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Milo and toys

MiloBunnyx

New Kit
Hello:)
i recently brought milo some toys, i brought a carrot what hangs from the top of the cage and some wooden chews but milo dosent seem to want to to near them, im not sure if its because we have only had milo for 2 weeks so milo is still trying to get used to the enviroment and being handelled. i have also tried to give milo some treats but dosent seem to want to eat/touch them. im just wondering because milo is still young if this is why milo wont entertain the toys, just dont want milo to feel bored/restless as hes the only one bun we have as we couldent take his other friend in the cage cause the pet shop owner said he was suffering with wet eye. any advice would be good. i do get milo out quiet alot and let him adventure around.
 
Hello:)
i recently brought milo some toys, i brought a carrot what hangs from the top of the cage and some wooden chews but milo dosent seem to want to to near them, im not sure if its because we have only had milo for 2 weeks so milo is still trying to get used to the enviroment and being handelled. i have also tried to give milo some treats but dosent seem to want to eat/touch them. im just wondering because milo is still young if this is why milo wont entertain the toys, just dont want milo to feel bored/restless as hes the only one bun we have as we couldent take his other friend in the cage cause the pet shop owner said he was suffering with wet eye. any advice would be good. i do get milo out quiet alot and let him adventure around.

Hi!

First of all, I wouldn't worry about the toys. My rabbits tend to ignore toys which don't involve food they like. The best kind of toys in my experience are forage boxes (which you can make at home - spread herbs/leaves/safe foods through their hay), grass or leaf "rings" that you can hang from things (mine love chewing them down to get at them better) and anything involving cardboard - say a toilet tube with some herbs and hay stuffed in it, so they have to work out how to get to the herbs. What treats are you using and how are you feeding them? Treat foods in our household definitely fall into one of two categories - either "I'll ignore that, urk" that never get eaten or "This is so delicious I will literally trip you over and steal it from your hand to get it". And how is his eating more generally?

In terms of handling, are you keeping this to a minimum? When we first got our first bunny, we thought that picking him up, stroking him, sitting him on our laps would all help, but in fact the opposite is true. Leaving them be in their own space (unless for necessary things like grooming or nail clipping) and spending time down with them there will be much more likely to win a rabbit's trust. I'd lie on the floor and read a book - Monty would soon come over to sniff at me (eat my hair, chew the book, anything he knew he wasn't allowed to do!) Also, some bunnies (most?) will never handle well. Monty no longer finds it stressful to be picked up when we have to groom and things, but it doesn't stop him wriggling and scratching to get away!

Even single bunnies don't tend to get bored provided that a) they have plenty of space with a variety of different things to explore (which can just be different pieces of furniture you don't mind sacrificing, a litter tray and a dig box) and b) somebody is around most of the time to interact with them. It's better to have two, but we started with just one in order to get to know bunnies and how they work without the stress of two, and although he could get lonely for bunny company sometimes, he wasn't unhappy or bored. What sort of set-up is Milo in and what sort of space is it?

It might be worth investing in some high quality food-toys, like a grass ring, if you want to provide him with something nice (bunnies definitely seem to have a refined palette!) but I don't think it's anything to be concerned about if he's ignoring toys, provided he's otherwise well, happy in his environment, and not showing any signs of illness.
 
Some fantastic suggestions above! I'd agree that rabbits definitely prefer toys that are food related.

Here are some of the toys that I've found to be winners with my buns:



Treat ball. They often get their daily pellets in this and spend ages chasing it around.
rec_treatball.jpg



The wire-type treat balls. Great for filling with herbs, veg or even hay and dry forage. I hang this from the top of their run, just high enough that they have to work to get the food out but not so high that they get frustrated.
images


Woven grass mats. My boys love these. They throw them around and generally have great fun ripping them apart!
Peters-Woven-Grass-Mat-for-Rabbits.jpg


Another cheap and cheerful idea is the stuffed toilet paper tubes. When I make mine I usually have a little "good stuff" in the middle (pellets, dried forage or herbs) and block in the ends with hay.
fd458048d83e60667310313207ed2d0f--bunny-care-enrichment-activities.jpg
 
Lots of awesome advice already.

My girls ignore chew toys -they really don't care. They have some stacking cups that Phoebe likes to throw around, and they have a ball which they occasionally throw around.

We much prefer just making meal times difficult... forage boxes (we use an underbed storage box filled with hay), we also use feeding lines & a home made sisal board.

I've attached a couple pictures of the things I use.
ab64fb7f61e552394d8b2b7f4e244a5c.jpg
da7ffdadd23f728c7f649b59f52d0017.jpg
068c73d3c766b8c9623a674f0a595459.jpg
bf0f98f1bd1b659c800f72cd9c3dde19.jpg


ETA: Daphne used to be a lone house rabbit. I worked 6 hours a day.I bonded her with Phoebe and she's so much happier with her bunny friend.

Sent from my SM-G903F using Tapatalk
 
DP stop it - Boo is packing everybuns bags to move in with you.

What a lovely thread with fab contributions. I've nothing to add
 
Hello:)
i recently brought milo some toys, i brought a carrot what hangs from the top of the cage and some wooden chews but milo dosent seem to want to to near them, im not sure if its because we have only had milo for 2 weeks so milo is still trying to get used to the enviroment and being handelled. i have also tried to give milo some treats but dosent seem to want to eat/touch them. im just wondering because milo is still young if this is why milo wont entertain the toys, just dont want milo to feel bored/restless as hes the only one bun we have as we couldent take his other friend in the cage cause the pet shop owner said he was suffering with wet eye. any advice would be good. i do get milo out quiet alot and let him adventure around.


Hello :wave:

These suggestions for toys and enrichment sound wonderful :)

However, I feel a little sad for milo's friend left behind :(

Would you consider getting milo a friend? Rabbits absolutely love company of their own species, and they are so entertaining to watch - you won't need your TV any more :D
 
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