no food needed). Another deals with showing how to make your dove wave. And another deals with having your dove climb a dadder.