Enrichment to their space?

Grey Dawn

New Kit
They have:
Chewing stuff - they love the cardboard boxes. They also have a wooden doll bed and I cut fresh willow branches every now and then, as well as some other chew toys. Curtains are chew toys f you ask the bunnies, but I try to deter them from chewing the fabric.
Digging - They seem to prefer to use their litterbox for digging. I had a digging box but they never ussed it so it just took up space. It's not in the pictures, but I often give them a hemp mat (pinned under a table leg) which they like to tear, dig and destroy into a lot of mess :lol: And the carboard boxes gets dug out and torn in the bottom.
Hides - Theres the cardboard boxes which gets replaced every now and then. Thhe current one is a big one with three smaller ones in it, Accio, the tiny rabbit, likes to sit in a top compartment. They have one of those crinkly cat tunnels, their litterbox, in the hallway theres another wooden hide. Dawn (big bunny) don't use houses much, Accio likes them but only if they have two exists.
Carpets - I will get more of those small round carpets to make a path to the kitchen and have them little closer together. I don't really want big carpets everywhere since I have bad allergies and need to be able to lift them and shake them and clean everything frequently, plus the small ones seem enough for jumps and binkies while the bare floor is preferred for resting on or walking. But I'll expand the carpet runs in length so they can binky more. Right now, Dawn especially will run out the livingroom to the hallway (where there's also some rugs), make a turn and run back. Accio runs on the rugs a bit but is more up in the couch.

Other toys: They have balls, stuff to throw around with bells in them etc. Most are in a basket behind the couch in the photos, they can dig them out when they want and sometimes I take a few toys out to renew their interest.

They don't seem to care much for blankets or stuffed toys.

I think they are fairly happy as is, they're much more social and confident now when they free roam in my living space (before I moved here they were roaming in my bedroom, where I didn't spend much time). But you know, maybe someone has the best idea ever for how to make their lives better. If they were cats I'd put shelves on the wall and build hanging bridges etc... it would be fun to make some sort of tunnel system (enclosed shelves) on the walls, but it would be a lot of work and I'm not sure they would use them. Especially if they were open so I had the entertainment of watching. Plus cleaning abilities etc.. I know rabbits often love to climb (found one of my previous rabbits sitting on a beam far above my head several times), but I also know they can be clumsy. Especially heavy Dawn.

(Btw, how do I make the images thumbnails?)

1578135542.jpg

1578135553.jpg

1578135568.jpg

1578135525.jpg
 
It looks like a great space for humans and rabbits to share :love: my rabbits love jumping on top of things, they have 2 boxes raised on poles which are actually the base from a cat activity centre / cat tree, which they love to go on top of and inside. Mine love chewing and I give them apple sticks daily :love:
 
Rabbits need lots of hay for their teeth, tummies and their mental/emotional well-being. They tend to tire of toys quite quickly. They also need somewhere they can retreat to and feel safe. How long have you had your bunnies?
 
It looks like a great space for humans and rabbits to share :love: my rabbits love jumping on top of things, they have 2 boxes raised on poles which are actually the base from a cat activity centre / cat tree, which they love to go on top of and inside. Mine love chewing and I give them apple sticks daily :love:

Thank you! I had a low cat tree before, but only Accio fits in/on it and he wants two exits so it didn't get much use. They don't seem to be much of climbers..they're on the seat of the couch but never on the table or the back of the couch. I've had climbers before.. maybe I can build a more permanent shelf for under the table. I think Accio would like to sit on it, with the table as a roof, and Dawn might feel it's big enough to hide under...?

I'm going to plant a willow shrub on my balcony so hopefully they can get fresh twigs more often :)

Rabbits need lots of hay for their teeth, tummies and their mental/emotional well-being. They tend to tire of toys quite quickly. They also need somewhere they can retreat to and feel safe. How long have you had your bunnies?

Thank you for making sure my bunnies get the basics right too :love: They do have unlimited access to hay, it's in their litterbox (the IKEA Hol, wooden structure behind Accio in the picture where he jumps). Since it's top loaded I don't get much mess from litter or hay. It also works as a safe space for them both (they can fit there comfortably, it's 95x50cm) and a look-out spot. Accio prefers to rest in the cardboard boxes under the table and Dawn has chosen the table itself as her safe house. Even with boxes large enough for her and the cat tunnel (I know it's not visible in these photos but it's there) she prefers to rest next to them in the "open" and just use them for play :)

Accio was rehomed to me in spring 2017, he's my first indoor rabbit. I got him neutered and got him a friend, (an aunt to Dawn), unfortunately she had a freak accident where she broke her scull/upper jaw. Rushed her to the vets as I witnessed when it happened (she jumped down from a chair but hit a metal corner teeth first), but they couldn't do anything since the damage was too big. I was given Dawn shortly after, june 2018. Those are my experience with indoor rabbits.
In 1999-2004 or so I had an outdoor rabbit, who I competed with in show jumping. He was really good and very curious and chilled going new places (to my sorrow, none of these two likes leaving home or jumping at all, so they of course don't have to). He was the one teaching me that rabbits are not boring caged pets but rather great personalities. At the time he was kept alone in a hutch though. Fairly large one by that times standard (I didn't have internet then so my information was limited to traditions and library books) and a pen he could be in when I was home. He frequently escaped both and came running when I came home from school though, begging for me to pick him up. He was really special. But probably lonely, housing rabbits together was going to be disaster - that's what I was told by the experts.. I had to rehome him when I went to boarding school. He became an indoor rabbit living with some friends to people my father knew, it was the first time I heard of free roaming.

I've had other rabbits after that, for a short while I worked to preserve an old heritage breed. I learnt a lot about "alternative" ways of keeping rabbits (not in hutches) and group housing and breeding, and found great joy in making their pens more interesting and enriched. But breeding is not for me, not even the endangered ones. So I took a pause from rabbits, but now 3 years ago I decided that I missed them. But this time around it's purely pets (since jumping wasn't a hit with either of them anyways) and as I'm all grown up :lol: with my own place, they're free roaming. Dawn and Accio has lived here since August last year, but like I said I had them in my bedroom where I lived before. :)

So that's my experience with rabbits, and there's always more to learn. Especially since indoor housing is relatively new to me..I'm not quite prepared to cover the living room with bales of straw or bury tunnels under soil in the hallway..
 
That is a great place in which to put their hay, Ikea Hol, so they go in through the top! Amazing! I have a lot of bunnies so probably wouldn't be able to afford one for everybun. I have been using underbed storage boxes and very large littertrays, preferably big enough for two! Yes, we have moved on a lot in the rabbit world, thank goodness, generally speaking, but there are still those who think keeping rabbits in tiny, filthy hutches is ok. I am sorry one of your rabbits had a nasty accident, it must have been very traumatic for both the rabbitand you.
 
That is a great place in which to put their hay, Ikea Hol, so they go in through the top! Amazing! I have a lot of bunnies so probably wouldn't be able to afford one for everybun. I have been using underbed storage boxes and very large littertrays, preferably big enough for two! Yes, we have moved on a lot in the rabbit world, thank goodness, generally speaking, but there are still those who think keeping rabbits in tiny, filthy hutches is ok. I am sorry one of your rabbits had a nasty accident, it must have been very traumatic for both the rabbitand you.

Yes, it has worked really well :) I had to remodel it quite a bit, built walls on the inside and waterproofing them with polyester, then leaving that to harden and air out properly for a month (it's safe when fully cured, but fumes are not), saw the hole in the top etc.. It's difficult finding large enough litteroxes for Dawn, that also look nice. She's 95% flemish giant, despitre the lopped ears (5% french lop). I used storage boxes and Samla (also ikea) before. Works great, but not as pretty to look at :)

It makes me sad and confused how people can look at a store bought cage and think "Yeah, no problem sitting there 24/7"..and then they call rabbits "boring". Like what do they expect them to do in a space like that? Play chess? Practice some intricate yoga?

It was traumatic, yes. I still recall the horrible noise she made trying to breathe when I drove on the highway to the vets, and how slow traffic seemed (probably wasn't).
 
Looking cool! I see you had multiple exits in yours, mine didn't.
Dawn is 7,5kg bunny, I havnt seen cat trees with hidey boxes suitable for her size. Cats are a bit more liquid and less clumsy :p
I'll save the idea for a smaller bunny though.

Ah, yes, my largest bunny is not much over 2kg and the other is 1.3kg. So a 7.5kg might be a bit large for a cat tree as you say!
 
Back
Top