Designing large toys for rabbits is challenging. Do not be surprised if your first efforts are rejected by your bunnies, but do not give up. This “Project Corner” will not deal with a specific toy; instead the goal is to point out features that will make a large toy a success. Our foster room is a collection of rabbits of various sizes, personalities, and abilities— a great toy for one may not be for another.

The first general toy we will discuss is used in the foster room. It is the perennial favorite, but this childrens play slide was not a winner at first. While other people found that their bunnies liked slides, ours found this one too steep to be any fun. I made a series of changes to get to the form you see in the picture. When Karla first dropped it off, we just put it in the foster room and watched what would happen. We noticed that no bunny would use the stairs or go down the slide. However, all the bunnies loved to lounge under the slide. This gives us Rule #1: When making toys for bunnies to flop, make sure it has a top. Bunnies like big toys that have places that they feel safe in. Whether this is under a chair, table or under the slide makes no difference to the bunny. They like overhead protection with a good view of the surrounding area. Under the slide fits that to a tee. Putting food and water there for the exercising bunny only improves an already good situation.

Still, the slide portion was not a winner. And the stairs were not even considered. The next change was to remove the stairs and add a ramp. This was better but still not as good as we could make it. We added a hay holder on the top but this was still not the best we could do. The next modification was to carpet the slide, thus turning it into a ramp. It was an instant success! All the bunnies played with it, going up and down. Some, like Trix and Kiki, would take naps on top! Thus, Rule #2: When in doubt, make sure there are two ways, in and out. This applies to ramps and other toys too. When we give our bunnies boxes, we cut a hole in one side and let them at it. The industrious bunnies will immediately chew out a back door. The lazier bunns will use the box more after a backdoor is cut out for them. Like Rule #1, a way in and out makes the bunny feel more secure and more likely to play. The safer your bunny feels the more likely he or she will be about exploring new things and playing. With carpeting, up and down routes and hidey spots, the modified childrens play slide has been a universal hit for almost all the foster bunnies.

Ann and Kurt made a toy for their bunnies Brando and Francie. Their toy was not an overwhelming success with their guys so we dropped it into the foster room to see what would happen. The results were mixed. This toy showed us more about individual preferences of rabbits. While it had the elements of Rules #1 and #2, the toy’s popularity still depended on the rabbit. The first thing to note is that Brando and Francie are BIG bunnies. Brando is a French Lop weighing more than 15 pounds and Francie is a 9-pound New Zealand White. These two are acrobatic and help themselves to salad on the dining room table, but did not like the upper surfaces of the toy. We found the same to be true of the foster bunnies. The big bunnies would not jump up there and neither would the small dwarfs. Only the energetic medium bunnies, like Sterling, used the entire toy. We came to the following conclusion—toys need to be adjusted for the rabbits. Size is important. The bigger bunnies did not like the landing spot on the upper story, and the smaller bunnies did not like the height of the first jump. Only medium sized bunnies, like 4-pound Sterling, were comfortable with both. And no one really liked the tube as much as we expected. I suspect that it was a little too unstable. The uncarpeted landing end was not appealing as it was even narrower than the carpeted end and no rabbit used it at all. The picture at right shows a quick modification that made it more universally appealing. The ramp made for easy access to the second story and the tote box provided a bigger area that was more fun for everyone. This was a big improvement and even the tunnel was used more, even though the backdoor was still not the best. The foster bunnies voted for another ramp.

What can be said about large rabbit toys? Observe your bunny, and see what he likes to do. If he really is an acrobat, then create toys that have a variety of places to jump to with plenty of landing area and preferably at a height where he can see the second platform from the first. Bunnies do not like to jump “blind.” Ramps are more universal and work better for bunnies of all sizes and ages. Older bunnies may not like to jump anymore, but will be happy to play on ramps. Bunnies do not like bare floors so why would they play on toys having bare surfaces? Use good sturdy carpet on landing spots and ramps, thus providing your bunnies good places to grip. Above all make a toy that has spots that appeal to rabbits. A covered place with a good view makes them feel secure and makes the toy a great hangout.

Take cues from your bunny. Sterling, a true acrobat, will regularly be found hanging out on top of the hay box under a table in the foster room. While he can jump on the table, he likes the six-inch space created by the top of the hay box and the underside of the table. He can see everything, but he is in the kind of small hidey-hole that a shy bunny like Sterling prefers. Remember that if at first you don’t succeed, watch your bunnies, see what they like and don’t like and then modify the toy. Eventually, with a little observation and ingenuity, you will have a bunny castle that your bunns will love.

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