The new litter tray didn’t last long. I think he’s got into the habit of nibbling now. He gets a little fixated on things sometimes and once he’s made his mind up it can be quite hard to distract him.

Here’s the newly decorated old new tray:

It’s not too bad though, his new washing up bowl.. err litter tray.. was only £1.60 at Tesco.  It is exactly like the old one, except whiter, but he wasn’t entirely convinced.

An application of hay seemed to settle the matter though.

I’ve never been that impressed with pet store litter trays. They seem to underestimate either the height a rabbit can lift its tail or how much extra space is needed for hay/napping. Washing up bowls and storage boxes provide a much better choice of sizes.

Anyone want to place a bet on how many corners will be left by tommorow morning?

Hay

Hay is fed to rabbits as a substitute for fresh grass. It is grass that has been cut and left to dry. Good hay should be green and smell sweet, not be dusty or smell musty (excuse the pun). The greener hay is the closer it is nutritionally to grass. Old brown hay will have plenty of fibre but is not so good for providing all the other nutrients a rabbits needs. It’s also less tasty… not that I’ve personally tried it.

There are different types of grass such as Timothy, Meadow and Orchard. Sometimes grass is also grown with legumes like Alfalfa. This increases the protein level which makes it too fattening to feed as the main diet for the average adult rabbit, although it can be good for growing youngsters or putting weight on an older rabbit. Alfalfa is also higher in calcium, again good for growing youngsters but too much can be bad for adults.

Straw

Straw is the stalks from grain crops after the grain heads have been taken off. It’s yellow and the stalks are hollow like a drinking straw. Straw is great for insulating so it is used for bedding to keep rabbits warm on cold winter nights. Straw has a lower nutritional value than hay so it’s not suitable to feed as a replacement for grass. If you use it for bedding, add some hay on top for your rabbit to snack on. It’s perfectly safe if your rabbit does nibble the straw a bit too though.

You are not likely to come out on top of any attempt to stop your rabbit digging. Digging is what rabbits do. Instead you need to redirect the behaviour to a more appropriate outlet, are here is one solution…The Yellow Pages (or any other handy telephone directory). If you don’t have a spare to hand then a pile of newspapers might work as a stand in.

If you put the yellow pages in a box it will help to stop your rabbit just digging it out of the corner and caring on with eating your flooring. I’ve used a washing up bowl.

So, take one box/bowl, put it in the corner your rabbit digs, add one yellow pages and one rabbit:

Leave briefly unattended and return to:

If you prefer a little less mess then use a bigger box, a large cardboard box with just an entry hole might help keep some of the mess down.

One crate full of shredded paper for the compost bin, ready for growing rabbit greens:

You have two options:

1. Get someone to visit your bunny at your home.

Pros: You rabbit stays in a familar environment minimising stress
Cons: Finding someone willing to check your rabbit twice a day for signs of illness and to make sure they have water and hay can be difficult. Ideally this should be done by someone familiar with rabbits so they can spot abnormal behaviour that may indicate your rabbit is unwell. A neighbour or friend may be convenient but unless you’re very lucky they may not know much about rabbits.

2. Book your bunny in to a holiday boarding facility.

Pros: A experienced and professional facility should take good care of your bunny.
Cons: Finding such a facility can be difficult. Some rabbits may find moving accommodation stressful.

More advice on choosing rabbit holiday boarding facilities.

Which ever option you choose you should quiz your rabbits careers carefully to make sure they understand your rabbits needs. Give a detailed list of what your rabbit can and cannot eat and in what quantities. Leave your vets details and contact details for you or an experienced bunny owning friend in case they have problems.

The European Rabbit is the same species as our domestic pets, so understanding their behaviour can provide a helpful incite into the behaviour of our pet bunnies.

For example, Bell describes how male rabbits:

patrol their territory boundaries, scent-marking them with urine and secretions from their chin and anal glands to ensure that their neighbours respect these borders.

Behaviour which I’m sure is very familar to those who have lived with an unneutered buck.

Another interesting part is the social structure within the warren. The males and the females each have a social heirachy (pecking order) which they may fight to maintain. This provides a potential explanation for male-female (neutered) pairs are the most successful match in pet rabbits. Two or more of the same sex rabbits would naturally form a heirachy and if they don’t agree who’s boss that’s when fights can occur.