Mary Allen
In the wild, rabbits spend all day searching for food, building burrows, and doing other chores. That’s why you have to offer them a similar amount of variety in their stable. Because freewheeling alone is not enough. Find out here what is suitable for the rabbit occupation.
Digging
Digging is rabbits’ absolute favorite pastime, which is why every rabbit hutch must have a suitable option. If you keep your rabbits outside, this is very easy to do as the long-ears can easily dig in the ground there. But be sure to secure the enclosure from below with stone slabs or a grating. On the one hand, the fur noses could otherwise escape through a tunnel; on the other hand, predators could enter the enclosure.
But even if you keep your rabbits indoors, you should give them the opportunity to dig. a sandbox is best for this. You can easily make these yourself from a box or a cardboard box that you fill with earth, sand, towels, or scraps of fabric. Don’t be surprised if some dirt goes wrong and you have more dirt in the enclosure. That just means that your long-ears love the digging box!
Tunnels and Mazes
Building tunnels and cave systems are natural rabbits’ behaviors. Since it is difficult for them to do this in the cage, you should offer them tunnels to play with. For example, you can set up rustling tunnels for cats, appropriately cut cardboard boxes, cardboard tubes, or hay tunnels during the free run. The rodents will enjoy hiding in the caves.
You can also find special tunnels for rabbits in pet shops. They have the advantage that they are an ideal size. In addition, they are often made of materials that rabbits have a lot of fun with. These include, for example, willow tunnels that long ears can gnaw at.
Rabbits Preoccupation with Food
Rabbits can almost always be lured out of reserve with food. This is why games with food are a good way to keep rabbits busy. For example, you can hide treats in empty toilet paper rolls. Or you can use intelligent toys and cat food mazes to challenge your rabbits to find food. A snack ball filled with food is also suitable as a toy for the animals. The rabbits have to roll the snack ball through their enclosure until the food falls out. You can also use a willow ball that you fill with hay.
Feed trees and feed lines also add variety to your rabbit’s everyday life. For example, you can attach lettuce to a feeding line, which your rabbits then have to pluck off. Make sure that the animals cannot injure themselves in the process. A forage tree works in a similar way. Here the rabbits have to stretch a little to reach the food.
Training and Sport with Rabbits?
Playing together is particularly good for the bond between humans and animals. So if you want to do something good for yourself and your long-eared rabbit, you can teach the rabbit tricks. The most important thing is that you don’t overwhelm your rabbit and that you make sure that it feels like doing the exercises.
Clicker training is a suitable method for the employment of rabbits, as the fur noses are also mentally challenged here. To do this, you first have to condition the rabbit on the clicker by always combining the click sound with a treat. Next, come up with a simple exercise that the rabbit naturally does sometimes. This can be done by males, for example, or nudging an object with their nose. If the rabbit performs this task unconsciously, you click and give a treat. It quickly learns which behavior is required. In order not to overwhelm the animal, you should not practice with the rabbit for more than a few minutes a day.
If you like a special challenge, the rabbit hopping sport may be right for you. Here you master a course with your rabbit, similar to agility training for dogs.
Toys for Rabbits
In addition to the self-made opportunities for rabbit activity, you will find a wide range of rabbit toys in stores. You can only find out what your rabbit likes about it by trying it out. When choosing a toy, it is first important that it is made of natural materials such as wood. Plastic toys are not suitable. You should also make sure that there is no risk of injury. The toy must stand firmly. If it is held together with nails or glue, be careful not to let the rabbit gnaw on these toxic and dangerous materials.
There is a large selection of toys for rabbits. Whether your fur nose prefers crawling in tunnels, climbing ladders, or even playing with a ball depends entirely on your animal.
Employment for Rodents
Gnawing is still one of the rabbits’ best things to do. The long-eared ears can pass the time for hours with this. Therefore, you should always provide the fur noses with fresh branches to nibble on. Make sure to find out beforehand which branches and twigs are non-toxic for rabbits. Accessories made from hay, willow, and wood are also a good idea. So you can combine toys or cozy sleeping caves made of hay with nibbling fun.