Watch Wallace the bunny push a custom made “beer cart” to his owner in this cute video:
Learn how the beer cart was made in this series of photos.
Bunny Blog
Category Archives: Rabbit Training
Featured Rabbit Organization: Minnesota Companion Rabbit Society
The Minnesota Companion Rabbit Society (MCRS) is a volunteer-based, non-profit organization dedicated to improving the lives of companion rabbits.
MCRS works to let people know that domestic rabbits can and do make wonderful companions, as long as you are willing to meet them on their terms. They teach Bunny Basics classes, maintain a phone and email hotline so that people can contact them with questions or problems, and generally try to keep rabbits and their human companions living happily together.
Meet Amber, one of the available rabbits at the Minnesota Companion Rabbit Society.
The organization also hosts regular Hoppy Hour events, in which bunnies can come to romp and play with other bunnies. These socialization events are held at three locations around the Twin Cities. All rabbits must be spay/neutered and be in good health in order to participate.
Learn more about the Minnesota Companion Rabbit Society at their website.
Make Your Own Logic Toys for Your Rabbit
We recently published a new article called Logic Toys for Rabbits. The article was written by Christina Chivers of the online store, Bunny Approved.
The article discusses the types of toys that challenge your rabbit’s mind and provide much-needed enrichment. Chivers also provides instructions on creating your own logic toys. It includes photos and a video of her rabbit, Bunny, engaging in these toys. (We also included a photo of Cosette playing with one we made using her instructions.)
Of course, if you don’t feel like making the toys yourself, you can purchase them from Bunny Approved.
Learn more at: Logic Toys for Rabbits
VIDEO: Hop, Jump and Play – A Rabbit Agility Documentary
The Minnesota Companion Rabbit Society offers agility classes for rabbits. They’ve found that agility classes help owners bond with their pet rabbits.
Watch a great documentary about the rabbits and owners who participate, called Hop, Jump and Play:
Rabbit Agility
This gif cracks me up. It reminds me of something Cosette would do…
New Rabbit Books
There have been quite a few books featuring rabbits recently published, from fictional works to how-to guides. Check them out:
Time Travel Rabbit
Momi Douglas takes readers on a fantastic adventure following an elderly professor and his pet rabbit as they travel around the world and between dimensions. The book is endorsed by the founder of PETA and was inspired by the author’s own Dutch rabbit named Pebbles.
Sweetie’s Song: A Love Story
In this tale for readers of all ages, we follow Fred and Sarah Davis, a grieving couple living in Texas. Their lives get turned upside down when they realize the three toy rabbits they recently acquired are more than just inanimate objects. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of this book will be donated to The Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund – a 4-Star charity that serves United States military personnel wounded or injured in service to our nation, and their families.
High Five with Your Rabbit
Dutch animal trainer Bernice Muntz shows you how to train and play with your rabbit. Watch the video below demonstrating the potential rabbits have as trainable animals.
Litter Training: Rabbit Adoptathon Week
Today’s theme for Rabbit Adoptathon week will be about litter training. We get a lot of emails from people who are frustrated by stubborn, “outside-the-box” bunnies. Here are our best tips:
- Rabbits tend to poop while they eat hay. So it is always a good idea to place ample amounts of hay either in the litterbox or in a hayfeeder right next to the litterbox (so the bunny is forced to sit in the litterbox if he wants to munch on hay).
- Mop up urine with a paper towel and pick up stray poop and place both in the litterbox. This helps get the message across that the litterbox is the place that they should do their business.
- Be patient and persistent. Litter training takes time, especially if your rabbit has learned bad habits. It takes a while to retrain them. If you can see they’re about to go to the bathroom outside their litterbox (they may lift their tail or sometimes they sort of shimmy down in a seated position right before they go), try to pick them up and put them in the litterbox or corral them in. This is oftentimes easier said than done of course.
- Limit their space. If your bunny is free reign, you may want to limit their space initially using a puppy pen until your rabbit is consistently practicing good litterbox habits. Then, very gradually increase the space, ensure those good habits remain intact. Eventually, you will be able to take away the puppy pen completely.
- If your bunny is insistent on going in one corner of the room, sometimes it’s easier to give in to their stubbornness, and place a litterbox in that corner. Sometimes when rabbits consistently choose another place to go, they are trying to tell you that that’s where they want to go.
- If your rabbit is pooping/spraying pee everywhere, this is probably due to your rabbit marking his territory. It’s a good idea to get your rabbit spayed/neutered in order to ease territorial feelings.
- Sometimes rabbits deliberately pee on your couch or bed because they’re showing you who’s Top Bunny in the house. You should correct their misconception immediately. See our blog post, “Being Top Bunny” and the House Rabbit Society’s article, “FAQ: Training” for more information.
More litter training information:
- “Litter Training Your Bunny Rabbit” on My House Rabbit
- “Litterbox Training” on BinkyBunny
- “FAQ: Litter Training” on the House Rabbit Society website
- “Litterbox Encore” on the House Rabbit Society website
If you have any other great litter training tips or tricks, please share them!
Grand National Rabbit Jumping Competition
Cherie, a rabbit from Sweden, won the show jumping championship in Harrogate, England. Photo by Daniel Oxtoby.
The Burgess Premier Small Animal Show had its second annual rabbit show jumping competition in Harrogate, England. More than 10,000 visitors watched a dozen rabbits navigate a course with ten hurdles.
To learn more and watch a video of the event, see the BBC website.
Bunny Agility Classes in Minnesota
Cooking leaps over the longest hurdle at the Minnesota Companion Rabbit Society's agility class. Photo: Renee Jones Schneider
If you ever wondered how far or high your bunny could jump (or how long he/she will sit with no interest in front of an obstacle course), you can learn the answer at the Minnesota Companion Rabbit Society‘s agility classes. Rabbits can advance through six levels of training. They also offer Hoppy Hour sessions which focus on bunny socialization.
Read the full story here: Star Tribune
My favorite quote from the article was from Guinevere Keith, who said her rabbit Russell “follows the sit command pretty well.”
My experience with rabbits is that often they know full well what you want them to do, but they’re just not very obedient. They think, “I could do that, but what’s in it for me?” And who can blame them really…
New York House Rabbit Conference
Rabbit lovers in the northeast US: You may be interested in attending the annual House Rabbit Society / Rabbit Rescue & Rehab Conference on Sunday, October 23 from 10am – 5pm at the Radisson Hotel in New Rochelle, New York.
The rabbit care conference will cover topics such as rabbit behavior and training, bunny bonding, medical Q&As, demonstrations, goodies, and more! You may even run into actress/comedienne and longtime rabbit advocate Amy Sedaris!
For more information, see the Rabbit Rescue & Rehab website.
