This is not acceptable!

Fortunately, this is a common problem for all rabbit owners, so there are some useful solutions!   First off, you should always make it easy for your rabbit by not leaving unacceptable items near them.  If your rabbit is chewing on an unacceptable item, say “NO” and clap your hands to distract them.  However, you do need to provide your rabbit with acceptable items to chew on constantly.  Chewing is a natural action, and is very beneficial to your rabbit’s teeth.  Whenever you see that your rabbit is chewing on something he should not be, immediately replace it with an acceptable chewing toy.  There are plenty of chewing toys to choose from:

A great toy that will occupy plenty of your rabbit’s time is the Rabbit Play Mobile Vegetable Garden, shown above.  This delicious mobile will ensure your rabbit does not spend his time chewing on items in your house.  All you need to do is hang this mobile inside your rabbit’s living area.  This treat is great for guinea pigs and rabbits alike!  Another toy that will provide your rabbit with hours and hours of entertainment is the Snak Shak Small Pet House, which doubles as a hiding place, a climbing area, and a chew toy!  The roof is made of straw, and the sides of the house is made of natural log infused with alfalfa and and golden honey.  A smaller treat sort of toy like the Peters Rabbit Chew Toy with Apple is also popular among all rabbits.  The toy is comprised on a wood dumbbell, with dried apple covering the center.

Vary the type of toys you give your rabbit so you can discover what toys your rabbit enjoys the most.  Some rabbits will enjoy softer chewing materials while others will enjoy tougher material.  Besides the toys you can buy from a store, you can also provide your rabbit with toilet paper rolls, cardboard boxes, plastic cups, even old phone books!  These are great options, as you can save money and recycle these items.  You can even ask your friends and neighbors to get involved, and donate these items to your rabbit.

Your rabbit will never have to chew on your furniture again!

Great Ferret Lover Gifts!

• Ele-Fun Ferret Toy – One of our best sellers. This cute toy provides hours of entertainment and a snuggly place for one or more ferrets.
  Comes with crackle material for extra sensory fun! Can be used in or out of cage. Washable.
• Alligator Ferret Hide N Sleep -  Here’s an alligator that won’t scare your ferrets. In fact they’ll be fast friends.
  Made of plush, cozy fabric – great for snoozing in.
  Washable.
• Krackle Sack for Ferrets – Vibrant colored flower with crackle fabric sewn in. Plush toy provides a fun place to play and sleep. 19” circumference.
• Soccer Lookout Toy for Ferrets – This fun and entertaining Soccer Lookout is perfect for your curious and playful ferret to enjoy.
  Easily clips to the top of a ferret wire cage and is roomy enough to hide multiple ferrets.

Peters Woven Grass Cave for Rabbits
	For rabbit and most small animal homes. The Peters woven grass cave is fun to hide in and fun for nibbling on.  This one landed as the #2 best seller.

Peters Rabbit Chew Toy with Apple
	Marshall Pet Peter’s Chew Toy with Apple features a natural hardwood dumbbell.  You guessed it – this toy lands as the number 3 best selling rabbit toy.

Remember, without challenging activities to occupy your rabbit’s time when you are away, your rabbit will get bored – that is for certain. This could lead to depression and/or excessive destruction. The creative use of rabbit toys can extend your rabbit’s life significantly by keeping him interested in the world around himself, by giving him the freedom to interact with those surroundings, and by allowing him to constantly learn and grow mentally.

Their natural instincts are to forage, explore and socialisze. It only takes a few items to create an exciting playground for your pet.

Rabbits explore around the edge of an area and its hiding places first, rather than the middle of the area or run. Place objects like tubes, tunnels, untreated wicker baskets and boxes in the run for them to play with. They also like to look under, hide in, or climb onto empty cardboard boxes, wicker baskets and plastic flowerpots. Chimney pots and large plastic pipes make great hiding places and excellent tunnels. Change the items around occasionally to provide added interest for your rabbit.

Rabbits are attracted to noisy rabbit toys, cat balls (complete with a bell) are ideal and your rabbit will have great fun knocking them around.

Piles of logs (natural wood – willow, beech, hazel or apple) make platforms for them to explore or rest under. Rabbits will chew the wood and this will help keep their teeth in trim!

Feeding time for a domestic animal is often over in minutes whereas, in the wild, feeding takes most of the day as they forage for their favourite foods. By hiding food and the occasional treat under cardboard boxes, in empty plant or yoghurt pots, or in different areas of the animal’s hutch, your rabbit will be forced to hunt for his food – this will keep him occupied for many happy hours and prevent boredom.

The classic carrot shape makes the Bunny Flip n Toss Toys fun for your rabbit to chew on.  This rabbit toy consists of sisal material that is safe for your rabbit to chew.  It is lots of fun for your rabbit to toss and flip and it also fun for interplay with your rabbit.  A rattle inside the carrot helps to get your rabbit’s attention.

Treat your rabbit to a fun toy and a treat at the same time with the Peters Rabbit Chew Toy with Apple.  This toy is great for rabbits to chew on and  consists of a wooden barbell with a dehydrated apple at the center.  Rabbits love the taste of apples and enjoy chewing on the wooden barbell.  It is made of non-toxic materials that are safe for your rabbit to chew and help to keep rabbit teeth trim and neat.

The Bun-E-Fun Ring Toss Toy for Small Animals is another rabbit toy that is great for helping to fight cage boredom.  It is made of a variety of wooden shapes that are strung together on a rope made of natural material.  Your rabbit will delight in the variety of fun textures and shapes.

• Bring a sturdy metal cage for your rabbit to stay in, especially when you are not around to supervise your rabbit, to help keep your rabbit contained and out of trouble.  Depending on the size of your rabbit, choose a cage that is easy to transport and clean when on a trip.  The My First Home Extra-Large for Rabbits & Ferrets is a great cage to use when traveling with your rabbit.  It is a roomy cage that will not take up much space and is very easy to clean.  Your rabbit will be safe and secure and won’t be able to run free and get into trouble.
• Don’t forget to bring the cleaning supplies for your rabbit.  Nothing is worse than when your rabbit has an accident and you don’t have anything proper to clean up the mess with.  It is always a good idea to bring a small amount of cleaning supplies with you to help deal with a variety of messes.  Make sure that you bring plenty of paper towels and a cleaning solution to help clean up the mess.  The Wee Wee Super Strength Stain and Odor Remover is available in a 16 oz. size and makes cleaning up the waste easy and quick. 
• Take some toys and rabbit chews for entertainment.  To help break up your rabbit cage boredom and to prevent him from chewing on furniture or other items, make sure that your rabbit has some toys to play with and some wood or mineral chews to nibble on for entertainment.  The Bag-O-Chews Wood Chew Toys by Ware Mfg. are safe for your rabbit to chew and very entertaining.  These wood chews may be placed on a treat kabob to help keep them off of the cage floor.

• Natural Fiber Ball Toys.  Because rabbits love to chew, natural fiber balls make great ball toys for rabbits.  The Rabbit Woven Grass Play Ball is a great toy for any rabbit owner.  This toy is made of natural grass and is fun for your rabbit to roll around.  Because this ball is made of untreated grass, it is safe for your rabbit to chew on.  Another fun natural ball for your rabbit is the Nature Ball by Ware.  This ball is made of sisal rope and is also great for your rabbit to chew.
• Rubber Ball Toys.  Another type of ball that is a lot of fun to play with your rabbit is the Hol-ee Roller by JW Pet.  This rubber ball is filled with holes that make it lightweight and easy for your rabbit to kick around and chase.  The rubber material is soft and easy on your rabbit’s feet.  When playing with this ball toy, be sure to supervise your rabbit at all times because this ball is not intended for chewing on. 
• Alternative Ball Toys.  For a different type of ball fun with your rabbit, the Run About Ball is a lot of fun for you and your rabbit.  Place your rabbit inside of the ball and watch him hop around inside.  This ball has a diameter of 7 inches and is made especially for small animals.  If your rabbit is too large for the ball toy, then it is a good idea to let your rabbit just push it around from the outside.  Another round shaped toy that is fun for any sized rabbit is the Roll N Chew Toy.  Although this toy is not technically a ball, it is fun for your rabbit roll around and safe for your rabbit to chew.

Often, rabbits are purchased for children and are considered to be a lessor responsibility than a cat or dog. This can be similar to an impulse purchase to in response to a child’s request. Baby rabbits can be irresistible and are easy to handle for the child. Then quickly the rabbit grows up and takes on the personality of an adult animal. Information on rabbit behavior can be found in on websites such as House Rabbit Society and Rabbit Advocates . There are many positives for kids in owning a rabbit. It is an educational experience in animal care and behavior. Gentleness and love required when interacting with a pet bunny can give your child lifelong lessons on kindness and responsibility. After educating yourself, it will be clear to you that adopting a rabbit is a family decision and not based on an impulse. 

Things to consider before adopting

• Rabbits live about 8 to 12 years. Are you willing to take care of the rabbit after your child grows older? Children develop different interests as they grow and may show less interested in the pet.
• Mature rabbits prefer to be on the ground and are not typically content being carried around or being held for long periods of time. A child, trying to hold his pet, may get nipped or scratched in the rabbit’s efforts to get away. The child may become frightened and not want to interact with it any further or the pet could be injured if dropped. You can watch your child interact and hold a rabbit before bringing home a rabbit to see how they respond to the pet. You can make a judgement at that point whether a rabbit appears to be an appropriate pet for your child.
• Rabbits are very sensitive to sound. Children and their friends can be quite noisy and active. This can place the rabbit bunny in a continuously stressful situation that leads to health and temperament issues.
• Rabbits are not low maintenance pets. Attention to their needs on a daily basis required. Cage or pen cleaning, feeding, and daily interaction are required. It is unlikely a child will be able to take on all these responsibilities themselves. Therefore, consider the rabbit as the adults responsibility which can be integrated with the child.

Supplies needed to care for a rabbit?

Below are rabbit supplies you should consider before purchasing your pet. 

• Housing: Cages and pens are the primary choices for rabbit’s living quarters. The enclosure needs to be large enough for the rabbit to move around freely. Consider the adult size requirement if your rabbit is not fully grown. You will need space for the litter box and bowls. It may be worthwhile considering a movable pen/cage in the case that your location needs may change. 
• Litter Box: Rabbits need to be trained to use a litter box to keep the pen clean. If you are having difficulty you can start with a flat pan to make use easy for the rabbit. Upon success you can switch to a larger litter box. 
• Litter: The litter should be dust free and safe for the rabbit if ingested. Consider litters that are organic such as plant fiber, recycled paper and wood. 
• Bowls: Use bowls; one each for pellets, fresh vegetables and water. Heavy, flat-bottomed bowls work best so the rabbit cannot tip them. 
• Water: It is a good idea to use a water bottle in conjunction with a bowl. This provides a supply of fresh water if one is out of water (or knocked over).
  Cage bottom board: If the rabbits pen has a wire bottom it is necessary to have an area with a flat bottom (such as a board) for the rabbit to rest on off of the wire mesh. This should be large enough for the pet to rest, stretched out, in all directions.
• Toys: Toys are important not only for stimulation but also to keep the rabbit out of trouble.  Toys for small pets are sold at retailers. You can also use, hard plastic baby toys (rattles, key rings), a towel to push and bunch, cardboard boxes made into forts and tunnels… Use your imagination. 
• Feed: Pellets should be high quality and contain at least 13% fiber. Store food in an airtight container and the pellets will last approximately six months.

Rabbit toys are ideal for interacting with your pet rabbit. Keep a variety of toys on hand and designate time every day for playing with your rabbit. The Bun-E-Fun Roller Toy for Small Animals allows you to play and interact with your rabbit and when your rabbit is alone, it may be nibbled on for entertained.

Another great way to help keep your rabbit entertained is to offer wood and mineral chews for them to nibble on and enjoy. There are several styles of chews to choose from and it is a good idea to offer a variety to your rabbit to help keep his or her interest.

A fun hideaway is perfect for adding a special, secret rest and play area to your rabbit�s cage or hutch. Some of the hideaways, such as the Nature Hut Small Animal Home, are made of natural materials that can be chewed on and are perfect for helping to keep teeth trim and neat.

By providing your rabbit with extra stimulation, whether it�s playtime with you or some fun toys, it will improve the mental health of your rabbit. These items and more are available at Rabbit Mart.