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How Can I Keep My Belgian Hare Occupied?

bunbuns

Warren Veteran
Please help! Hetty hare is soooo destructive. She has a bonded partner, a 5x4 playhouse with a large attached run. So far she has chewed two huge holes in the side of the playhouse and completely demolished their hidey house. She just chewed through the one place where there was a cable tie holding the run together and I've just send 30 mins in the pouring rain trying to catch them both! I've never had a rabbit who gets into so much mischief .

I have ordered her one of those cardboard castle, wonder how long that will last.
 
Please help! Hetty hare is soooo destructive. She has a bonded partner, a 5x4 playhouse with a large attached run. So far she has chewed two huge holes in the side of the playhouse and completely demolished their hidey house. She just chewed through the one place where there was a cable tie holding the run together and I've just send 30 mins in the pouring rain trying to catch them both! I've never had a rabbit who gets into so much mischief .

I have ordered her one of those cardboard castle, wonder how long that will last.

Does she have lots of safe 'twigs' etc to chew on - Hawthorn, apple and pear branches, hazel, willow and perhaps rose leaves and bramble?

Hay cakes?

I give my chewy boarding rabbits some seagrass mats to destroy. They eat very little (if any) of them, but they love ripping them up :D

When the boarders start to demolish my sheds, I fasten those NIC cube wire grids against the 'skirting' so they can't get to it.

Sounds like you have a real live wire there, S :shock: xx
 
She certainly is a live wire. This is the last winter for the playhouse so I'll def be taking measure to protect the new one!

When I put twigs in neither of them touch them :lol: I haven't tried the mats so I'll give that a try. I did think about a treat ball but she can get a bit aggressive with her husbun over food so I thought it cause trouble X
 
She certainly is a live wire. This is the last winter for the playhouse so I'll def be taking measure to protect the new one!

When I put twigs in neither of them touch them :lol: I haven't tried the mats so I'll give that a try. I did think about a treat ball but she can get a bit aggressive with her husbun over food so I thought it cause trouble X

I have a couple of seagrass mats *hanging* in the shed so it's a bit more challenging to nibble them when they move - I don't ever keep them on the floor - far too easy to get at (and to wee on!)

Same with willow balls stuffed with grass and different types of hay - I hang them and they are kind of like punch balls, and also make them stretch a bit to get to them.

I've also used willow baskets tied to the side mesh to hold grass and hay, but they get nibbled really quickly.

Do they really not like rose leaves and bramble? Hawthorn? All the bunnies I've come across really like those things. Takes them a bit of time to work through the 'stalks' ...
 
She sounds ace fun :love: I give the cardboard castle 20 minutes :lol: at least she's not a house bun. I love Belgian Hares - can we have a photo of the naughty girl please?
 
I have a couple of seagrass mats *hanging* in the shed so it's a bit more challenging to nibble them when they move - I don't ever keep them on the floor - far too easy to get at (and to wee on!)

Same with willow balls stuffed with grass and different types of hay - I hang them and they are kind of like punch balls, and also make them stretch a bit to get to them.

I've also used willow baskets tied to the side mesh to hold grass and hay, but they get nibbled really quickly.

Do they really not like rose leaves and bramble? Hawthorn? All the bunnies I've come across really like those things. Takes them a bit of time to work through the 'stalks' ...

Thanks for the ideas, ill give them a try. I haven't tried the rose or hawthorn so thats something else to try.
 
She sounds ace fun :love: I give the cardboard castle 20 minutes :lol: at least she's not a house bun. I love Belgian Hares - can we have a photo of the naughty girl please?

She is lovely but I didn't think so when i was climbing through the rose bush in the pouring rain earlier :lol:

Here is the naughty girl

l
 
I'll be very surprised if they don't like hawthorn.

I found that my guys completely ignored the apple twigs I gave them when they first arrived, and they are still untouched. They got fresh ones the other day and scoffed all the leaves straight away, but it took them a few days after that to realise that the bark is yummy too.

So if they don't go mad for sticks right away, they might just need a bit of time to discover that it's food! ;)
 
She looks lovely - and packed full of naughtiness!:love: Do they have a really large run so they have plenty of space to exercise? If 'normal' rabbits need at least 8ft x 6ft, I cannot imagine what yours need!
 
We've had Belgian Hares, my very favourite bunny breed, sorry to all my other buns! We bought them a childs hard plastic sand pit and filled it with some builders sand. They really love that and can 'dig off' some excess energy. Mind you, with their really long legs, they get it everywhere. But it's easy to sweep up and clear away.
 
She looks lovely - and packed full of naughtiness!:love: Do they have a really large run so they have plenty of space to exercise? If 'normal' rabbits need at least 8ft x 6ft, I cannot imagine what yours need!

Yes their run is bigger than 8x6 not sure exactly how big tho. She just seems determined to escape no matter how much room she has :roll: Its a good job I lover her!

Thanks for everyones comments. I will let you know how long her cardboard castle lasts :?
 
We've had Belgian Hares, my very favourite bunny breed, sorry to all my other buns! We bought them a childs hard plastic sand pit and filled it with some builders sand. They really love that and can 'dig off' some excess energy. Mind you, with their really long legs, they get it everywhere. But it's easy to sweep up and clear away.

That sounds a really good idea!
 
My belgian hares (soon to be returned to the rescue sadly due to my current health issues) love love love to chew. They get through a branch of goat willow in an evening, stripping it of leaves and bark.

They have chewed the edges of their welfare hutch company six foot hutch as well.

Perhaps some cardboard boxes (free) to chew on, regularly replaced and plenty of hay! They are such intelligent and active rabbits arent they.

Hetty is GORGEOUS xxx
 
We've had Belgian Hares, my very favourite bunny breed, sorry to all my other buns! We bought them a childs hard plastic sand pit and filled it with some builders sand. They really love that and can 'dig off' some excess energy. Mind you, with their really long legs, they get it everywhere. But it's easy to sweep up and clear away.

Love this idea, thank you x
 
My belgian hares (soon to be returned to the rescue sadly due to my current health issues) love love love to chew. They get through a branch of goat willow in an evening, stripping it of leaves and bark.

They have chewed the edges of their welfare hutch company six foot hutch as well.

Perhaps some cardboard boxes (free) to chew on, regularly replaced and plenty of hay! They are such intelligent and active rabbits arent they.

Hetty is GORGEOUS xxx

Thank you.

I'm sorry to hear you have to part with yours. At least you know they'll be found a good home but it must still be very hard for you xxx
 
Thank you.

I'm sorry to hear you have to part with yours. At least you know they'll be found a good home but it must still be very hard for you xxx

Thank you. It is hard but as you say at least I know they will go to a decent home.
 
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