Bunny Toys & Boredom Busters
To ensure your bunnies are happy and healthy it’s important to provide mental stimulation for them. A happy bunny of sound mind will be calm and friendly. A bunny who is bored and being kept in a small space for the majority of the time could develop behavioural problems such as biting, grunting, destructive chewing, darting, spraying wee and generally being a “bad” bunny. This is totally avoidable.
Here is a collection of my own ideas that I have compiled over the years. Certain play pens and toy ideas, toy reviews etc. I’m always adding to this so please follow the page thank you xxx
Here is a collection of my own ideas that I have compiled over the years. Certain play pens and toy ideas, toy reviews etc. I’m always adding to this so please follow the page thank you xxx
Quick Summary of Our Favourite Toys:
Click the images to see them in full... shows what toys are called, cost at time of writing this webpage and where I buy them...
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The Bunnies Playing with their Toys
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Ancol Food Ball
Most of my bunnies love these balls! Fill them up with their usual pellets or treats and make things much more interesting for bunnies. Dry out some banana slices and break them up into the ball, a bunnies fave! (make sure they don't go mouldy inside tho). This is Asha, my loving (non-breeding) mini lop girl. |
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Trixie Wood Snack CubeHere is Jasper, My English Angora boy, playing with his much loved Trixie Wooden Snack Cube. He is always flinging it around the place in hope of a barley ring or some kind of treat flying out!
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Veggie Kebab Sticks!
Hay Roller
Why not get the kids involved in some bit of DIY toy making for the bunnies. Fill them with hay, grass or anything else!
Keeping Cool
Keep your bunny cool with frozen carrots 😃🥕🐾💕🐇
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Other ideas to keep bunnies cool are frozen pop bottles full of frozen water in their hutch/run. I don’t do this but I know they do in the pet shops and it gave me the idea. Ensure all water bottles are functioning as they should and not jammed.
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Keep Those Nails Short
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I have many runs set up on the grass in my garden so bunnies can munch all day. I have set up here a few runs on the concrete slabs as I have found playing regularly in these runs keeps bunnies nails nice and trim, meaning I do not have to trim nails. This is much better for the rescue bunnies I have who do not enjoy being handled. Take a look at my concrete runs...
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Tunnels, Boxes, Levels.
Bunnies love tunnels… obvious right? It’s natural for them, they feel safe in something with two escape routes so tunnels are perfect. You can improvise too! See how I have improvised to include tunnels as much as possible in my bunnies set up. Tunnels can help indoor bunnies come out of their shell too. An outdoor rabbit coming indoors to live as a house bunny can be quite stressed from the noises etc. This is especially the case for a bun over 3 months old who has grown up outdoors. Tunnels around your house will give bunny confidence and security and he’ll be more likely to explore and get to know you.
I have kept bunnies all my life and I didn’t know that bunnies love levels, jumping and climbing until I was in my twenties!?! They like it a lot… See how I have incorporated this into their living area to provide more excerise for them. I also use the levels to hide food around the place so they have to explore. You may be able to put litter trays on top of the levels (two of my buns have their litter trays high up) and this will be a great space saver for you. See what you think…
If you can, it is well worth providing your bunny/bunnies with the opportunity to dig. They love it, its part of their natural insticts and they will spend hours doing it and it is fascinating to watch! My bunnies have their bunny garden to dig in now (we have made it safe by concreting around the edges, the ONLY thing that kept them in!). The areas in the middle are fine to dig and they just tend to create a tunnel leading to a cave area underground. We fill them in now and then so they have to start all over again!!! A bit cruel lol but it keeps them busy!
If you dont want your bun digging up your garden (totally understandable, not everyone is the crazy bunny lady, right!) then how about using a sandpit, filled with whatever you like. You can pick them up for £15 with a lid or even get them cheap as chips second hand. Your bunny would love it. I have a pic of our old bunny in a sandpit somewhere, I will try and find it. The bunny was extremely shy and this really brought him out of his shell. If bunny is an indoor bunny you ould use a storage box, the kind that can fit under a bed. Fill it with shredded paper or something similar then this will keep your house fairly tidy.Be aware of your bunny escaping. When they dig, they can create a tunnel out of your garden to your neighbour a lot faster than you probably realise. Your bunny will always come back (providing they consider you and their living area as home and feel safe there). The problems is, of course, predators (neighbours dogs/cats & wildlife), traffic, people taking your bunny, eating your neighbours greenery and you may have a situ on your hands there! My Flash escaped once and I was looking for him for hours, very worried because it isnt natural for them not to come back when called. It turned out he had followed our neighbour into his garage at the back of our house and he didnt realise and locked my poor bunny in the garage!! As a last straw I had peeked into the garages calling flash (not thinking for one minute he would be in there, i was clutching at straws). In one he came running to the door and stuck his nose thru the tiny gap, I’m sure he said, “Help me, Mommy!!”. I had to track down whos garage it was and ask them to open the garage up. Flash ran straight into my arms when the door opened up, he must have been so scared. This is the sort of thing that could go wrong if your bun escapes. They always come back but they might not be able to sadly.
If you dont want your bun digging up your garden (totally understandable, not everyone is the crazy bunny lady, right!) then how about using a sandpit, filled with whatever you like. You can pick them up for £15 with a lid or even get them cheap as chips second hand. Your bunny would love it. I have a pic of our old bunny in a sandpit somewhere, I will try and find it. The bunny was extremely shy and this really brought him out of his shell. If bunny is an indoor bunny you ould use a storage box, the kind that can fit under a bed. Fill it with shredded paper or something similar then this will keep your house fairly tidy.Be aware of your bunny escaping. When they dig, they can create a tunnel out of your garden to your neighbour a lot faster than you probably realise. Your bunny will always come back (providing they consider you and their living area as home and feel safe there). The problems is, of course, predators (neighbours dogs/cats & wildlife), traffic, people taking your bunny, eating your neighbours greenery and you may have a situ on your hands there! My Flash escaped once and I was looking for him for hours, very worried because it isnt natural for them not to come back when called. It turned out he had followed our neighbour into his garage at the back of our house and he didnt realise and locked my poor bunny in the garage!! As a last straw I had peeked into the garages calling flash (not thinking for one minute he would be in there, i was clutching at straws). In one he came running to the door and stuck his nose thru the tiny gap, I’m sure he said, “Help me, Mommy!!”. I had to track down whos garage it was and ask them to open the garage up. Flash ran straight into my arms when the door opened up, he must have been so scared. This is the sort of thing that could go wrong if your bun escapes. They always come back but they might not be able to sadly.
Foraging.
Bunnies love to eat. In the wild they probably spend at least 75% of their awake time foraging for foods. This is easily recreated for pet bunnies by hidding your bunnies fave foods around the place, inside toys, on top of things, inside boxes, high up, on a peg line, inside an egg box, inside the hay rack, etc. Here are some ideas…
My Rabbit Runs
People often ask so just listing the rabbit runs I use here... the wooden one must have a lid on as rabbits easily jump out, even four week old bunnies haha...