Attention! Bunnies’ Attention! Need your input.

[RabbitPam]

How do you keep your bunny busy when you are busy?

We need suggestions and ways you have learned or discovered that holds your bunny’s attention when you are not there. 

Also, when you ARE there, but doing things like chores or homework, or even hanging out, what do you do with/for your bunnies to keep them entertained, exercised, and out of mischief? 

Tell us your Bunny Slave Secrets! This is important research – Inquiring Minds Want to Know! 

[sarahthegemini]

Best thing I’ve found is to play Find the Dandelion- I hide dandelion around the living room (where they like to be most of the time) and away they go! Keeps ’em busy for a while. Primarily I sit on the floor and watch (and sometimes help) them but it’s definitely something they can do by themselves if I need to get on with a chore.

[Reesebun]

I do all my homework sitting on the floor with Reese. I let her climb around me and chew her special border on all my papers!

I am also thinking about getting another bunny to bond with Reese to keep her from being bored while i’m not home or doing other stuff. Bonded rabbits keep each other busy because they love to snuggle, groom each other, play together, and talk to each other (Mostly by movements).

Since I only have one rabbit, when I am not home I let the cat in the rabbit room because they are friends and Sweetie (the name says everything) would never hurt Reese.

[joea64]

It’s really only been a couple of days, so this is very much a work in progress, but I have an ex-beer-carton hidey box (like the ones on the condo upper deck, but bigger) and a long Sakrete cardboard concrete form tunnel – I may be trimming it down a bit soon – that I put into the X-pen every evening. That’s been enough to keep Panda and Fernando happily occupied so far, they hop in and out of the condo and back and forth through the box and tunnel when they’re not giving me soulful looks begging for treats (and when Panda isn’t playing hard to get during socialization sessions!)

[Wick & Fable]

My go-to method is one a lot of people probably don’t like/can’t do honestly. I pick Wick up and put him somewhere else. So if he’s bothering me on the sofa, I’ll plop him on the ground. If I’m in the kitchen and he’s circling my feet, I’ll plop him back in the living room. I pick Wick up multiple times daily, a lot for his safety because while he’s good at running along side you when walking, there are still instances where he’s a tripping hazard. This is the best technique for him, because Wick’s frustration response is peeing in proximity of you, so when moved away, he better gets the message and goes to his litter box instead… again, I acknowledge many people won’t agree with the constant pick-up method. I’m ready to take the flack for this, but know Wick is very tolerable to being picked up.

More realistically, I find refreshing hay to be a great strategy. I don’t like assuaging his attention-seeking behaviors with pellets or treats because that seems very encouraging and starts a trend, but fresh hay is a bit more of a neutral territory. If he’s getting finicky or if I’m about to leave, I refresh his hay. It also set-up a system where Wick bothers me when he decides he’s done with his current hay supply and wants more hay, which was a nice consequence of this tactic.

Aside from those, I think a big key for Wick and I to lessen his more persistent advances is I usually give him a light pet or groom whenever I get the chance, just so he knows although I’m not playing with him, I’m there. I know a lot of rabbits don’t like getting pet without being asked.

… So, if you have a rabbit that really likes cuddling or being pet, maybe the above will help.

The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.

[Tony's Mum]

Tony usually just comes with me to do chores lol. If I’m reading he’ll sit for head rubs while I read, if I’m getting ready to go out, he sits under my desk playing with my toes, if I’m cleaning he chases the sweeping brush and investigates/destroys and piles of dirt I’ve made.

When I’m not there, or not being interesting enough for him he plays with his toys. Tony has a LOT of toys. He is spoiled. He has several cat tunnels hidden under desks and behind furniture that he loves, he has a giant pile of old couch cushions that he jumps and burrows and moves around. He has a large wooden box filled with soil to dig through (and occasionally I hide treats in the dirt for him to find- he LOVES to dig up a bit of carrot!). He also has a ball that I can fill with pellets that slowly drop out when the ball moves, he loves chasing that (although he always seems to get it stuck). He loves to explore too so he’ll wander into rooms he doesn’t usually go into and have a good nose around.

[Bam]

My Yohio wanted to be pet basically all the time, but he accepted (or rather, seemed to prefer) when I pet him with one foot. I moved my laptop and writing desk into my bedroom where he had his headquarters, put a vet bed under my chair and became quite good at writing and reading while I pet him with my left foot. As soon as I sat down at my desk, he was there and shoved his head under my foot sole. He had the silkiest head!

Bam is easier because he’s very, very laid-back. I think he considers it a social activity to lounge in the same room as the human or dog. He comes for pets when I’m watching tv. I have to keep petting him or he leaves right away.

[Boston's Mama]

Bostons the easiest to entertain out of all my past bunnies. He like Pinocchio – thinks he’s a human boy – so when he can watching the kids play entertains him. They read books to him and he is very interested. If one is playing Lego they always set it up next to his pen so he can watch ( which is does!)
Since his eye sight isn’t good they kids are used to playing right up against the pen so Boston can see and be involved when he’s awake ( he doesn’t sleep all day this one – he’s power naps in the day and sleeps all night from 10pm )

In the evening when he’s up and kids asleep it’s lots of cuddles with mama – his favourite. And toy rotation- I tend to change toys up every few days to keep it exciting. He likes playing blocks and stacking cups
When we are all out ( which is a max of 2hours a day that he has no one home) we leave tv on for background noise and change toys around

[Q8bunny]

I haven’t thought about it much, to be honest. At least, not consciously. Ever since Day 1, I’ve treated and behaved toward Chewie as if he were a tiny housemate (albeit an adored one). I talk to him, he can observe or participate in every activity, he comes to me (or climbs on me) for pets and cuddles and kisses when I’m stationary, or pushes his beachball around me when I’m bopping around the house… I guess I don’t feel that he needs to be ‘kept busy’, if that makes any sense…

[jerseygirl]

We need suggestions and ways you have learned or discovered that holds your bunny’s attention when you are not there. 

My rabbits probably think “oh thank goodness, some time for uninterrupted sleep!” when I leave the house…

[sarahthegemini]

Posted By jerseygirl on 8/24/2017 12:22 AM

We need suggestions and ways you have learned or discovered that holds your bunny’s attention when you are not there. 

My rabbits probably think “oh thank goodness, some time for uninterrupted sleep!” when I leave the house…

I often joke to my partner before we pop out that the bunnies can get some rest 

[joea64]

Posted By jerseygirl on 8/24/2017 12:22 AM

We need suggestions and ways you have learned or discovered that holds your bunny’s attention when you are not there. 

My rabbits probably think “oh thank goodness, some time for uninterrupted sleep!” when I leave the house…

Likely tell.  It’s very early days yet, but I’m pretty certain P&F have been sound asleep in their litterbox at least one day so far this first week when I came home and didn’t even seem to react to my opening the door, I had to call out to them. They were awake and about yesterday evening, though!

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