Do Rabbits Play?

Toys for Buns

Rabbits are very playful. They are very sociable creatures and they like to run, jump, chew, and make noise. Here are some ideas for toys that your rabbit may enjoy.

Toys Around the House

• empty toilet paper rolls (stuffed with timothy hay)
• empty cardboard boxes with a few holes cut in them (place handfuls of hay in them)
• cardboard tunnels
• wadded pieces of plain white paper
• a large box: cut holes large enough for your rabbit to easily enter. Put some hay inside, a blanket or piece of carpet or a straw mat to sit on, and bunny has a house to play in.
• tunnels made with cardboard (check your local hardware store: OSH, etc.)
• a large brown paper grocery bag (you can cut the bottom off and let your rabbit explore the makeshift tunnel it makes. Rabbits like noise and they will play in the bag because of the noise it makes.
• a sandbox to dig in (make sure you purchase clean, sanitized sand from a local hardware supply store. Actual beach sand is dangerous because often other animals frequent those areas.
• dried fruit tree twigs (only from fruits that do NOT have pits)

Toys You Can Buy

• plastic Slinky toys (make sure the rabbit is too large to get stuck in the Slinky)
• stuffed fleece dolls (bears, rabbits, human forms)
• the cat toy shaped like a ball with a bell inside (not for dwarf rabbits because their paws may get stuck and break)
• grass/hay balls
• human baby toys: plastic keys, rattles (use caution: some rabbits will chew these and this can be dangerous)
• untreated baskets to chew on
• untreated rice mats (can be found at places like Pier One Imports)

Playing with Your Rabbit

Smokey here. I really like to play the Run, Run, Run game with my mom. I run into the kitchen or living room and tug on her pant leg or run REALLY fast around her feet when I want her to play with me.

Then she says, "Do you want to play the Run, Run, Run game, Smokey?" And I run really fast around the room to tell her "Yes!" Then we run back and forth through the house with my mom saying, "Run, Smokey, run, run, run!" I always run really fast and make lots of incredible patterns up and over the furniture, across the room, and around mom's feet to make her laugh. We have a lot of fun!

Snow here. Smokey and I play chase sometimes. If Smokey starts the game, I run and he follows. If I start the game, Smokey runs and I follow him. We run around and around the room, ducking under chairs and hopping onto and over the furniture until we're tired. Then we flop on the floor on our sides. Sometimes we roll on our backs, too, to tell our mom how happy and content we are. Sometimes we play with paper bags full of hay and crumpled pieces of white paper, too. Our mom rolls the paper toward us and we jump on it and toss it high in the air.

Rabbit Toys and Yummy Treats You Can Buy

The Busy Bunny sells untreated baskets filled with fruit tree twigs, hay, bunny toast, and other yummy treats for bunnies. Call for their mail order catalog and order form.

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