How to Get a Rabbit Back in Its Cage | Pet Rabbits

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So, what's the best way to get a bunny back into his cage. If have your bunny out and about exercising in your family room, your play room, your kitchen, how do you get the rabbit back into his cage. This is an important question more so than you might think. Because rabbits are prey animals which means that they are everybody else's lunch in nature. And when you chase a rabbit you're becoming a predator. So you're gonna destroy your long-term relationship with your bunny by chasing him around to get him back in his cage. And a lot of people are very surprised the short time after they acquire their rabbits to discover that every time they approach the rabbit runs away.

And the rabbit runs away because you're a predator, you're chasing him. So if you can find a way to get him back into his cage from exercising that is not chasing. That will serve both you and the bunny really well and what I like to do is I use bribery pure and simple. This is a jar of papaya tablets there are many different brands. I order mine online and I look for a nice clean brand that doesn't have a lot of additives. And a jar of papaya tablets used very sparingly each day you just open the jar you take out you rattle it like this take out a papaya tablet and offer it to your bunny.

Your bunny will come running after a while when he hears that sound. Bean has already had several papaya tables today. He's a little full right now. But this is typically a good way to get a bunny back into a cage you rattle your papaya tablets or your rabbit tablets or whatever food your rabbit loves. Bring them over to the cage, put a couple in the cage and wait for your bunny to come. When I lived in New York City for many years with a pair of rabbits my rabbits got so used to my habit of rattling their pellets and then serving them right after that if I didn't appear at the right time they would jump into the cage spontaneously on their own. And then lean their little heads out as if they say we're here, where are you? In other words, I no longer had to rattle them after a while because the rabbits were so used to the schedule they knew ahead of time when the rattling was supposed to happen and they would remind me. It was very funny. But this is a good way to get a rabbit back into a cage.

Any treat will work and if you feed pellets sparingly just hearing the pellet scoop will get the rabbit back into the cage. So these are the easy ways. Don't chase right. No bunny chasing. Good boy.

[cherylk]

My rabbit has a “chasing session, ” with me every time she needs to go back to her cage. She’s too smart to get bribe with food. She doesn’t listen to me but I know she understands me. I let her out for more than 8 hrs a day. Sometimes even outside the house if it’s a nice day.

[rubywalls]

My bunny (Sirius black is his name ) ran up behind me and was like "OH SO THIS IS YOUR PLAN FOR ME"

[kaeleemccoy]

My rabbit doesn't follow food anymore because he knows what I'm trying to do😂I'll try to lure him in and then when I finally give up he'll walk in by himself as to say "I don't listen to you, I make my own rules!"

[FlowingStarlight]

My bun is in a routine, now, and he knows all the cues. He'll see me go over to his cage and rustle hay to replace it, I offer him some water before I go to change it, come back with new water, put a treat in his cage, open the door and say "bedtime, go to bed" and he knows to go right in. Sometimes he's a little stubborn and wants more play time, but I'll just head him off. Not chase him, but kinda body block him until there's nowhere to go but the cage. Then he does some tricks, gets the rest of his treats and he's in for the night. He, too, will start getting antsy around the time he knows he needs to go to bed, even if I'm a little late. I think having a routine is a good way to have your bun routinely returning to their cage when you want them to. It's basically just conditioning.

[rogerwilco]

My rabbits would just go back in their pen when I told them. I'd basically tell them play time was over and they would usually comply within a minute.
It would take longer for them to comply if they had been out less time. If they had been out several hours they would react very well, especially the white one we had.

[ruthmarvar]

my rabbits loves thr cage they hop after thr play time... love my Snowey n Snippy

[lalak]

That's a great idea! And we've been chasing our Dutch Bunny around to get her back in lol.. I'm going to try the treat tablets now. :) Thank you.

[Nicole]

When we first got our bun it would take hours to get her back in her hutch. I started sitting by her open cage with lettuce and she eventually learned that if she goes in her cage she gets her lettuce.

[dr.rebuttal]

No video on rabbits ever ends without saying
Rabbits are prey animals.

WE KNOW FELICIA

[ilselangnar]

Typically I can just pick mine up and he is okay with it. Other times I give him a vitamin hay tablet and he never, ever learns what I'm doing. He just wants food.

[mathildewesendonck]

My rabbits love their cage... but they run free in the house and the door of the cage is always open.I keep the food and litter box inside the cage, so they will just hop in and out to do their business, and if necessary I can close the door of the cage while they are eating. Very simple.

[Sirona]

My bun can’t get enough raisins. I shake the raisin box and he teleports out of whatever hiding spot he’s been in to my feet.

[druidboy]

I don’t even have a rabbit and have no intention of getting any. I just think they’re cute and watch these videos because of it. Lol

[angaawesome]

Me and my mother are doing some spring cleaning so we are gonna take Bentley and Basil blue out it's cage for the first time so this really helped thx

[psychomm]

Seriously, Bean, is the cutest name EVER Ugh I want him, so fricken cute

[Rosierainbow]

I just put my two in if I’m going out or at night, but they are so clever, they know what I’m doing! It’s not working as well as it used to, as they know they can go in one at a time, but not together or I will shut the door 😂 or they will grab the food and then run off with it under the sofa... so much rabbit wrangling in my house

[bubba]

i use that stuff and i had a few bunnies in the cage....thanks now it's time for rabbit's rice and gravy..they taste so good. better then chicken

[purplehue]

This worked for my rabbit but she realized everytime i rattle her treats she's going to be caged. Now she wait for me to go away before going in her cage, if i move an inch closer to close the cage she jumps out.

[SiviRabbitLady]

I have a two floor cage and my male lives at the top floor so he have some "stairs" to get up. Everytime he started climping up the stairs I said up or I had given him pellets in his bowl then I point and say up. It works 8/10 times. Asking him if his claws needs a trim works 100% of the time.
But my female that lives on the bottom part, she jumps into her cage every time I am close to her door. its hell cleaning out her cage cause she thinks she will get food and jumps in the cage. so I need tip how to keep her out from the cage while I clean XD

[lynxvsjackalope]

These days, we actually just have our rabbit trained enough to stay in one area and his door to his cage remains open at all times. Often we'll find him napping inside or under the couch. I find this easier than having to herd him into his cage and back! But it may not work for every bun or in every household. I guess we lucked out with a very good, hardy bun.