How do you play with your bun?

[BinkyBuster]

Hey guys,

I know this is kind of a strange question but I’m wondering how you play / interact with your bunnies? Buster never really plays… with anything… he has ALL sorts of bunny things that I can think of (keys, things to throw, slinky, phone book, cat balls with bells, etc.) With everything he will pick it up like twice and move it, then just sit there and it will never get touched again. I’ve seen videos of bunnies running with toys in their mouths and playing with it for like 4 minutes straight. Buster has NEVER done that with anything. He has a stuffed rabbit that he loves (maybe loves a little too much) and he grooms ‘her’ all the time, but that’s all he really does.

Also, I’m not really sure how to actually ‘interact’ with them? I love Buster, but all he really does is just come up to me for pets and that’s it. If I roll something to him to play with he’ll look at me like I’m crazy and walk away. I just was making funny finger movements in front of him (like you would with a cat) and he lunged and grunted at my hands. I’m assuming that means he didn’t like it? 

I’m just curious how to keep him entertained. He binkies a lot so I know he’s happy, but he just seems to always sit there and look bored. I don’t want him to be lonely or bored or anything!

[Elrohwen]

Neither of mine have ever really played with toys. They do love when I rearrange their room and they run all over, being nosy and checking out what I’ve done.

I have done some clicker training with them, which is a fun way to interact, but generally I sit with them, offer them some treats, and encourage them to approach me for pets or to climb on me.

Rabbits do a *lot* of sitting and staring into space. They are typically asleep with their eyes open when they’re staring. I think you just have to accept that they are usually zen little creatures and are content to be that way. The bunnies in the videos who play with toys for 4 minutes at a time are generally the exception, rather than the rule.

[mrs. coach]

I’m a new bunny owner & made a thread on a similar topic a few weeks back. Since then I’ve done clicker training, which has worked out really well for the bun & I, & I think has expanded her interests. She likes pellets better than treats, so I save a ration of her allotted pellets to use for training. She threw items with her mouth before we did the training, but now she’s way more into it. It also helped her get into going through tunnels (before she primarily chewed when playing with them). Putting hay in toys can also make them more interesting — taking paper towel tubes & cutting notches in the edges & then stuffing them with hay was a hit.

Mrs. Coach is definitely on the mellow side when it comes to bunnies, but as we’ve experimented with more things, she’s seemed to develop wider interests. I also try to figure out what she does naturally…I wouldn’t have assumed she would be into playing with a phone book, but after she was really into my binder full of work papers, I gave her a phone book.

[Deleted User]

Just today I took a look at the “Resources” link in this forum, and promptly kicked myself for not having checked it out sooner. Aside from recommending it in general I think you may want to read through the info on the site I’ve pasted below. It explains (and translates) a lot of what your rabbit is communicating to you, and gives you some tips on how to respond in ways they will understand. It will help play time, but in all sorts of other interactions too.
ttp://language.rabbitspeak.com/

[FooFoosMommy2]

Foo enjoys chasing our feet around the room when we walk and following us wherever we go. She loves playing with anything that dangles, so we play with her with her blankie a lot of the time. A lot of the time, we will just sit on the floor with her, and she’ll make a game out of running in circles around us and binky-ing (she’s a little crazy). Most of the toys we have bought her, except for the wicker balls, get ignored. Just sit with your bunny and let them interact with you. Digging boxes have been a success for some buns, and paper towel rolls. I really think Foo is just weird because she’d prefer to play/climb on us then with any toy.

[Seza]

I have encountered the same with my rabbit. She doesn’t seem to ‘play’ and I was worried that she might have been getting bored despite all the different things she gets given.
I have stayed tuned in to her and found she likes digging and organizing. But I’m really trying to find some good resources for new ideas and things I can introduce to her. I’m hoping to expand her interests but she seems rather selective (even with food).

[Author]

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