Cardboard Town
- Thread starter catbalou
- Start date
I'm a big fan of using cardboard boxes and I've always found that rabbits seem to get a lot of pleasure from them. I've got them at different levels too (not too high obviously), to encourage jumping, which is good for muscles. Rabbits like sitting up at a hgher level too. Anything you can provide, which encourages lots of movement is very beneficial. And they're free!
Just a word of warning though. Some rabbits will chew cardboard. If this is ingested it can cause tummy problems, or more seriously a blockage. Watch Murphy carefully to make sure he's not eating any.
Thanks for the warning, the cardboard set-up is in my hallway and not in his room, so its a supervised run so I am watching and checking what he's doing. So far he just runs over and under things and sniffs them and knocks them over then leaps in the air, then starts over again. He's fast though... I was watching him, then turned away for a second to pick up some poops, turned around and he was back in his room in his bed... honestly thought I was in The Matrix or something or that he had a twin(!) :-D
Added a second litter tray to his room (on the right) as Ive noticed that he seems to favour that spot, so it made sense to put a litter tray there.... Now I feel like he's got an en-suite and a toilet down the west wing 
Asked him to come across for a close-up...
Then he took "close-up" a bit too literally
Asked him to come across for a close-up...
Then he took "close-up" a bit too literally
Yes the one on right is too steep, but I've still left it there, he looks up and maybe might conquer it one day. I'll make sure theres a treat as a prize up there when he does.... the one to his sleeping area on left is fine, he doesn't really use it, just takes a flying leap in. I noticed today on his fast marathon runs, he jumped and spun in the air and he was at least 20/25 cm in the air..is that normal at 9 weeks??? Makes me wonder how high he jumps at maturity . He's resting now, after all that jumping about. He's only been here a week and already we're having movie nights. Love him to bits.He's a very lucky bunny
How is he getting on with the ramps? I wonder if the one on the right might be a bit too steep for him. Good idea with the position of the litter tray.
Those spins / jumps are called binkies - the sign of a happy bunny.
I've had rabbits that could clear almost 4', which was a bit disconcerting as some of the garden fence was only 4' at that time. 3' is usually enough to keep most rabbits in unless they are determined escape artists.
I've had rabbits that could clear almost 4', which was a bit disconcerting as some of the garden fence was only 4' at that time. 3' is usually enough to keep most rabbits in unless they are determined escape artists.
When i was doing research on owning rabbits last year, I did read somewhere that a mini lop could jump perhaps 2 feet... but my goodness 4 feet?! If jumps = happiness then your Buns are living their dream :-D
Yes, Im aware he's little now and Ive extended his hallway supervised run even further into my kitchen/living room with the use of 2 foot boxes making a little wall... so he can enter the kitchen area a little bit, (about 4 feet further now) its just so he can see me in kitchen while im cleaning/cooking and I can talk to him. I will have to re-think things in a couple of months though. I seriously want him to have free roam of entire apartment, but living room needs a LOT of wire safety issues / junctioning in order to do that. At the mo, Im happy to bring him in on my lap to watch TV for a while.
cocoPuff Spawner
New Kit
Aww so cute. Koa just is a lazy bunny. She's happy, but she just prefers to lay down and ignore everything and everyone. Cardboard is a very good and fun way to occupy your bunnies. I live being artsy and play with the Cardboard. Lol
I LOVE cardboard city. In my wildest dreams I would like to try Prince as an indoor rabbit, but can't see OH agreeing to that! He's in a hutch and 2 runs on the patio at the moment. He was in the shed when it was very cold, but that's down the bottom of our long garden, so he didn't have as much company as he does just outside the back door.
Thanks for the advice, Ive dismantled it now and took it away just in case.
Ive also ripped up and took away the new hall carpet as the forum says that if he eats it he may die. Unfortunately now he only has a concrete hall to run around on and nothing fun to explore anymore because anything fun that I add may kill him. He doesnt look happy about it, but I guess health is more important than happiness.
Thanks for the advice, I will be getting him neutered/spayed as soon as possible as well as that is what the forum advises.
Ive took away all the things that the forum said was not good.
It is absolutely your decision how you handle things in your home which could cause harm to Murphy and of course these things are very important.
In my view though, it's best to try to achieve a balance and definitely prevent Murphy chewing things, such as electric wires, which can obviously be very dangerous to him.
Yes, bunnies can and will chew at carpet fibres and when these are consumed, they can cause a blockage, which could be fatal. BUT not all bunnies chew things, although in my experience, the majority do. And if they do chew, they don't always actually consume the item. With something like a carpet, they are more likely to chew if they can find the edge to chew. A way to stop this is to put a wooden edging around the join with the wall.
Regarding cardboard boxes, my bunnies have lived with lots of these all their lives. Yes, they do chew them, but I don't believe they actually consume the pieces as I've not seen them do it and I find a lot just dropped. It seems a shame that Murphy hasn't now got the enrichment.
Rather than remove these things, it might be better for you to start a new thread asking for ideas as to what other people do to deal with this issue and what their views are.
William
Wise Old Thumper
For what it's worth, my bunnies never chewed the carpet or ate cardboard. I think the cardboard town looked like a lot of fun and I'd personally just monitor and see if he chewed on it.
Omi makes a good point - some things bunnies should never have access to like toxic plants and electrical wires, but other things are more "watch and see".
Omi makes a good point - some things bunnies should never have access to like toxic plants and electrical wires, but other things are more "watch and see".
joey&boo
Wise Old Thumper
Mine have all had a go at the carpet at some time or other & they all chew cardboard boxes...luckily so far I seem to have chewers rather than eaters of these things. There is a always a trade off between safety Vs enrichment / fun so its about finding your balance.
Its really sweet to see you & your buns bond
Its really sweet to see you & your buns bond
InspectorMorse
Wise Old Thumper
The best way to enrich a Bunny’s life is to provide them with a companion of their own kind 
rabbitwelfare.co.uk
If that really is impossible then as Pet’s Mum suggested there are Rabbit safe enrichment toys that can be bought.
If you have or know of anyone who has apple or pear trees then twigs from them are very popular.
Rabbits will chew cardboard, but not all Rabbits eat it. Even the RWAF suggest using cardboard castles as a form of enrichment. It just means you need to be vigilant about if your Rabbit eats what he chews.
https://rabbitwelfare.co.uk/enrichment-and-behaviour/
I would let Murphy have his enrichment toys back and just make sure you keep a close eye on him and if he ingests the cardboard. Ingesting a few bits won’t kill him. Rabbits have a highly acidic stomach. Once chewed and swallowed a small bit of cardboard will be dissolved in the stomach by the acidity of the environment.
Try not to get overloaded with ‘worse case scenarios’ when it comes to caring for your Rabbit. It’s great that you care so much and are doing lots of research. But it’s important to find a balance between health and safety and quality of life
Companionship
Rabbits should never be alone. Click here to find out all about the importance of Rabbit Companionship today.
rabbitwelfare.co.uk
If that really is impossible then as Pet’s Mum suggested there are Rabbit safe enrichment toys that can be bought.
If you have or know of anyone who has apple or pear trees then twigs from them are very popular.
Rabbits will chew cardboard, but not all Rabbits eat it. Even the RWAF suggest using cardboard castles as a form of enrichment. It just means you need to be vigilant about if your Rabbit eats what he chews.
https://rabbitwelfare.co.uk/enrichment-and-behaviour/
I would let Murphy have his enrichment toys back and just make sure you keep a close eye on him and if he ingests the cardboard. Ingesting a few bits won’t kill him. Rabbits have a highly acidic stomach. Once chewed and swallowed a small bit of cardboard will be dissolved in the stomach by the acidity of the environment.
Try not to get overloaded with ‘worse case scenarios’ when it comes to caring for your Rabbit. It’s great that you care so much and are doing lots of research. But it’s important to find a balance between health and safety and quality of life
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