Do house rabbits like blankets?

Oh, yeah. Yep, they really do.

Don’t you just love the image of a cute fluffy bunny snuggled up in a toasty blankey?

Yeah, no, they don’t do that.

Now, this isn’t the case for all rabbits, but approx 75% of my rabbits have gone INSANE when presented with a blanket on the floor. Insane in a good way. They race around, dig in it, scrabble, rip it up. Sometimes they even pee on it for good measure.

If I’ve tried to wrap them up for a photoshoot (probably in the autumn, next to hot chocolate and stick of cinnamon) they wriggle about and run off, thumping the whole way.

Are blankets good toys for rabbits?

Yes, if you’re there to supervise.

A blanket can occupy Holly for HOURS. She actually prefers a towel (she’s cheap to keep).

But every now and again she get wrapped up in it, or get a claw caught, or something equally pathetic and has to be given a helping hand.

I wouldn’t leave her with a blanket. I don’t know if it’s just me being the risk-averse person that I am, but I’m terrified she ends up accidentally getting herself trapped.

Should I stop my rabbit scrabbling/digging in blankets?

You can try, but if you don’t want your stuff to be ruined, don’t give it to your rabbit.

When you see a blanket, you see a lovely cosy item that will keep your toes toasty.

A rabbit does not.

A rabbit sees an enemy that must be brought to their knees. Since rabbits are naturally aggressive animals, they will fight this enemy until they’re defeated. And then they’ll want another one.

Buy some old towels/blankets from a charity shop. This is not the place for that quilt your grandma made for you.

Should I stop my rabbit ripping up/chewing on blankets?

This is less about the fate of the blankets (let’s face it, their days are numbered) but more about the impact on your rabbit. If you notice your rabbit eating the blanket, you’ll need to first tell them off (I like a stern ‘ah ah’). If they continue, take it off them.

You might have to watch your rabbit for a while to see if they’re actually eating the blanket, rather than just chewing it.

I always thought rabbits ate cardboard (which many do) so I didn’t give it to them – a bit isn’t harmful, but you don’t want them ingesting a lot – but Holly doesn’t.

She just rips stuff up with her teeth into teeny pieces and makes a massive mess. Luckily, the pieces are so tiny I can vacuum them up.

Should my rabbit be sleeping on a blanket?

If you’ve had a rabbit for a while you’ll know that it seems to be their mission in life to be an uncomfortable as possible. They like to lie on cold, hard, flat surfaces.

So don’t feel that your rabbit has to sleep on a comfy bed or blanket. They don’t. Many lie to sleep in their litter box, amongst their own pee. Rabbits are gross, kids.

If your rabbit, does like a blanket, nice. But most don’t. I assume it’s simply too hot for them.

And even the most well-trained bunny can’t resist peeing on a soft bed.

Why does my rabbit pee on my blanket?

I don’t know, I really don’t. I wish I did.

Even my most well-trained rabbit who never so much as did one tiny poop outside of her litter box couldn’t help but pee on a soft bed.

So don’t waste your bunny on a cute bed for them (unless it’s that wooden doll bed from Ikea – that thing is CUTE).

It seems like giving a rabbit a cosy bed is the same a putting a sleeping humans hand in warm water – they’ll pee, even if they don’t want to.

Why does my rabbit pee on my bed?

I don’t let my rabbit on my bed so I didn’t know about this until I saw several posts on Facebook about it.

Before you shout at me, I have a very valid reason for not letting my rabbits on my bed, apart from the fact my bed is upstairs and my rabbits aren’t stairs-savvy.

My issue is that they like to go under the bed and come out COVERED in dust. They look like little grey ghosts. No, I will NOT dust under my bed. Maybe when I’m retired.

Anyway.

Your rabbit may be peeing on your bed because it’s comfy, but it’s more likely a dominance thing. Your bed smells a lot like you, and that just doesn’t sit well with your rabbit.

Down on rabbit-level, it will smell more like your rabbit than you, unless you spend a lot of your time rolling around on the floor (no judgement – at least your rabbit won’t pee on your bed).

Therefore, your bed sticks out like a sore thumb to your rabbit. They assume that the best course of action is to reassert the proper way of the world and have a quick pee on your pillow. Peace restored.

Don’t be mad at your rabbit – they think you’re both on the same page.

So, how do you stop this?

Er, you can’t really, bar, you know, rolling around on the floor in your free time.

Don’t let your rabbit on the bed if they’re gonna pee on it.

You could try kicking your rabbit off the bed (not literally) when they’ve peed, but only those that really thought they were helping will be deterred by this. You’ll have to assert your dominance by making the bed a pee-free zone.

Should I get my rabbit a soft bed?

No.

They don’t need them. Rabbits are covered in fur and overheat easily – a soft bed won’t help this at all.

Also, rabbits don’t seem to perceive physical comfort like we do. Have you seen the force with which they flump? It sounds painful when Holly throws herself up in the air and then lands on her side with a thump, but she looks like she’s just spent the weekend at the spa.

Final thoughts on giving rabbits blankets

Rabbits love blankets, but for rabbit reasons, not human reasons.

They will disrespect your blankets by digging and peeing in them.

Don’t buy them blankets. Buy yourself some gorgeous, plush, high quality towels and give your rabbits your old, cardboardy ones.

If they do flump in a blanket and look super cute they will have moved by the time you’ve got your phone on position to take a picture.

I’m not being a killjoy – this is something only experience will teach you.

I’ll save you some heartache – just enjoy the cuteness. Don’t try to capture it. You’ll end up with a blurry picture of your rabbit’s back legs as they run back to their box.

If you do have a bunny that likes to be cute, start an Insta for them and make your millions, knowing that rabbit caregivers the world over are very, very jealous of you.