Most rabbits are not naturally lazy animals. Instead, they are very social and active.
In the wild, rabbits get lots of exercise by foraging for their food, digging their burrows, exploring their world, running and hopping and jumping around and away from predators, and gnawing on small branches.
Domesticated rabbits aren’t any different to their counterparts in the wild. However, if you’ve noticed that your pet rabbit is lazy, there is usually something wrong or your rabbit got used to the predictable environment of your house. In most cases, a trip to your rabbit’s vet isn’t needed.
The good news is that you can exercise your inactive rabbits. Firstly, notice what could be wrong with your rabbit and determine whether or not you have a lazy rabbit breed; then, follow these tips to help your rabbit become more active again.
After all, a rabbit that exercises and plays for a minimum of three to four hours a day is a healthy rabbit.
How You Can Exercise Lazy Rabbits!
There are a variety of ways you can get your lazy rabbit moving again. First things first is ensuring your rabbit has enough space to play and exercise.
On average, a rabbit’s run needs to be at least 24 square feet; however, this depends on whether you have a small, medium, or large rabbit breed. If you have two or more rabbits, then the exercise space should be even bigger.
Aside from the exercise pen, you can also allow your rabbit to roam freely in a few rooms in your house but ensure these spaces are rabbit-proofed – you surely don’t want Mr Bunny chewing on electrical cables or trying to dig a hole through your expensive carpet.
You’d also want to ensure your rabbit has enough time to exercise. Rabbits are crepuscular animals, meaning they are most active at dusk and dawn, so remember to schedule exercise time around this time of the day.
To get your rabbit to exercise, you can buy rabbit-friendly toys for your rabbit to play with or take your rabbit on daily walks around the garden, a quiet park, or a calm neighborhood.
Another way to get your rabbit active is to invest in a cat tower or to build a rabbit castle as rabbits like to jump from a higher space to a lower space and move through obstacle courses.
Training your rabbit and rewarding it with healthy treats (even to coax it to exercise) is another great way to get your lazy rabbit to be active.
Why Is My Rabbit Not Very Active?
A rabbit may be lazy or inactive for various reasons. A rabbit may seem to be lazy during the daylight hours, but this is merely because rabbits are most active at dusk and dawn. So it’s quite commonplace for a rabbit to be “lazy” during daytime hours.
Another reason your rabbit may be inactive is because it has grown older; the older your rabbit, the less energy it has so it makes sense that your rabbit will be chilling more.
Your rabbit may also suffer from joint-related health issues, like arthritis, or have a debilitating condition, which means that it won’t be able to be active or as active as it used to be.
If your rabbit is physically and mentally under-stimulated or bored, they may become destructive, aggressive, or depressed.
A rabbit may also become depressed if they are lonely, especially if you can’t keep it company often during the day, it hasn’t been bonded with another rabbit, or there aren’t other friendly animals like chickens around.
A depressed rabbit won’t have the happy energy you associate with rabbits, so it will sit or lay the whole day.
A rabbit that is sick or injured will also not feel like moving around. A sick or injured rabbit will likely withdraw from all kinds of interaction.
If your rabbit is sick or injured, it may have fought with another bunny or be suffering from gastrointestinal stasis, sore hocks due to unsuitable flooring, flystrike, overgrown claws or teeth that cause numerous other health issues, and anorexia.
A last reason your rabbit is lazy is because it is overweight; any rabbit that is obese will have trouble moving around and will not have a lot of energy to be hopping and binky-ing around.
What Breed Of Rabbit Is The Laziest?
There isn’t just one breed of rabbit that is considered the laziest; however, some of the rabbit breeds that are more inactive are the Himalayan rabbit, the Flemish Giant rabbit, the English Spot rabbit, and the Polish rabbit.
Generally, the bigger the rabbit, the more inactive it may be, so the Flemish Giant fits the bill here. A Flemish Giant rabbit is seen as a lazy and gentle giant that doesn’t have high exercise needs. They prefer to laze around and sleep, and they are pretty happy living an utterly chilled life.
Next is the Himalayan rabbit that has a very laid-back temperament and likes to be cuddled and petted. The medium-sized English Spot rabbit is docile and not big on getting exercise. The Polish rabbit, which is a small rabbit breed, doesn’t need a lot of exercise and they are quite lazy too.
Conclusion
If you realize your rabbit is no longer as active as before, then you need to determine whether they are overweight, just “lazy” during the daytime hours, sick or injured, lonely, bored, or depressed, or merely growing older. This will help determine whether you need to take your rabbit to the vet for a checkup or whether you need to start spending more time with your inactive rabbit. Get your rabbit moving by creating an obstacle course, ensuring it has enough space to play and hop about, giving it rabbit-friendly toys, going on walks, and training your rabbit to do tricks.
