RSPCA Happy Bunnies Request

 
Could your happy bunnies be the star of our new video?
Earlier this year, we asked our online rabbit community to send in clips of their happy bunnies. We compiled all the best useable clips into a one-minute Happy Bunnies video www.rspca.org.uk/happybunnies It’s had over 21,000 views on YouTube so far – hooray!
 
As everyone loved it so much, we thought we’d make another one, just in time for Christmas! This time we’d like to see video clips of happy bunnies playing and interacting with toys, their rabbit companions or with people. We want to show that providing rabbits with plenty of things to do is good for their physical and emotional wellbeing and can be great fun for owners too.  
 
How to get involved:
 
1) Take some video of your rabbit(s) playing and having fun. We’re looking for rabbits playing naturally in their usual environment. Please ensure your rabbit(s) is enjoying the experience and do not make him/her perform for the video.
2) Please keep your clip to no longer than 1 minute long. We are unable to use clips that are too dark or shaky, so be aware of this when taking your video – particularly of rabbits indoors.
3) Sorry, but we also won’t use clips of rabbits that are dressed up in any way – no santa hats please!  
4) Upload your clip to http://dropbox.yousendit.com/RSPCA by Friday 18th November 2011.
 
We’ll pick the best most useable clips to feature within our new happy bunnies video. We’ll email you when the video is about to be launched.
 
Boredom busters…
A bored bunny is an unhappy bunny. Allsorts of everyday objects could help enrich their living space and give them the opportunity to explore, play, forage, chew, dig or jump. It’s also best to regularly rotate the toys and objects that you give to your bunnies, so they don’t get bored.
 
Good toys can include paper bags with the handles removed, cardboard boxes, toilet roll tubes, tunnels, untreated straw/wicker mats, baskets and balls, platforms to jump on and hide under, flower pots and objects to throw; digging boxes (such as a box filled with shredded paper or a sandpit filled with earth). They may also enjoy searching for food hidden around their home, or placed in food balls, boxes or wrapped up in brown paper as a parcel for them to unwrap!
 
Make sure any new objects do not make them stressed or frightened. Find out more about meeting your rabbits’ behavioural needs. (www.rspca.org.uk/allaboutanimals/pets/rabbits/behaviour).
 
Tell us about your bunnies favourite home-made toys
Fear not, you don’t need to spend a fortune to keep your bunnies entertained. Bunnies often love the simple (and cheap!) things in life, like a cardboard tube stuffed with hay. Email us and tell us how to make your bunnies’ favourite play thing at rabbits@rspca.org.uk – feel free to include a photo! We’ll circulate some of the best ideas in our Christmas email.
 
Thanks for getting involved again – we can’t wait to see your happy bunnies!
 
RSPCA campaigns team