need fun game/activity ideas for bun!

[girlzilla]

does anyone have any suggestions on fun games or activities i can play with my bun to keep him mentally stimulated? he's a fairly lazy rabbit and doesn't run around a lot so i am wanting ideas on how to get him binky-ing and off his fat butt as well as something to get his brain working.

any ideas would be muchly appreciated

 

[Bunnys_rule63]

Firstly how old is he? As bunnies get older they do slow down a bit so that may be why he doesn't run about too much.

Secondly, what kind of toys does he like? Is a digger, an attacker, a thrower, a chewer? This should help in deciding what type of toys will suit him best.

The best all round toy for a rabbit is a cardboard box, or a few.Try getting a few different sizes and sticking them together with holes in the sides so it's like a burrow for him to run through. My girls also love playing with towels, not only digging them up on the floor, but making a sort of curtain out of it for them to run through and tear down. You could also make your own treat ball, find a cardboard toilet roll tube and fill it with hay, then tuck a few treats in the middle for him to get out. Be inventive, just make sure all toys are safe. Here are a few more ideas:

http://www.rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=12433&forum_id=17

 

[bat42072]

my rabbits have a cat tunnel... they love it... they run thru it or even go init to take a nap

 

[seniorcats]

My bunnies prefer the homemade toys to store toys. Their favorite thing is a plain paper grocery bag. They also love a box filled with shredded paper. The one store bought toy they love is this cat toy. They either knock it down and it comes back up or they grab by the top and throw it.

 

[Mikoli]

Are you looking for ideas for toys and games, or ideas for activites that can keep your bun fit and stimulated?

If you are looking for activities, rabbit hopping has kept my bun, Ollie, in great shape, and he really enjoys it. Rabbit hopping is a sport in which a rabbit on a harness jumps over a course of jumps in miniture while trying to get the least faults and the fastest time. If you are familiar with horses, it's like show jumping in miniature. It's great fun to get into, and you don't need to compete to just do a little training.

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c41/mikoli1201/Ollie/Mid-Jump.jpg



If you are interested, I'd be happy to detail how to get into training and point you in the right direction.

Rachel.

 

[girlzilla]

my bun is 2 years old, so not an old man just yet lol. he likes to dig, attack, chew AND throw. if i had to choose though, i would say chew.

he's got a couple of cat tunnels (one attached to a cardboard box so it's like a burrow), a big cane basket, a blankie, a plastic basket big enough for him to hop into, heeeaps of baby/dog/cat toys (rattles, keys, ropes, etc), wood chews, plastic links, the list goes on and on.

i like the toilet roll holder filled with hay idea, i will try that tonight. i made a "hideout" with his blankie thrown over his basket today and he seemed to think that was quite interesting. he also had fun trying to find his way out of the blankie when i threw it over HIM haha.

 

[girlzilla]

wow mikoli, that is SO cool. i would love to know how you trained your bunny to do that! it must be good exercise for rabbits and i'm guessing they would enjoy it too

 

[Mikoli]

Since you're interested, I'll give you a quick run down on how to train a rabbit for rabbit hopping.

Rabbit Psychology
Before starting training, you need to have at least a rough understanding of how a rabbit's mind works. All rabbits still think the same way that the wild rabbits did. They have one aim in life: to survive. This can be both good and bad. It means that if your rabbit is confronted by a feral dog or cat, they are likely to try to get away. The bad part of this is that is can make training for anything difficult.

Before even thinking about starting training, you need to have a bond with your rabbit. He has to trust you, and you have to understand and respect him. An important thing needed for a rabbit in rabbit hopping is to be both obedient, outgoing, adventurous, and to be able to be picked up easily. Rabbit Hopping is as safe as it can be, but accidents can happen, and you will have to pick up your rabbit to be able to participate safetly.

Once he is trusting of you, you can introduce the harness. Keep in mind that the rabbit does not understand immediately what you are asking of him, and rabbits can feel trapped and constricted in the harness. You have to introduce it slowly, so they don't think of it as a predator latching onto them. Respect their nervousness during this time, and never rush them.

Rabbits are naturally athletic. They can jump over 50cm (20 inches) easily. You just have to make them want to do it. Forcing a rabbit may get him to jump, but he will become lazy, and stressed. You must always think about it from your rabbit's point of view, and understand how he is feeling. He is being asked to jump over jumps four times his height, with a peice of string tugging at him and pressing in at him, and people everywhere.

Once you can understand his point of view, you will both have a great relationship and he will turn out a great hopper. Remember that, whenever you are not progressing forwards, move backwards, and work on something your rabbit is comfortable on, then move back up again.

What Rabbits Can Jump?
Any rabbit can hop over a few low jumps, but there are a few rabbits that should not do more than that. Obsessively overweight rabbits should be slimmed down before trying it. Large rabbits (Flemish Giants, Standard Rexes, Large crossbreds) should not be hopped, as it is very hard on their joints. They can, however, try some agility, such as weaving, tunnels, tricks, hopping through hoops etc., so don't give up. English lops can be a bit difficult to hop, since their ears can get in the way, as are Angoras and fur breeds with their hair. But, if you can find a way to tie their ears and hair out of the way, then by all means have a shot at it.

Harness Training.
The first step to rabbit hopping is teaching a rabbit to accept a harness. A lightweight, H-style harness with a strap and not made out of string is best. Get a harness with a detachable leash, as it is far easier to hop in. If your rabbit is slightly larger or you don't have access to a good H-style harness, opt for a cat or dog harness.

Some harnesses that are NOT acceptable for rabbits, especially hopping, are Figure Eight Harnesses, Rope harnesses, a harness that is too large or small, or a harness with an undetachable leash. These can be dangerous in bad situations. Vest type harnesses are acceptable, but if you are planning to try some large jumps or go in competitions, get yourself a good H-style strap harness.

Harness types can be found here: http://rabbitagility.com/harnesses.php

The first step to harness training is introducing the harness to the rabbit. Let your rabbit out for play one day, and put the harness on the ground in his pen. Let him get familiar with it's smell and look, but be careful that he doesn't chew it. The next day, put him on your lap, allow him to sniff it, and then lay it on his back with no clips done up. Later that day, or the next day, place it on his back again and clip it up. Let him sit there for a minute or so, then take it off and reward him. Each day, increase the tightness of the harness and the length of time he has it on for. Allow him to hop around in it a bit. After he seems comfortable with it, snap a leash on and get him used to you walking around behind him.

This is called ground work. This point in time is a good time for you to begin teaching him how you are going to signal to him to turn, and to go. Stopping is also a good skill to learn. Try to use body language and positioning, rather than tugs on the leash, but whichever method you choose is up to you. Teaching a rabbit signals is very difficult, and my rabbit is now only beginning to fully understand it after over a year and a half of training. You can now begin rabbit hopping.

The First Jump.
Your rabbit's first jump should be in a place where he feels comfortable. You do not need your own, proper equiptment yet, but you have to teach your rabbit how to jump. Get yourself a stick, and lay it on the ground. Place the rabbit in front of the stick, and ask him to hop over it. He should not have any trouble with this. Once he has done it a few times, raise it a few centimetres off the ground, perhaps with a peg. Then ask your rabbit to hop over the small jump. Once he has done it twice, reward him and leave it at that for the day.

From there, start raising the jump. Then add another jump or two behind it. Move to a different place, and try jumping them. After he is confident on the harness and with jumping, the possibilites are endless. Always be open to new ideas for rabbit hopping, such as natural rabbit hopping or new ideas on rabbit psychology. You and your rabbit can become fit, meet new friends, and begin to bond like never before.

Links
http://mikolikaninhop.tripod.com/ OR http://www.freewebs.com/mikolirabbithopping/ (Moving).

http://kaninhop.dk/uk

http://rabbitagility.com/

If you have Yahoo.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/RabbitHopping/

http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/Rabbit-Hopping-Agility-Jumping/

I assure you that they are active, and you will get a reply if you ask for help. They don't get many posts, but they're great for advice. Many people there are far more experienced than me.

What to do if you run into trouble.
If your rabbit gets injured, get it to a vet ASAP.

If you are stuck in your training, feel free to PM me, and I would be more than happy to help you out with your problem. I always love to hear updates on rabbits that are hopping, and pictures are always good.

Happy hopping!
Rachel.

 

[naturestee]

I find that my rabbits are much more interested in "new" things, even if they're just the old things moved around. They're smart animals, so they get bored with the their stuff. Take away some of his toys and give him some different stuff. In a few weeks, switch them again. Voila! New toys! Move his tunnels and boxes around so he has to relearn how to run around and through them again. This always gets my buns busy.

Treat dispenser balls are fun- I just got a few. Put a few of his pellets or a little bit of dry treats like oats in it, and watch him have fun working for his food. I also like to stuff hay (especially special stuff like oat hay), chew toys, and a few treats into a paper lunch bag, tie it shut, poke holes in it, and give it to the buns. They take hours shredding them, munching on the yummy stuff, and throwing them around.

Try building mazes or castles with boxes, and hide little caches of hay and shredded newspaper in them.

Along with rabbit hopping like Mikoli does, you can do simple things like teach him to run after you for a treat when you call. Snuggy's Mom did this when she had to help her bun loose weight. Snuggy would run all over following her mom, and then get a small treat at the end of it for her hard work.

And check out Bunny 101 for more cheap, fun toy ideas.

 

[girlzilla]

thank you so much naturestee for your ideas, i will go out today and get some paper bags and a couple of treat balls for my bun. i've been actively trying to keep his mind busier lately and last night for the first time in ages, i caught him binky-ing. i think he's just been needing more mental stimulation and it seems to be working