In This Chapter
Play is a natural behavior for
rabbits, even in the wild. When a rabbit plays, he cavorts, running, leaping,
and batting around inanimate objects. The amount of play any rabbit engages in
depends on his personality (some are more playful than others) and the
opportunities he has to play.
As a rabbit owner, you have a
couple of options when it comes to appreciating your rabbit’s propensity for
play (and helping him get the daily exercise he needs). You can choose to share
in your rabbit’s playful moments by providing toys for your pet (some
interactive), or you can sit back and delight in the rabbit’s goofiness.
Getting Playful with Toys
It comes as a surprise to many
people that rabbits love to play with toys. People typically think of cats and
dogs as being the only critters who like to bat a ball around or carry
something in their mouths, but rabbits are right up there with animals who like
to amuse themselves with a variety of inanimate objects.
Tip
Some common toys for rabbits include household items like empty toilet paper rolls, cardboard boxes, and plastic cups. Store-bought toys often enjoyed include items commonly sold for cats: small balls, catnip mice (rabbits don’t get turned on by catnip, but they like the shape of the toy), and string-equipped toys you can drag around.
Of course, not every rabbit likes
every toy. Rabbits are individuals, and while one toy may make one rabbit
crazy, the same toy can bore another. Trial and error is key to discovering
what your rabbit likes to play with. Donate the toys he doesn’t like to an
animal shelter or swap them with your rabbitowning friends.
Tip
In the case of rabbits, toys are a great way to
- Help your rabbit focus his energies. House rabbits deprived of toys play with furniture, electrical cords, and other interesting items. (Although if you read Chapter Shacking Up with an Indoor Rabbit, you can find out how to help prevent these catastrophes from occurring.) By providing your rabbit with suitable toys to play with, you help him to be a good, nondestructive member of the household. Toys, particularly wooden ones, help keep bunnies’ teeth in check.
- Encourage regular exercise and prevent boredom. By providing your rabbit with a toy and space to play, you give him the opportunity to remain physically active and mentally alert. Whether they’re for digging, chewing, climbing, hiding, running through tunnels, toys help initiate play and exercise. And, of course, exercise means a healthier rabbit who is less likely to develop problems, such as obesity, weak bones and muscles, and digestive maladies. (For more on these conditions, see Chapters Nipping Common Health Problems in the Bud and Coping with Other Health Woes and Aging Issues).
- Bond with your bunny. While using toys to play with and even interact with your bunny, you enrich the relationship between you and your bunny and build trust in the heart of your rabbit. (Another great way to bond is through grooming, which is discussed in Chapter Cleaning Behind Those Great Big Ears and More.)
Keeping safety first
Whether you give your rabbit toys
that are homemade, commercially made, or a combination of the two, safety is
important. The following list tells you what to look out for:
- Rabbits like to chew on just about everything. Be certain that all products that you give your rabbit are nontoxic.
- If you see your bunny chomping on a toy that’s not meant to be chewed — a towel, rubber ball, a shoe, or stuffed sock — take the toy away. Although most rabbits don’t swallow nonfood items, it’s best to watch carefully and remove anything the rabbit is appearing to ingest, including allegedly “rabbit-safe” toys.
- Keep an eye out for toys with small parts that can be pulled or fall off and be easily swallowed. Look out for string, plastic eyes, and other toy parts that can end up in your rabbit’s stomach, causing a blockage.
- Just because a product claims to be made for rabbits doesn’t make it a good choice. Consider, for example, an edible tiki hut made of straw and hay combined with some grains and molasses (two ingredients not in a rabbit-friendly diet). Instead, choose a 100 percent hay hut for your bunny’s enjoyment.
Going prefab
If you like shopping for your
rabbit, then you’ll enjoy going to the pet-supply store and buying toys for
your pet. Keep in mind, however, that the most expensive toy you buy may also
be the toy that is consistently ignored by your rabbit who is instead
fascinated by the cardboard oatmeal canister.
Tip
See the following list of commercially made toys that rabbits often like:
- Assorted toys and bells made for parrots
- Hard plastic toys made for human babies
- Sisal (a type of rope) toys made for rabbits
- Small cat or dog houses made of cloth that look like tents
- Small plastic or wire balls with bells inside made for cats
- Straw or bamboo balls made for hamsters
- Stuffed socks made for cats
- Unfinished (no stain or lacquer applied) wicker, straw, or woven grass baskets of all sizes
- Unfinished wicker tunnels for rabbits
- Wooden chew toys made for rabbits or rodents
You can also search the Internet
for rabbit toy manufacturers. See the Appendix for a list of online
rabbit-supply retailers.
Made from scratch
If your budget is tight, go the
homemade route with your rabbit. Or if you’re like most rabbit owners, you may
want to combine homemade rabbit toys with store-bought items. (Keep in mind
that rabbits can sometimes be destructive with their toys. Don’t share anything
with bunny that you don’t want teeth marks in!)
Tip
Check out this listing of homemade toys that rabbits enjoy:
- Box of shredded white paper to encourage jumping and digging
- Cardboard box of any size (Make sure that all staples, tape, and other noncardboard items are off the box before the rabbit gets a hold of it.)
- Cardboard toilet paper and paper towel rolls
- Dried pine cones (Make sure that they’re untreated. Some pine cones are sold painted or varnished.)
- Large PVC pipes for tunnels or large cardboard tubes
- Newspapers
- Oatmeal boxes with the ends cut off
- Old phone books (take off shiny covers)
- Paper cups (without coating and no Styrofoam)
- Paper grocery bags for shredding
- Metal lids from jars for flipping
- Soda can with a pebble inside (Be careful about any sharp edges.)
- Straw baskets (untreated and filled with straw for digging)
- Straw whisk broom
- Towels (for bunching and pulling, but be sure they’re not being ingested)
- Tree branches for your rabbit to gnaw on and drag around (must be pesticide free and dried — apple and pear are appreciated (see the list of safe plants in Chapter Making Fitness and Fresh Air Fun for Your Bunny).
Tag! You’re It! Playing Games
You can get interactive with your
pet and make it a game for two. Rabbits have been known to initiate games of
tag with humans, bat a ball, and chase toys dragged around in a circle. Start
simple by getting down on the floor, offering your bunny kisses, and tossing a
toy gently in her direction.
Warning!
If you want to play interactive games with your rabbit, keep in mind that the game is best left up to the rabbit. Because of the rabbit’s wary nature, chasing your pet isn’t a good idea. A game of chase usually frightens a rabbit, who may suddenly feel like he’s being preyed upon. However, if your rabbit starts to chase you, he wants you to leave the area, or he’s prodding you for a game of tag. If your rabbit is in a playful mood and starts to chase after you, he’s initiating a game of tag.
Table 14-1 describes games that
you can play with your rabbit.
Table 14-1
|
Rabbit Games:
Fun for the Whole Family
|
||
Game
|
How to Initiate
|
What Happens
|
Possible Concerns
|
Towel dragand-chase
|
Drag a towel across your
rabbit’s body and then in front on your rabbit.
|
Your rabbit may start to give
chase! Drag the towel around the room with your rabbit chasing it or over and
around your bunny as he tries to pounce on it.
|
Your rabbit may feel attacked. Be
cautious and watch your rabbit’s reaction. If he’s fearful, he may become aggressive
or spend more time hiding.
|
Hanging clothes
|
Hang some strips of newspaper
or paper towel from a clothesline within your rabbit’s reach.
|
Your pet may find it amusing to
grab these items with his teeth or paws and tug on them.
|
|
Hide and seek
|
Hide in a spot where your
rabbit can easily find you. With a favorite treat in hand, call your bunny.
When he discovers you, give him the treat. Then hide again with another treat.
|
It won’t take long before you
won’t have to use the treat. Some rabbit owners have even discovered their bunnies
will take turns hiding with them.
|
|
Obstacle course
|
Use boxes, tubes, and other
items to create a rabbit-size obstacle course.
|
Use your bunny’s favorite treat
to lure her around, over, and through the course.
|
|
Tag
|
You don’t initiate this game:
He does, by chasing you.
|
Let him catch you and then
sprint off again.
|
Avoid chasing and tagging the
rabbit because this type of play frightens bunnies.
|
Toy pull
|
Buy a cat toy attached to a
string and a pole. Pull it around in front of your rabbit.
|
Your bunny may start to chase
after it. You can pull this toy all around the house, with your rabbit in hot
pursuit.
|
|
Find the treat
|
Hide a couple of your rabbit’s favorite
treats in your pockets or elsewhere on your body and then give him a clue that
the game involves food.
|
Once your bunny gets a whiff of
what’s going on let him play detective and find the treats. This game is good
for bunnies who are timid or not yet trusting.
|
|
Amusing Themselves
One of the greatest joys of
rabbit ownership is watching your bunny play in a rabbit-proofed room or
backyard. (See Chapters Shacking
Up with an Indoor Rabbit and Making
Fitness and Fresh Air Fun for Your Bunny, respectively, for details on rabbit-proofing
and outdoor exercise.) Rabbits can be incredibly silly and goofy, and their
antics can leave you rolling on the floor laughing.
Having a hoppy good time
If you have a rabbit who seems
especially keen on hopping and maneuvering through obstacle courses, consider
going pro. The sport of rabbit hopping is taking off in the United States
(see Chapter Getting
Hoppy with Your House Rabbit).
Imagine you and your rabbit
(with or without matching tracksuits) negotiating your way through the jumps
and obstacles of a hopping course on your way to victory. Sound appealing? Check
the Appendix for contact information for The Rabbit Hopping Organization of
America.
|
Much like their wild ancestors,
pet rabbits also like to play — with humans and with other animals. Rabbits
have been known to play with dogs and cats, as well as with other rabbits.
Solitary play is also a popular pastime of rabbits, who love to find ways to
amuse themselves.
Making like The Pointer Sisters: Jumping
Nature gave the rabbit strong
hindquarters and leg muscles to escape from predators, but rabbits also use
these assets for jumping in play. Playful rabbits can be seen leaping up in the
air, springing forward, or even straight up for the sheer joy of it.
Technical Stuff
In the wild, jumping helps a rabbit change direction quickly when running from a predator. When a rabbit leaps, her body twists in the air and typically lands facing a different direction, usually a 180-degree turn.
When two rabbits play together,
they often run together, one chasing the other. The bunny being pursued
sometimes leaps into the air, twists around, lands, and takes off again. The
goal of the pursuing rabbit is to switch directions just as fast as the bunny
she’s chasing.
Tiny chariots of fire
Another defense mechanism that
rabbits use for amusement when they feel safe and relaxed in their environment
is running at top speed. This ability comes in handy for avoiding predators,
but a speedy run is also a terrific way to have a good time, especially with
other rabbits.
If you have a single rabbit, your
bunny may simply run through the house or yard just for the fun of it. If you
have more than one rabbit, running and chasing will be a favorite pastime among
the two. (See Chapter Choosing
the “Right” Rabbit for the scoop on whether adopting two rabbits is a good
idea.)
Watching your rabbit run
playfully at full speed is loads of fun. The speed at which bunnies run is
amazing. If you blink, you can literally miss your pet going by.
A rabbit and her friends
In the wild, rabbits are playful
creatures who love to engage their fellow rabbits in games. In his book The
Private Life of the Rabbit (Buccaneer Books), R.M. Lockley writes about
wild rabbits chasing each other, running in circles, jumping into the air,
and rolling in the grass. In the situations Lockley observed, the only reason
for this behavior appeared to be that the rabbits felt good and wanted to
show it.
|
Various and sundry other hijinks
When it comes to funny antics,
rabbits have a slew of tricks up their proverbial sleeves, such as the following
ones:
- Binki: A rabbit may hop quietly along and then suddenly leap straight up for no apparent reason and then land again. Then the bunny continues to mosey along as if nothing happened.
- Digging: Another favorite and funny pastime of rabbits is digging. Give a bunny a good box or corner of sand, fine gravel, or soft dirt, and watch it fly. You can buy bags of sandbox sand at home-improvement stores and nurseries (the plant kind of nursery, not the baby kind). (Giving your rabbit a box to dig in is also a good way to keep him from doing it to the carpet.)
- Tunneling: Rabbits love tunnels, and it’s great fun to see your bunny go in one end of a box or tube and come out the other, over and over again. Some owners buy play tunnels meant for cats and hook them together with built-in snaps to create elaborate tunnel systems for a playful bunny.
0 comments:
Post a Comment