As rabbit guardians, it is important that we provide a varied range of enrichment for our rabbit companions. Enrichment is provided through both environment in terms of physical objects and as social animals, in bunny companions too. Not only does providing varied enrichment lead to happier rabbits, but it also encourages them to develop a bond with you as their guardian.
As intelligent animals, keeping rabbits busy is important to prevent boredom and encourage natural behaviours such as social interaction, foraging and play. Where varied enrichment is provided, your rabbits can exhibit their natural behaviours in a less destructive way, making for happier rabbits and happier guardians.
Enrichment ideas: think like a rabbit
Take a moment to think about how a rabbit would live in the wild and how this can be replicated at home. As a prey animal, rabbits love nothing more than finding a snug space to hide away and feel safe. Whilst a burrow system is ideal, and it is possible to provide an at home tunnel system to replicate the natural environment, a cardboard box with at least two access holes will work just as well to give them that cozy hide away. It can also double up as a useful observation platform to allow the bunnies to get a good look at their surroundings, just as they would in the wild.
Foraging behaviours and play would be a major part of the day for rabbits in the wild. Rabbits should have a freely available supply of good quality hay at all times. Feeding is also an excellent way to build bonds with your bunny, and it does not have to be as straightforward as adding food to a bowl.
Rabbit enrichment ideas
There are many relatively low cost or even free items to use to provide enrichment for your rabbits. Try some of the ideas below.
- Stuff toilet roll middles with hay and some delicious forage. Watch as they work out how to get the treats from the tube, tossing in the air to play and foraging their way through the hay too.
- Packing paper and jute twine also work well to make a parcel – simply wrap up some forage and hay in the paper, tie with twine and watch as your rabbits have fun trying to open the parcel! Ensure the twine is uncoated and there is no ink on the packing paper, though!
- Provide good quality sticks for chewing on. Ensure these are rabbit friendly and the fresher the better. Rabbits have an open root tooth structure and so their teeth grow continuously – up to 2mm a month! Not only are the sticks great fun to chew, but they are also a delicious (especially if fresh) way to keep teeth trim too.
- Hide forage in toys – this can be done through stuffing items like tubes and balls or by using a snuffle mat where they need to find the hidden treats. You could include a small amount of their daily pellets, dried or fresh forage – the list is endless! Keep the forage varied but remember that a rabbit’s diet needs new foods to be introduced gradually to prevent stomach upsets
- Create a digging box – fill a box with a suitable digging material and encourage your bunny to exhibit natural behaviours. Earth, cardboard, paper and hay are all suitable substrates. Just make sure that the box is at least twice the size of your and there is plenty of room to dig. Add hidden treats for extra fun!
- Add tubes and tunnels to their area to encourage play – in the wild rabbits will burrow, so adding tubes and tunnels to their area will help promote the natural feeling of being in a burrow
When providing enrichment for bunnies, there are no end of ideas, your imagination is your limit. It is always worth rotating enrichment items to maintain variety and you should always watch bunnies when a new item of enrichment is introduced to ensure their safety. This includes checking items over regularly and remove any damaged items.
Visit our Amazon Shopfront to see ideas for enrichment and rabbit safe toys.
