Which toys?

[juniet]

Hi I just got a dwarf mix rabbit about a month ago. He is the cutest thing only about 4 months old. Its been hard getting him litter trained but I know its because he’s young and not neutered yet. Nonetheless my post is not about that. I have been trying to get him to play with some toys I have both bought and made for him. He just does not seem interested in any of them. I bought him some plastic bird toys with a bells in them, willow balls, toilet paper rolls, and rabbit toys that rattle and have made hanging toys for him. I do let him out in a playpen with cardboard houses I have made for him and he seems to enjoy those but other then that he just lays around. Is there other toys I should try or should I stick to cardboard. I just feel like he’s going to get bored which is not a good thing I know. Any tips? Explainations?

[Beka27]

Welcome here!

This is a great article from the House Rabbit Society about how and why rabbits play.  That should go a long way towards helping you understand his behavior.  http://www.rabbit.org/journal/3-6/chew-stick.html

I think also sometimes we overthink things.  My buns love playing with sections of newspaper.  I will sit and read the paper, as I finish a section, I just toss it on the floor.  They will drag it, shred it, dig it, chew it, lay on it, lay under it.  And it’s just a few sheets of newspaper.  Phone books to, they love phone books with the glossy covers torn off.

[bunnytowne]

some rabbits just don’t go for toys.   Seems the simplest ones are the most entertaining for the.   A diggy box with a phone book in it. Cotton loved it til he started to wee on it so out that went.

He loves newspaper too.  So after I read mine I put some on top of his house and on the couch.  He enjoys them periodically.  HE enjoys willow chew toys and cardboard boxes from time to time.     I switch things around on him too so he doesn’t get too bored with one toy even though he hasn’t finished chewing it up yet.

Then a few weeks later he is glad to see the old toy again.

Ruby doesn’t do much when she does it is a willow tunnel and the cardboard box and newspaper as well.  But not very long is she chewing on them.   It is like a now n then thing.  Some buns just don’t chew much    My dear departed Laith never chewed. 

So there is nothing wrong with your bunny.  Some just aren’t big chewers.  You buns is just reaching his adolescence I would think he would be more mischeivious in other ways perhaps.

[BunnyLiz]

Hammer is not to big on toys, but Rose enjoys them from time to time. Her favorites are things to throw. Laundry cap lids and small cups are big.

[juniet]

Thank you Beka for the article it was very informative. Thank you everyone else too. Yea its just funny because my chinchillas will chew on ANYTHING and see everything as a toy so it was a shock to me to see the big difference. Plus when I went to all these websites that sold toys I bought similar things and to see him not play with them was a little daunting. I do put newspaper in his cage and he LOVES that. He rips all the time. Other then that though hes a pretty quiet rabbit I guess. Maybe its a good thing though hes not much of a destroyer. YET!

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