Enrichment for Elder Bunnies

The Muffin Bun

Get a clean muffin tin with 6 or 12 wells. Put a few pellets or some of your bunny’s favorite treats in the wells, then cover the top of each well with a wad of crumpled up paper. Set the tin on the floor and watch your bunny toss or nose the paper obstacles out of the way to get to the treats.

Wide muffin wells are easier for elder bunnies to maneuver than the smaller trap doors on store-bought logic games, and simple moveable puzzles like the paper balls make for a challenge that’s still achievable with limited mobility or stamina.

Mail Time

My rabbits go crazy for the sound of any crinkle. This game combines that instinct with some common household items. To play, simply grab a clean envelope and a plain piece of paper. Fold the paper and place it in the envelope, then pretend to open mail with your bun. They will enjoy nibbling paper corners, tearing the envelope, and stealing the whole piece of mail right out of your hands! I always recommend a new envelope and paper insert for this game to make sure there’s no toxic inks and to keep rabbits safe from the spread of RHDV2.

BONUS: Mail Time can induce adorable old-bun binkies when your rabbit is retreating, and this game usually ends in head rubs once the mischief is out of the way.

Snuffle Mat

This is perhaps the cutest game of the bunch. You can either buy a snuffle mat online or make one yourself.

What you’ll need: A large piece of felt for the backing, a needle and thread, and smaller pieces of felt to sew on for hiding treats.

What you’ll do: Sew one side of a felt shape onto the felt backing so it flaps back and forth. Don’t make the shapes too large or cumbersome. It should be something your bunny can flip out of the way with relative ease. Repeat this with as many felt flaps as you would like.

When everything is sewn together, hide treats under the felt flaps and present to your bunny. Your rabbit will look adorable nosing through the flaps of a felt vegetable patch looking for their food. And because the felt is plush, buns with arthritis or gait instability will fall over into something soft if they lose their balance. Most felt is machine washable, too, so don’t sweat incontinence or an accident. Toss the snuffle mat right in the washing machine and play again tomorrow!