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Health Tips & Exercise for Rabbits

Healthy Hoppers: Exercise Tips for Rabbits

Rabbits require both mental stimulation and physical exercise to stay alert and happy. Regular exercise improves your rabbit’s muscle tone, joint flexibility, digestion and cardiovascular fitness. An active lifestyle helps prevent obesity in your rabbit, which can lead to numerous health problems. Rabbits also need "mental calisthenics" to stay alert and occupied. So follow these tips to keep your rabbit’s mind and body fit.

Types of play and exercise for rabbits

Room to stretch

It’s crucial to give your rabbit plenty of space to hop around. An appropriately sized habitat should be at least four times the size of your rabbit, and it should also be escape-proof with a solid bottom. If you decide to get your rabbit a roommate, it’s important to upgrade the duo to an even larger, more appropriate habitat.

Having the right habitat is just the start. Your rabbit also needs plenty of time to explore and move freely. When spending time out of the habitat, your bunny needs your close supervision. Rabbits can’t resist chewing on exposed electrical cords, so be sure to cover your cords with protectors. Also, always remove other hazards like chemicals or medications from play rooms to ensure safe play.

Chew on this

Rabbits' teeth continuously grow, and chewing is the only thing that helps wear them down. To help your rabbit keep their pearly whites nice and short, offer them some safe chew toys.

Wood serves as a great chew toy for your rabbit. However, twigs from the backyard just won’t do. So make sure to give your pet only specially prepared wooden blocks for rabbits. Other favorites include toilet paper rolls, cardboard boxes, loose straw, Timothy Hay baskets or other toys made especially for rabbits.

Mental toys

Rabbits enjoy mental stimulation as much as they enjoy physical activity. Plus, safe mental distractions can ward off boredom, which can lead to your little one nibbling on furniture, clawing the carpeting and devouring books.

What many pet parents don’t know is that rabbits love to play tug-of-war. If playing a game of tug doesn’t sound good to you, have your furry friend yank at a newspaper tucked under a table leg. Cardboard boxes or paper bags are also great outlets for your rabbit’s curious nature.

The great outdoors

Everyone can get a little stir crazy if they’re cooped up all day, and your bunny is no exception. By creating an outdoor grazing pen, your pal can enjoy the great outdoors alongside you. If you're handy with a hammer, constructing a wooden pyramid frame with wire mesh walls is a great idea. If that sounds like too much to handle, an easy alternative is inverting a playpen or large indoor habitat onto your yard.

Once you have your pen set up, all you have to do is move the grazing pen to a new spot each day. That way your rabbit can sample fresh greens anytime. Pesticides and weed killers can poison your bunny. So, don't let them graze if you spray your yard.

Your rabbit doesn't sweat or pant much, so it’s important to keep them out of direct sunlight to prevent heatstroke. Unless your rabbit’s pen is completely enclosed or buried deep into the ground, always supervise your bunny's outdoor recreation.

A walk in the park

Rabbits can also be trained to walk on a leash. Be sure to get a properly fitting harness and allow your rabbit time to get used to walking on a leash before taking them outside. Never tether your rabbit using a leash.

"Rabbits also need "mental calisthenics" to stay alert and occupied."

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