Looking for enrichment advice

Rabbits Online Forum

Help Support Rabbits Online Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

Ryvered

New Member
Joined
May 15, 2021
Messages
4
Reaction score
12
Location
Louisiana
So Im trying to figure out ways to enrich my rabbits space. I worry about him being bored. He doesnt like many chewing toys. We've bought him the rectangular chewsticks and applesticks. He wont touch them. Is there anything we can do to encourage him to chew so his teeth stay in good shape? Or are there things that your rabbits love to chew?

He loves throwing things so I ordered him a balsa fling that has berry flavors. Im hoping he'll chew that and throw out. He does like to dig but we live in an apartment so space is limited. Ive thought about making him a snuffle blanket but I dont know whats safe.
Im also looking for ideas on a hidey space for him. Our cat frequently likes to invade our rabbits space and itd be nice to give him a space the cat cant fit into but our bun bun can. They got along well but sometimes the cat can be a bit much.
 
Re: keeping his teeth in good shape, if he is eating ample amount of hay, you shouldn't need to worry about whether he chews on toys or not! One of my rabbit doesn't chew on toys or anything really, but hay is coarse and consumed enough that it sands the teeth down nicely.

For a snuffle blanket, you can cut up fabric into strips and weave it (i.e. tie knots) into a sea-grass mat or something. Since your rabbit doesn't seem like a big chewer, he's not likely to chew and eat fabric. My snuffle mat is made of fleece fabric strips from ripped/old fleece blankets one of my rabbit commonly destroys, but doesn't ingest.

Also, if your rabbit enjoys digging, a dig box or something anchored can be a nice endless digging experience! I binder clip fleece blankets to the corner of one of my rabbit's sleeping areas and she very often expends energy by digging there mindlessly and then sleeps right next to it afterwards: Instagram - Fable Digging post
 
Re: keeping his teeth in good shape, if he is eating ample amount of hay, you shouldn't need to worry about whether he chews on toys or not! One of my rabbit doesn't chew on toys or anything really, but hay is coarse and consumed enough that it sands the teeth down nicely.

For a snuffle blanket, you can cut up fabric into strips and weave it (i.e. tie knots) into a sea-grass mat or something. Since your rabbit doesn't seem like a big chewer, he's not likely to chew and eat fabric. My snuffle mat is made of fleece fabric strips from ripped/old fleece blankets one of my rabbit commonly destroys, but doesn't ingest.

Also, if your rabbit enjoys digging, a dig box or something anchored can be a nice endless digging experience! I binder clip fleece blankets to the corner of one of my rabbit's sleeping areas and she very often expends energy by digging there mindlessly and then sleeps right next to it afterwards: Instagram - Fable Digging post
We recently changed his diet. We didnt know that pellets shouldnt be provided all the time along with hay. So he'd always go for the pellets over the hay. Now we know that pellets should only be give once a day...so hopefully now he'll go for the hay more regularly.
I'll have to try and make a snuffle mat with fleece. I tried making one with cotton fabric but it got super stringy and I was concerned about him ingesting a string so I never gave it to him.
The anchored fleece blanket is brilliant! I think he'd love that! Ill have to give it a go.
 
I give my rabbit compressed Timothy hay or alfalfa cubes sometimes. They feel hard as a rock, but he likes gnawing on them, and they help with his dental health.

Also sometimes I take an empty toilet paper tube and put a very small piece of banana or apple in the middle, then stuff hay into both sides. That keeps him busy for a while.
 
Can anyone give advice for a bun who isn't a big toy lover? He eats plenty of hay but doesn't chew on toys, play with them or dig. I've bought a ton of toys and he's uninterested in all of them. He's a little over a year and fixed. He's a singlet so I do worry about him getting bored. He just seems uninterested in anything except being out of his cage. I let him out as much as possible but he's not free range all he time.
 
Can anyone give advice for a bun who isn't a big toy lover? He eats plenty of hay but doesn't chew on toys, play with them or dig. I've bought a ton of toys and he's uninterested in all of them. He's a little over a year and fixed. He's a singlet so I do worry about him getting bored. He just seems uninterested in anything except being out of his cage. I let him out as much as possible but he's not free range all he time.
Does he have tunnels? My boy loooooooooooves tunnels, also the toki hut castle
 
He has a tunnel and 2 little houses. The tunnel is hit or miss, the houses he loves to sleep in. He’s a climber (part mountain goat I think) and I’ve ordered a castle thingy for him and I’m waiting for it to arrive. But other than that he’s pretty much like “eh, no thanks”
 
My bunny doesn't play with toys either (might be because he's getting old and grumpy). However, if I include food to absolutely anything of his, he will go crazy. I definitely recommend a forage/snuffle mat. A dig box and/or forage box is also a good idea. For a dig box, fill a large tote box with paper, children's play sand or soil, and let bunny go crazy. For less mess, I'd cut a hole in one side of the box and sand down the edges. For a forage box, fill the box with hay, and top it with pellets or forage (dried herbs or flowers). I also feed Apollo his pellets in an egg carton and he will throw it around until it opens up. Tying a bundle of hay with string for a bun to fling around is good too :)

https://www.instagram.com/stories/highlights/17883787060968020/
 
Thanks for that! He actually loves his forage mat (store bought) but I always feel like everything he’s into has to do with food. Lol! I ration his pellets throughout the day to keep him occupied. He’ll inhale his greens and loves his hay but I don’t want an overweight bun. I tried the digging box and hiding his pellets in things. He nosebutts it around and if he doesn’t get instantly rewarded, he walks away. I guess maybe I have a little prince 🤷‍♀️ He would prefer to mountain climb things he’s not supposed to than anything else.
 

Latest posts

Back
Top