Digging box?

Hey everyone,

We've received an email from one of the guys who runs the Animal Handling Suite at Uni, where the vet nursing and vet students get the opportunity to handle small furries.

Lots of research is being done into evironmental enrichment, but a lot of it has been focussed on the SMALL furries, leaving rabbits out. And to a certain extent, Guineas as well.

I've raised the idea of a digging box, which they are quite interested in. Do any of you use digging boxes for your buns? I'm quite interested in making one at home, as well. I read somewhere that Chincilla sand is good to use. Is this true?

Any input from anyone out there?

I don't but I seem to remember a couple of people on here have sandpits there buns use.

Come forward whoever you are 8)

Betty

Betty said:

I don't but I seem to remember a couple of people on here have sandpits there buns use.

Come forward whoever you are 8)

Betty

Click to expand...

just normal kiddie sand!!!!

I would go for organic compost rather than chinchilla sand that way they can dig proper holes

I read one study (based on lab rabbits) that found that providing different levels had a positive impact on the bunnies welfare. Just a box that they could sit on top of and doubled as a hidy hole.

Another study compared hay stuffed into a bottle, compressed grass cubes, knaw sticks and boxes and found that bunnies really liked the foraging for hay best. I think there was also the suggestion that having the objects changed regularly, even if it was just new hay, made it more interesting.

I can look up the references for those if you like.

Of course all the toys that pet bunnies get would be appropriate too, I think the best ones are those that involve food and make the bunny look for it as an alternative to just poping their dinner in a bowl.

Tam

Hiya

We had a digging pit for a bunny at work and she absolutely loved it!! She was quite fear-aggressive when she came in, but through enrichment and careful handling she actually got a lot better (not perfect but enough to rehome her ). We got a big plastic dog basket and filled it with compost, she absolutely loved it but made a hell of a mess!!!

Nicola

digging box

I have a digging box for Jack, it is just a cardboard box stuffed with hay, and lined with newspaper. It is one of his favourite things to play with: he loves to pull all the hay out/ push it back in and dig to the bottom so he can shred the newspaper. I don't use compost or earth cause I thought it would be too messy for indoors (we have carpets rather than wood flooring).

Sometimes I hide veg/treats in the hay and he has fun digging and trying to find them. He's playing in it just now . I cut doors at the front and the side, he has a cardboard castle too, and they're all under my desk so he can run through the doorways and dig as if its a little cardboard burrow!

Amy has a box full of hay and straw (she is outdoors) and she loves it! She likes to dive into it and also loves 2 sit on it! She digs for England when she is in the garden, massive holes!! It's one of her fave hobbies I'll prob get her a massive dog bed from work for the summer to save my Dad's poor flower beds!!

Nicola

Thanks guys!

I'd appreciate references, Tams, coz then I can get the papers from the online Uni stores. Bedtime reading

I think the guys at the Suite are being lazy, because I'm fairly certain they've done research themselves at Bristol Uni (not the guys, but the Uni in general) and I know other Unis have done it, too. Maybe they're trying to get new ideas off us and write papers, get famous, and take the credit for themselves?

Here you go:

Behavioural effects of environmental enrichment for individually caged rabbits
Lena Lidfors
Swedish Unkersity of Agricultural Sciences. Department of Animal Hygiene, Section of Ethology. P.O. B. 345.
S-532 24 Skam. Sweden
Accepted 19 July 1996
Applied Animal Behaviour Science 52 (1997) 157- 169

The effect of environmental enrichment on the behaviour of caged rabbits Oryctolagus cuniculus
L.T. Hansen), H. Berthelsen
Zoological Institute, UniÍersity of Copenhagen, Tagensiej 16, DK-2200 Copenhagen N, Denmark
Accepted 7 December 1999
Applied Animal Behaviour Science 68 2000 163–178

Thank youuuuu!!!

I have digging box's, shelve's, stuffed loo rolls in my rabbits cages.

Certainly keeps them active and amused!

Louise

That sounds like such a great idea!!! I think when it gets just a bit warmer around here I'm going to set up a nice digging box for my buns!

my late wabbit Fudge had numerous toys one of his faves was the yellow pages!!!

just lay it on the floor open and he used to sit for hours flicking the pages about, nibbling a few, tearing a few etc. Never had any problems with health either.

Also made him a cardboard run with holes in them so he could run through them, chew them, sit on them

He had a big teddy of Sully from monsters inc too, he used to love to lick him being a lone wabbit, but then as he got older well Sully got more than he bargained for!!!