Are all rabbits boring?

Question

I am a first time rabbit owner and I have this rabbit that is really boring. All she does is just lay there. She is about 1-2 years old. I buy her lots of toys and chew sticks and still nothing.

Are rabbits just boring animals or am I doing something wrong?

Answer 1

She isn't boring. She is bored.

Is she housed outdoors or in a cage all day?

http://www.rabbit.org  

Answer 2

Is she in the cage all the time or do you get her out for some play time? You can usually litter box train a rabbit and I hope you have.  Also, is the cage REALLY big enough? Most of them honestly are not big enough for rabbits to PLAY in.  Live in yes, PLAY in NO. Do you interract with the rabbit?  I hate to ask so many QUESTIONS but you did not provide a lot of info. If it leads a boring existance it is going to be a boring rabbit. Play WITH the bunny.

Answer 3

Actually rabbits are a pretty active animal. I think the previous posters are correct - she is probably bored!

Most rabbits do not play with "toys", because they do not do anything, and do not allow the rabbit to express natural behaviours.

If you want your rabbit to be more active and interesting, you need to give her the opportunity to express her natural behaviours and have fun.

The first thing you want to look at is her cage. Most rabbit cages are well below minimum requirements!

The absolute bare minimum size for one normal sized rabbit is 6 x 2 x 2 foot (so 12 sq feet of floor space).

Please do not underestimate the importance of adequate housing. Keeping animals in too small cages is known to cause a variety of health and welfare problems. In a small cage your rabbit can not dig, run, explore, binky, play etc. And there will not be enough space to give her the sorts of toys she might appreciate.

Assuming your rabbit lives indoors the first thing I would suggest is upgrading her cage to a c+c. For size I would suggest 3x6 grids (24.5 sq feet floor space). You would need it to be at least 2 grids high (with a lid) or 3 or 4 grids high without.

Generally, the acge must be big enough for at least one hidey, some toys and still enough space for her to run around and binky.

Once your rabbit is in a big enough cage, you can give her stuff to do.

The first thing to consider is another rabbit. They are a social species and need the company of their own kind. You could consider adopting another female or a male (should be neutered either way!)

Please do not even think about though unless you are certain you give them the space they need!

Toys: Most rabbit ignore store bought toys and chew sticks. Fortunately, there are lots of other things you can give her which may be more interesting. The best toys are those that allow the rabbit to exhibit natural behaviours (such as chewing, digging etc).

Good toys include - old newspapers and phone books to shred, cardboard boxes and tubes of various sizes, tunnels to run through, hideys (either store bought or just large boxes), safe jingly cat toys, a box of deep bedding to dig in, paper bags stuffed with hay or veggies, etc.

It can help to get more toys than you will use at any one time. Then every time you clean her out you can swap them around, as this helps to maintain novelty value.

Another important thing to consider is diet - sadly most pet rabbits get a diet that is totally unsuitable. As a grazing species rabbits should spend a lot of their time eating! Obviously you need to make sure she is eating the right things, otherwise she will end up with nutritional problems or obesity!

She should have grass hay (eg timothy hay) available at all times. This is vital for good digestion, wearing down teeth etc. and should make up the majority of her diet.

She then needs a variety of fresh veggies daily.

Her dry food should be good quality rabbit pellets, which should be limited to daily portions.

You could also try getting a small activity ball (designed for dogs) and putting her pellets in there. That way she has to "work" by rolling the ball around in order to get her food!

(Obviously make sure she is actually eating!)

No matter how big the cage is and what toys she has, your rabbit should still get plenty of time outside her cage every day (supervised, in a safe room or pen) to stretch her legs and explore.

For more info and ideas check out:

http://www.rabbitwelfare.co.uk/resources...

http://www.rabbit.org/

http://www.guineapigcages.com/photos/sho...

Answer 4

Its just the way she is..a very calm rabbit...

My bunny is a little hyper thing...doesnt really play with toys---but always loves to be jumping around.

you are not doing anything wrong- its just the way she is.  

Answer 5

what do you expect she is in a cage 24/7 !!! imagine yourself in jail are you going to be happy?..

Answer 6

Well it depends on how big her cage is. Some rabbits are really into toys others are not.

Try putting her in an x-pen instead of a cage: http://www.sandiegorabbits.org/adoption/...

Rabbits are not normally boring, they love running about and happy jumping, getting into stuff, and playing with toys.

http://www.sandiegorabbits.org/