Writing Samples
Hop, Skip & A Jump! Toys For Pet Rabbits
By Chandra Moira Beal
Published in Rabbits USA 2003
People new to rabbits are quick to learn that rabbits don't "just sit there," as their undeserved reputation goes. Those who live with house rabbits know how playful, curious, and silly they can be when let out of their cages to socialize and interact with their environment. Rabbits confined to a cage or lonely outdoor hutch get bored without the stimulation of play and interaction with other animals and humans. Rabbits need playtime as much as they need food and shelter.
Why Rabbits Need to Play
Toys and playtime are important for rabbits for a number of reasons. First of all, they provide mental stimulation by giving rabbits something to do when they are home alone or confined to their enclosure. Rabbits are routine-oriented and social animals that like to have a job to do. Toys keep rabbits interacting with their environment, challenging them and stimulating their minds.
Toys also provide an opportunity for physical exercise such as climbing and hopping, and keep rabbits fit and healthy. Without the chance to exercise, rabbits can become overweight, bored, and depressed. Obesity can pose a serious health problem when fatty tissue presses on internal organs, or when rabbits can't reach their own cecal pellets or groom properly. Daily exercise is essential for rabbits, and playtime is a great way to make exercise fun.
Bored rabbits tend to create their own stimulation by shredding your carpet, chewing your wiring, or engaging in other destructive behavior which can be hazardous to their health. If your rabbit is occupied with toys, they will be less inclined to be destructive. Toys are a great diversion and can save your house, your sanity, and even your rabbit's life.
The types of toys and games your rabbit will enjoy depend upon their personality, their habitat, and your willingness to get involved. Most rabbit behavior is based on natural instincts that they would use in the wild, such as chewing and digging. Allow their natural behavior to unfold in a safe setting, and their personalities will shine. Praise them for chewing their toys instead of your antique furniture.
Chewing
Many rabbits are voracious chewers. All rabbits' teeth grow continuously throughout their lives. In the wild, they keep their teeth evenly worn down through chewing and gnawing tough woods and roots. Rabbits that live with people have the same uncontrollable need to chew and must be provided with safe alternatives. Without something to gnaw on, rabbits' teeth can grow unevenly, causing malocclusion or molar spurs.
Provide your rabbit with edible toys such as untreated willow baskets filled with hay. Inexpensive baskets can be found at craft stores or garage sales. These make simple, nutritious, and entertaining treats for your bunny. The Busy Bunny also makes bunny gift baskets that include pine cones, apple twigs, peanuts, and toast, all nestled in hay. The entire gift basket is edible.
Save any cardboard or paperboard such as the inner rolls of toilet paper or paper towels for your rabbit to chew, or stuff them with hay. Chewers also like untreated wood blocks that they can nudge around or that are fixed to their cage wire where they can tug and pull.
Rabbits are also natural burrowers and shredders. Fill a cardboard box with hay, newspaper, or towels, or layers of each, and let them dig through it. You can purchase willow tunnels or pick up some cardboard concrete forms at the hardware store. Both make fun places for rabbits to run or play hide and seek. If you have the room, connect tunnels to cardboard boxes filled with shredding material and create a giant playground for your rabbits.
Rabbits who are partial to shredding carpet can be frustrating. I have used remnants of carpet placed over my real carpet to deter my rabbit from shredding the good stuff. While they can shred the remnants all they want, be careful that your bunny isn't ingesting the carpet fibers as these can cause intestinal blockages.
Some rabbits are quite athletic. For those who like to climb and jump, provide a simple ramp from the floor to a sturdy box, or connecting pieces of furniture. Many rabbits enjoy the cardboard or carpeted "condos" that have stairs or ramps and windows from which to survey their kingdom. Even the staircase in your house can be a source of play when you interact with your rabbits. Initiate a game of chase up and down, or entice your rabbit with a healthy treat at one end.
Then there are rabbits who like to play catch and will toss and chase toys around. Save the metal rings from canning jars for your bunnies, or toss them hard plastic baby toys such as keys on a ring. For rabbits who must spend the majority of the day in their cage, tie plastic bird toys to the roof of their cage so that they stretch up to investigate and play.
Other rabbits are organizers who like to nudge and push area rugs or towels, bunching them up and arranging them just so. These types of rabbits can find their own fun with a simple piece of fabric. Initiate a game of tug of war with your bunny, or play peek-a-boo or other games with the material.
Of course, the best toy a rabbit could ask for is you! Get involved with your bunny by getting down on the floor at their level. Don't just toss them a ball and hope for the best. Entice your rabbit into play. Roll the ball around between your hands or with another person first. When the rabbit shows interest, roll the ball to them. Start a game of friendly chase or tickling.
Play doesn't have to be complicated. Sweeping the floor has become a game with my rabbit as she chases and attacks the whisk broom while I clean. Drape a piece of fabric over an empty box with a small opening exposed. Most curious rabbits will be unable to resist a peek inside. Toys and games can be made from things all over the house. Use your imagination!
Play can be just for the heck of it, too. Many people are surprised to learn about the "bunny dance" or "binky" when a rabbit leaps in the air, flails its forepaws, and gyrates and kicks. This is a sure sign that your rabbit is in the mood for fun. If you simply sit on the floor near your rabbit, they will often come right over to investigate. Other cues that it is playtime include quickly running about and darting around, or simply a nudge with the head that says, "Pay attention to me!"
Rabbit toys can be as simple as a cardboard box or as fancy as an elaborate jungle gym. Make playtime part of every day. Encourage your rabbits to play by getting down on the floor and interacting with them. Praise them when they play with their toys instead of eating your house. You'll find that rabbits have a delightful sense of humor and thoroughly enjoy playtime. Indulge your rabbit in their wonderful sense of play. It's contagious!
Specialty Rabbit Toys:
Bunny Luv
www.bunnyluv.com
Bunny Bytes
www.bunnybytes.com
The Busy Bunny
www.busybunny.com
The Bunny Bunch
www.bunnybunch.com
SIDEBAR: KEEPING IT SAFE
Playtime should be pure fun. To ensure this, make certain all toys and areas your rabbit plays in are safe and free of hazards.
Any wooden toys or baskets should be made of untreated woods, free of paints or varnishes. Willow is a safe choice.
Twigs and branches from fruit trees are popular chew toys with rabbits, but be sure the wood has been aged and seasoned for at least three months. Newly cut woods can contain toxic substances. Apple tree branches can be eaten fresh off the tree, but avoid cherry, peach, apricot, plum, and redwood, which are all toxic.
Check cardboard boxes or rolls for metal staples or strips of glue and remove them before giving to your rabbit.
If your rabbit is shredding a lot of newspaper or junk mail, be sure that the inks used on the paper are soy-based or non-toxic, especially if bunny is also chewing the paper.
Hard plastic toys made for babies or cats are suitable for rabbits, but avoid soft plastic toys. It may seem contrary that a teething rabbit should avoid teething toys, but they can easily chew off bits of plastic and ingest them, leading to intestinal distress. Remove any small and loose parts such as bells that can dislodge and become a choking hazard.
When your rabbit is running around the house, make sure the environment is safe. Cover up electrical cords and raise houseplants out of reach. Keep the floor free of anything that could pose a hazard.
If you and your rabbit are playing outdoors, be familiar with which plants are growing in the vicinity and which are toxic or poisonous. Rabbits will not instinctually avoid poisonous plants. Stick to familiar areas where you know whether the grass has been sprayed with pesticides or fertilizers. Be aware of predators such as neighborhood cats and even hawks. Keep your rabbit on a harness or leash at all times, and never let them play unsupervised.
Whatever type of toy you choose for your rabbit, make sure that they are not ingesting bits of plastic or large amounts of cardboard, as this can be harmful.
Never force your rabbit to play or exercise. Let them explore their surroundings at their own pace. If your rabbit is breathing heavily or if the weather is too warm, it's time to take a break.
SIDEBAR: MAKING TOYS
You don't have to break the bank to supply your rabbit with fun toys. Many toys can be made with things you'll find around the house. Be creative!
Paper bags and cardboard boxes are great places to crawl inside. Rabbits especially like to relax underneath things (boxes, furniture, etc.). Whenever packages arrive at our house, my rabbit gets to play in the box. Build your own rabbit condo by cutting at least two entry holes in a large cardboard box. Voila! Instant rabbit toy. They especially like to "remodel" these boxes by enlarging the entries and windows, pulling up the floors, or stripping the walls. Arrange several boxes of varying sizes together to build tunnels and rooms.
Cardboard rolls from the inside of paper towels or toilet paper are simple, cheap, and readily available. These are great for chewing. For added excitement, stuff the roll with hay or grass.
Untreated wicker baskets or boxes full of shredded paper, junk mail, magazines, or hay for digging can supply your bun with hours of fun.
Your local phone book is great for shredding. When the new directory comes out, give your rabbit the old one. Many rabbits will shred clear through from A-Z.
Cat toys such as rolling plastic balls are good. Remove any loose parts such as bells. Rabbits like toys they can easily grip with their teeth and toss around.
Bird toys that can be tossed, or hung from the top of the cage and chewed or knocked about are also popular.
Baby toys like rattles and keys made from hard plastic (not teething toys!) are another option.
Kitty condos with ramps and windows to climb in and chew on provide hours of diversion.
Rabbits like anything that can be nudged and rolled like a large rubber ball, an empty oatmeal box, or a small aluminum container (the noisier the better).
Old towels are good for bunching and scooting, tearing and shredding, and arranging just so.
Tie together a small bundle of apple twigs with a ribbon of raffia or twine. Your rabbit may want to toss this around, or you can tie it to the inside of their cage for gnawing.
Untreated sea grass or maize mats from import stores come strung together in squares as inexpensive flooring and can be cut to fit your needs. Some rabbits like stacks of these to shred through; others like a single layer. My rabbit prefers that the mats be fixed in one place with a heavy object so she can tug at them with her teeth. These mats are completely edible.
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La Luna Publishing
Brighton, England
Tel: 44 (0) 1273 236436
E-mail: laluna@chandrabeal.com