Bored Blues

Just like a dog, a cat, or a child, rabbits love to play. They need mental, physical, and social stimulation just like any other pet does. A rabbit cooped up in a cage all the time with nothing to do is a bored rabbit. If you use toys to play with your bunny, your bunny will associate fun with you. This will cause it to bond more closely with you.

Try rolling a ball toward it and watch how it will curiously approach the ball. When choosing a toy, make sure that there are no chemically treated pieces that could harm your bunny. Avoid painted toys as they may be toxic. Dye is okay as long as it is natural dye such a food coloring. Anything safe for parrots is usually safe for rabbits. Rabbits love to chew, so blocks of wood are great. String a bell to the top of the cage, and your bunny may soon be reaching up to ring it with its nose. Experiment and see what your rabbit likes. Every rabbit, like every human, has its own preferences.

Is chomping on the lawn ok?

Rabbits have a unique digestive system, which best suits a high fiber, low protein, and low energy diet. A high fiber diet, as well as being essential for digestion, also helps your rabbit to keep his or her teeth trim. All a rabbit really needs is a good quality rabbit mix containing cereal grains, minerals and vitamins, a constant supply of fresh hay, fresh water and small quantities of fresh fruit and vegetables. However, in the wild they eat grass and graze on vegetation, as a result, it is not a problem to let your rabbit nibble on the grass in your yard unless the grass is chemically treated. Be absolutely, absolutely sure that nothing has been used on the grass within the last 6 years or so i.e. pesticides, herbicides, and insecticides. Some chemicals can remain in the soil for that long and may have an adverse effect on your pet’s health and well-being.

Ensuring a Healthy Diet for your Rabbit

It is important to give your rabbit the right greens as to ensure a healthy pet. This can be done by including greens daily into your rabbit’s diet; these greens may include spinach, broccoli and herbs. Fruit should be given to your rabbit as a treat only, as too much fruit may lead to an obese rabbit, as well as dental disease. Try to buy pellets and hay from your local vet as it is usually fresher than the products carried at supermarkets and/or pet stores. Important to note when changing your rabbit’s diet, is to do it slowly! This avoids sudden changes in the types of bacteria in the gut of the rabbit. A sudden change in diet may also prove fatal to young rabbits, so do take care. Ensure that your rabbit always has access to clean, fresh water and that that your rabbit has access to unlimited amounts of high fiber, good quality grass hay.

Choosing the right pet for you: rabbits

Rabbits can make great pets, but just make sure you give them plenty of room in which to live. You’ll need to try create a partition in your garden, because if you let your rabbit loose the chances are he’ll eat every leafy plant you have! Keeping a rabbit cramped up in a hutch the whole day, however, is a bit cruel. Include lots of leafy, green produce for him to munch on like lettuce and spinach as well as a good supply of carrots and cabbage. If it suits you, you can add a tortoise to the partition. It creates a nice effect to your garden, giving a sense of openness and liveliness. If you have a dog, you need to ensure that he either gets on really well with your rabbit or that the rabbit is well protected.