Make sandpit more attractive?
Hi,
My two children made a sandbox yesterday. I filled it with these two fillings, layer by layer.
https://www.dehner.de/produkte/vitakraft-ueberstreu-kraeuterland-einstreu-10-l-X001415777/
https://www.dehner.de/produkte/bunny-nature-interactive-buddelspass-sandmix-8-l-X003150513/
Unfortunately, they're not interested in it. The other four rabbits in the garden (all female, and yes, I know you shouldn't keep groups like that) dig very regularly, so I thought I'd make them happy by doing this…
Now I have 3 questions about this:
1. How can I make the sandpit more attractive?
2. Do uncast males not like to dig?
3. Is this because I keep a spayed female and an unneutered male? Do these animals not like to dig?
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Now to your question: you can make the digging box more interesting by moving it to a different location or changing its appearance and contents. You could reward them when they go into the digging box; you could hide small pieces of hazel twigs in the digging box to simulate roots. But some rabbits just don't like digging that much 🙂
One of my neutered males loves it, the other one doesn't like it at all
You could also try using soil instead of sand. Mine only use sand as a toilet.
Soil must then be unfertilized, right?
Yes exactly 👍
The sandbox might simply be too small or not deep enough for them to dig in. Or the location might not suit them.
You just have to try it out.
I once had this sandbox with the sandpit. It was only interesting as long as both of them could still lie stretched out in it. Then they just used the box as a toilet. It smelled terrible.
Mine prefer to dig in a very large cage with bedding at least 30 to 40 cm deep. They also love to empty the cage's houses or dig behind the corner litter box.
If I want to make it more interesting, I spread a few handfuls of straw on top and sprinkle some dried herbs or flowers over it.
I don't know if neutered or unneutered makes a difference. It's simply a matter of personality. Some enjoy it immensely, while others aren't as interested.
Thanks for your reply. They also dig in the hay I put under their little house, but rarely. The digging box is now also being used as a toilet, but I feel like I've become immune to such smells…