All of us with hoppers say “Hoppy Holidays” and our friends expect it. We mean it. We want our bunnies to by happily hopping – that makes it a good holiday. Binkies and running and dancing around the house or in their xpens makes the day more spirited and fun. Whatever holiday it is.
The Safe Haven rabbits, adoptees and sanctuary, are ready for the Easter Bunny…oh no, wait, Santa Claus, to bring them hay treats, oat or grass hay, willow chew toys or the best…willow leaves. Treats are a very important part of a rabbit’s day. It makes it a holiday.
Choose wisely
We all like to give our rabbit treats. They LOVE food! Beg, nag, follow, gulp, dive and binky for food. Treats are especially nice because they are usually different tasting than hay and pellets. The best treats are those that are hay-based and no added sugar. Yogurt drops, human food, seeds…all the things they seem to love are not good for your bunny. They will get equally excited about a baked hay treat, a willow leaf, some cilantro or a piece of oat hay.
Santa leaves Lena her favorite digestive hay treats. She gets half every night because they are so big and she is so little (2.5 pounds). She reaches up on her hind legs to her tallest stretch to get as close as she can before it is delivered directly to her little chops.
Bri gets her apple and banana flavored baked hay treats. A crunchy heart-shaped nugget that she will jump on top of her wooden house for at any time of day or night. Even with arthritis. It is a major motivator.
The kids, Gigi and Rocky, dive in for hay loops, half each. Crunch, crunch, crunch. It is good for their teeth and if one of them is slow to inhale it, the other will try and steal it from them by grabbing it right out of their mouth!
Like anything else, everything in moderation. Santa brings the bags of treats but Mom and Dad only divvy out one a day and are sure to reduce sugar and high carbohydrate snacks. We break them up in smaller pieces and sometimes that makes the buns feel like they are getting more treats than just one! Bunny psychology is very helpful.
Hoppy Holidays to all the bunny lovers reading Bunny Talk. We love our buns and know you do too. May Santa bring a cardboard box, a blanket, a treat or a new toy for your favorite house rabbit.
