How to play with bunny?

[Deleted User]

Is there a way to make your bunny really excited by playing with him/her? Cause when I play with domino he or she (to young to tell) just sits there staring at me thinking i’m crazy!

[BinkyBunny]

WELCOME lemon541!!! Your post was at the end of a discussion that didn’t really relate to your question, so I have moved it over to start anew! Every once in awhile we get a member who for some reason doesn’t have the same options as everyone else to start a new thread, they can only use reply. So if that is the case, please let me know so we can help you fix it. Otherwise if it was just an oversight – no worries.

So in regards to your question: rabbits don’t play like cats and dogs, so you may not find the same one on one excitement type of interaction. As prey animals, they survive by being more quiet, but you can make a bunny happy and excited in its own way.

You just have to think like a bunny. Dogs and cats love to play chase, and dogs like to sometimes wrestle around, but all of those behaviors go back to what their survival instincts are about – hunting, and for dogs – learning how to dominate to be the top dog, but as domestic pets, they do this many times just for fun. So though a bunny may not like these things that predators do, they will like things that prey animals do – whatever helps with survival, will also be what they will play with. So for a bunny – survival means digging a hole, or a dent in the ground to hide it, knowing every inch of their warren and their territory above ground so they can quickly escape. And they don’t hunt for food, they forage for food.

So you can make things that will encourage all of those natural behaviors. So make a diggy box (check out our toy test section for homemade toys) , and create hidey boxes for your bunny to explore in. For example, most bunnies love to explore, so get cardboard boxes and cut holes, create tunnels. For foraging play – Get a paper lunch bag, poke holes in it and put hay and a small amount of healthy treats inside (how old is your bunny? – if under 12 weeks, use alfalfa pellets or cubes as treats) and let your bunny tear it up to get to it.

Let us know how playtime goes.

[Beka27]

welcome here!  tell us a little more about your rabbit, if you’d like… and pics are always welcome!

is this your first bunny?  how/why did you decide to get one?

[Gravehearted]

welcome lemon541! 🙂

bunnies can be pretty nervous around people, but laying on the floor with them can be a good way to bring them out of their shell. it may be that she or he doesn’t quite know what to make of playtime either! My bunnies like it when I hold the end of a paper towel core for them to chew on or when i make them a box with holes like BB described. Bunnies also have different personalities, some really enjoy playing wit toys, while others are more reserved or mellow.

how long has Domino been with your family now? it usually takes some time to adjust for them.

[Floppy]

I lay or sit on the floor with my bun, but what I love to do
is get on all fours and look at my bunny…then I’ll touch his lil feet
and he knows i’m playing with him…so he runs underneath the
blanket or runs around really fast and does binkies…sometimes he
just hops on my back…playtime on the floor can be fun..but it
took a couple of months before I even did that because I waited
for him to settle down and for us to bond.

[Deleted User]

Laying on the floor is a good intro. Wire cat balls are fun. I roll them to the bun. They either nudge it or pick it up to toss. Usually they get the idea of tossing it in your direction for you to send back. Fu loved that from day one, Shadow has to be in the mood. Toys for him are mainly expressions of disapproval, to be thrown down his ramp, the nosier the better.

[wendyzski]

Pepper likes to have projects.  I made her a couple of cardboard boxes with holes cut into them, and I purposely cut the holes on the small side and left the flaps attached on the bottom.  That was she could "customize" things.  I’ll also put a basket in the middle of one of her usual behind-the-furniture places, so that she just HAS to shew a hole through it.  I’m sure it annoys her on some level, but it also keeps her busy.

[babybunsmum]

pepper sounds much like baby… lol.  baby has projects too.  i gave her a phone book to rip up and she put it on the back burner for a few days before diggin in.  now shes working on ‘h’.  production is up.  once i gave her a hard plastic hook (meant to hang over the top of a door) because i thought she’d like to bang it around.  she likes to pick stuff up & toss it over her shoulder disapprovingly.  the next day i found it tossed right out of her room into the hallway!  i can just imagine her thoughts while doing it… "silly human!  she thinks i want that darn HOOK cluttering up my room.  sigh."

[Deleted User]

Hey everyone! Thanks to all of your suggestions my bunny and I are always having a good time together! Thanks!

[Deleted User]

Yep! This is my very first bunny and we figured out that he’s a boy! The reason that I decided to get one is because my house has been fairly lonely with just my 8 year old dog and my family. I desperately wanted a companion who i knew would love me and I would love them! I got a bunny because their cute and make great companions. I love my little bunny and I bet he loves me

[Author]

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