DIY: Rabbit Toys

(courtesy Margaret Duclos who takes amazing pics of her dogs, including the gorgeous Royal)

Today’s post is in honor of the little girl bunny pictured above who recently showed up in a friend’s garden.  After several days, they were able to trap her and, though they put out ads for her, her owners haven’t claimed her.  I wonder if she was someone’s Easter bunny who got dumped.  Boo!  She’s has a wonderful home now though—Margaret has already started clicker-training her.  Yea!

It’s really important to provide your rabbits with physical and mental stimulation.  They like to explore & play and providing toys is a great way to keep them occupied & happy.  It gives your bunny appropriate outlets for chewing, digging, shredding, etc. and helps prevent destructive behavior.

Check out this totally kickass post on making your own rabbit toys!  There are a bazillion ideas for entertaining & safe toys for your bunnies—most DIY and low-cost. (Note: it looks like the links to Amazon are affiliate links, but the author did put a lot of effort into gathering good info.)

Want even more toy ideas?  The House Rabbit Society also has tons of suggestions for rabbit toys.

Be sure to check out my podcast on Rethinking the Easter Rabbit and these posts on house rabbits:

Podcast Episode 111: Rethinking The Easter Rabbit

Rabbits and children aren’t usually a good combination, but bunnies can be great house pets for families with teens or for adults.  Episode 111: Rethinking The Easter Rabbit covers reasons to rethink getting rabbits for children this Easter, plus suggestions & resources for having a happy house rabbit if you have the right type of household for these sensitive animals.

Click below to play.

You can listen to it here and or on iTunes.  We also have an RSS feed you can subscribe to if you use an RSS reader.

Check out these topics mentioned in the podcast:

House Rabbits & Amy Sedaris

Who knew?!  Amy Sedaris has bunnies and is an active supporter of The House Rabbit Society! (thanks Sharon!)

I have a soft spot for rabbits—they were one of the first animals I got to know.  Rabbits are neat creatures with distinct personalities and can make great pets.  Have you ever seen a rabbit binky?  Did you know they can be trained to run agility courses.  It’s called “rabbit hopping”.

Unfortunately, a lot of people don’t educate themselves before getting a rabbit and, as a result, there are lots of bunnies who need homes.  If you’re thinking about adopting a bunny, the House Rabbit Society’s site is an amazingly thorough resource for taking care of your rabbit. They cover everything from litterbox training to toys good for stimulating play to rabbit-proofing your home. There is an informative article on what it’s like to live with a rabbit—it’s definitely not for everyone. There’s also a good FAQ on common health issues for rabbits.

After you adopt your rabbit, check out this post on how to build a nice looking DIY rabbit palace. Your bunny will thank you!