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The subject of intentional breeding or meat rabbits is prohibited. The answers provided on this board are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet.  It is your responsibility to assess the information being given and seek professional advice/second opinion from your veterinarian and/or qualified behaviorist.

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Forum HABITATS AND TOYS Bunnies don’t play with toys…??

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    • VGreen
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        I’m a first time bunny owner.  I have two 2.5 month old lop/mini rex rabbits, Buttercup and Snickers, sisters from the same litter.   I bought them from a guy selling them on the internet… I bought Buttercup (Snickers was “reserved” so she wasn’t available at the time) and I received a message from the guy a week later saying Snickers was available now because the lady forfeited her deposit. We had been thinking of getting another bunny so Buttercup would have a friend and I felt so bad for Snickers…. all crammed into a small wired bottom cage with about 5-6 other bunnies.  So I bought her too. Anyways… getting off topic…  I’ve bought them a few different toys for their upstairs cage and downstairs hutch/x-pen.  I’ve even tried making some with paper tubes and Timothy hay.  Neither Buttercup or Snickers play with ANY of them…   I’m not sure they have even touched any of them. LOL!  Is that normal?  Even when I let them out into the x-pen they just walk around, or lay next to each other. They have randomly placed toys in their two story hutch and their cage and they’ve never touched any.  Do rabbits normally not “play”.  Or maybe they’re just too young still?  Or maybe I just got sucked into the marketing items that are just for show. They’re great rabbits… they let you pet them, they’re not fond of being picked up but they LOVE to be petted and take pellets from your hand. They just don’t “play”.

        Any words of advice would be great.


      • Deleted User
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          A lot of bunnies don’t really play with toys, so that’s not surprising. Most will prefer to chew random things. Willow sticks, hay balls, hay mats and toilet paper tubes stuffed with hay are all great options that could eventually peek their interest.

          Bunnies really hate being picked up and off the ground, so that’s not a surprise either.

          I know you say they’re sisters, but bunnies don’t recognize family units. They should be kept in separate cages until 1-2 months after they have been spayed. Hormonal bunnies can become very aggressive and territorial without warning, and they’re getting to be around the age hormones can kick in. Bunnies can and will fight to the death if given the chance. I know they may be all sweet and loving now, but it really can change in an instant. When I first had my boys I had them together, and they ended up in a terrible scuffle 3 weeks later, did my research and they were separated. Another reason to keep them separate is bunnies are often times incorrectly sexed, it’s happen to more people than you’d expect. Young bunnies often look the same down there, unless testicles have dropped and what not, but if they have been incorrectly sexed, you could end up with an accidental litter on your hands.

          Hope this all helped welcome to bunnies


        • Wick & Fable
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            In comparison to dogs and cats, rabbit domestication history is a lot shorter, so our understanding of them is not as robust. Remember that everything in pet stores are human-created objects, foods, furniture, etc.., made off assumptions and observations. Rabbits are prey animals so some may enjoy throwing around a chew toy or wood block, but others could easily not want to. Wick is not a toy player. He plays with nothing, so he’s at the mercy of my cuddles.

            The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.


          • VGreen
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              Oh wow! Thank you!  They seem to get along so well right now. I couldn’t imagine them fighting… but if there’s a chance of it, I will separate them until I can get them spayed.  I figured since they’ve been together since birth, they would be “used” to each other and wouldn’t fight.  Thanks for the info!!! Much appreciated!


            • mschoonover11
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                All I have to say to this is that my bun is the same exact way. I’ve bought him so many expensive toys from pet stores and from online and he will just not touch them. But it’s normal! Most bunnies are like this. I even started to get desperate cause Toby would chew into the walls, make holes in the carpet, chew into the TV cables and I didn’t know what to give him to play with. I finally decided to give him “natural” toys instead of expensive pet store bought toys that are worthless. I bought him a pack of glue-free willow, wood, and seagrass balls and he liked them fairly well. (Although he’d rather chew on my stuff haha). But the toy I bought him that he likes the most is apple sticks. Idk if apple sticks are considered as toys, but he loves them. They’re also great for their teeth. Petco sells these from a brand called Kaytee, but their crappy quality. I get a bundle of organic apple sticks from Small Pets Select for $4.25. They lasted me a while cause a gave him about 1-2 a week.

                With that said, don’t waste your money on pet stores cause you’ll always regret it. Also, buns prefer natural things to chew on since their from the wild. Don’t get concerned if your buns don’t play with toys because their not like cats n dogs that love to play. Rabbits are different. Words of advice: always make sure your buns have unlimited amounts of hay and water. Welcome to the forum!


              • kurottabun
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                  My bunny doesn’t particularly bother with toys either. Not even the renowned toilet paper rolls. I do keep a ball with a bell inside his cage though, but the main reason for that is so that he gets more used to hearing sounds in general (since when he moves and touches the ball, the bell inside it jingles).

                  I find that he seems to prefer cardboard boxes more – chewing them, moving them, digging in them etc.


                • OnyxMoon
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                    My bunny doesn’t really enjoy toys either, the only one he seems to bother with is a hard plastic ball that’s all chewed up and a hand-me-down from my sisters bunnies. Which is rarely, and only to move it out of his way or out of his litter box where i put it. mwahaha (:<

                    I’ve made him so many toilet paper balls, and toilet paper tubes stuffed with hay, and he doesn’t give them the time of day. I’m planning on buying him Apple sticks soon though, because regular Apple pieces seem to be his favorite treat! Although he rarely gets them because of the high sugar content. Willow is also a good one, so i’ve read. But there are different types of willow, so if you try one out and they dont enjoy it, you can always try a different type of willow.

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                Forum HABITATS AND TOYS Bunnies don’t play with toys…??