Dear Miss Behavin’: I recently adopted a rabbit and as a first time rabbit owner I still have a lot to learn. What are some things that I can offer my rabbit to make sure she doesn’t get bored? Sometimes she chews on my furniture and I’m worried I’m not offering her enough enrichment.
Like all pets, rabbits benefit from toys, mental stimulation, and physical exercise. Getting creative with toys can extend your rabbit’s life and prevent destruction and depression. Make sure you offer her places to climb, crawl under, hop, and dig. Cat condos and tunnels make good rabbit enrichment. Paper bags and cardboard boxes are good for crawling inside, chewing, and scratching. Cat toys and baby toys can also offer entertainment for chasing, nudging, and hitting. Untreated wood, twigs and logs that have been aged for at least 3 months can be offered for chewing. If you notice your rabbit ingesting plastic or cardboard, switch to a different type of toy that your rabbit won’t ingest. Stuff a toilet paper tube with hay and oats, tie the ends, and you’ll have a great foraging and treat toy. The more you cater to their natural tendencies (sniffing, nudging, chewing, digging) the more fulfilled your rabbit will be and she’ll be less willing to chew on your furniture.