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Rabbits 'not natural jumpers' ?

Charys

Mama Doe
I've read this in a few books, yet I'm not sure of the statement and how true it is. Mine loves leaping up onto shelves and stools, and when in the lounge jumps onto the sofa and then onto the windsill with glee! He happily leaps and runs,as you guys call it 'binkying', lots and lots. So where does the statement come from and how true is it ?
 
I think it's complete bull.

All my three love jumping around, even Lucifer who has sight problems will jump onto a box rather than hop around it.
 
mine love to jump and explore things...I guess a lot of the time people see wild rabbits in pasture etc where there is little opportunity for jumping but I imagine if you see bunnys in rocky terrain they are jumping fiends.
 
I think this is probably because they have such thin front legs, and can sustain broken legs jumping down from a height, especially onto hard surfaces. I definitely wouldn't want my buns jumping down from more than a couple of feet high.
 
I thought you were talking about the kind of jumpers that you wear!!! :oops::lol:

So did I :oops:

I didnt think it was safe to let buns jump up onto things because they can hurt themselves so easily? Mine have little child step things and can get onto their covered litter trays and stuff. In the house I put a box for them to hop up onto the sofa if they want to get up and down. I wouldnt let my buns sit on anything high up where there is a chance they can fall straight to the floor and when they are in the house I block the stairs with a puppy pen so they cannot get onto them x
 
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OK, so you thought it might be a thread about making rabbits into jumpers ???? LOL

I try not to let mine do silly jumps, but he just leaps up onto things naturally. In his pen he has those stepping stools of different heights to give him the opportunity to sit high up on things (which seems to be his aim!) but I have his carrying box in the lounge and he just jumps straight up onto it to sit and looks around, he does the same with his wooden rabbit home (the sort with the ramp and opening lid), jumping straight up onto it. I guess it makes sense that in the wild they do it IF they have to / the environment is right to jump on stones.

It was just, as new rabbit owner, I was finding it hard to put the statement 'rabbits are not natural jumpers' (I've read 'Why does my rabbit', 'Rabbitlopaedia' and various information books from the RWT) with the behaviour of my little monkey. I have been trying to trust him to know that if he thinks he can easily jump up, then he should be able to easily jump down again ?
 
Front feet or not, they must have gotten those massive backfeet for a reason. I don't think the front paws are espesially weak either and that comes from a girl who frequently visits rabbit jumping competitions, those bunnies jump high, and I've never once seen a bun break its front paws:D

Aroma too likes this kind of extreme sports, she was the first bunny I've ever had who jumped out of her hutch on her own. Now she's gotten a small "stair" to jump on so she can easilly get in and out. :D
 
OK, so you thought it might be a thread about making rabbits into jumpers ???? LOL

I try not to let mine do silly jumps, but he just leaps up onto things naturally. In his pen he has those stepping stools of different heights to give him the opportunity to sit high up on things (which seems to be his aim!) but I have his carrying box in the lounge and he just jumps straight up onto it to sit and looks around, he does the same with his wooden rabbit home (the sort with the ramp and opening lid), jumping straight up onto it. I guess it makes sense that in the wild they do it IF they have to / the environment is right to jump on stones.

It was just, as new rabbit owner, I was finding it hard to put the statement 'rabbits are not natural jumpers' (I've read 'Why does my rabbit', 'Rabbitlopaedia' and various information books from the RWT) with the behaviour of my little monkey. I have been trying to trust him to know that if he thinks he can easily jump up, then he should be able to easily jump down again ?

:oops: :lol: I thought you were talking about jumpers for rabbits :oops: :oops: :oops:

Yep mine will jump up onto their carrier and smallish boxes, what I mean was I wouldnt allow them access to somewhere they could keep jumping up onto things and end up quite high up because I would be frightened they might get hurt on the way back down :)
 
I think they have the natural ability to jump. I wouldnt *want* them to jump up or down a massive height, but they do regularly leap 2-3ft to explore things, or much higher in a crisis.
 
jumpers for rabbits


Awww how cute !!! :D

So, we have established that Rabbits ARE natural jumpers then (contrary to some material published), although allowing them access to places where they could fall isn't a good idea.

Thanks for the replies, I was bemused that my rabbit seemed to enjoy jumping onto things and yet books told me this was 'unnatural'. It seems they are all at it !!
 
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