By Dr Duncan Houston
You want to play with your rabbit, guinea pig or chinchilla, but your pet keeps running away. That does not mean you cannot build a bond. It may mean the game feels too much like being chased.
The most useful interactive games let a small pet choose to approach, explore and leave. Here is how to turn ordinary feeding and floor time into enjoyable activities, and recognise when a reluctant player needs a quieter setup or a vet check.
Quick Answer
Good games for rabbits, guinea pigs and chinchillas include easy food searches, exploring roomy tunnels and learning to approach you for a small reward. Keep activities voluntary, use suitable food from the normal daily allowance and stop when your pet withdraws or becomes tense. Avoid chasing, forced balancing and startling games. A sudden loss of interest accompanied by reduced eating, fewer droppings or difficulty moving needs veterinary attention.
What makes a game enjoyable for a small pet?
Enrichment gives an animal opportunities to perform behaviours that matter to that species. For a rabbit, investigating a hay-filled box can be more rewarding than being carried around. For a guinea pig, moving between shelters may feel more comfortable than crossing an exposed room.
The RSPCA's rabbit enrichment guidance supports opportunities to forage, explore and interact with their surroundings. The practical goal is participation, not a difficult performance.
Ask one question throughout the game: can my pet freely choose to leave? Keep familiar shelter accessible. Do not block the exit, remove a hiding place to force interaction or withhold normal food to make a reward more tempting.
Choose the game for the species
| Species | A useful starting point | Important adjustment |
|---|---|---|
| Rabbit | Search for a few normal pellets among loose feeding hay, or investigate a cardboard tunnel. | Allow hopping and turning on a secure, nonslip surface. Keep all four feet on the floor for beginner training. |
| Guinea pig | Follow a short food trail between familiar shelters. | Use a flat route with overhead cover and roomy openings. Do not turn it into a jumping or balancing course. |
| Chinchilla | Explore a secure play area or approach a familiar person for a normal pellet. | Choose an awake period, usually evening, in a cool environment. Avoid plastic items and protect against falls or escape. |
PDSA's guinea pig advice emphasises ground-level interaction, soft flooring and access to cover. The RSPCA's chinchilla behaviour guidance recommends undisturbed daytime sleep, regular exercise and limited handling that respects the animal's response.
Four interactive games to try
1. Find the food
Place a small part of your pet's usual pellet allowance in an open, shallow tray with a little fresh feeding hay. Let your pet see where you put it at first. Once they confidently search, spread the pieces slightly farther apart.
The reward should remain easy to reach. If your pet cannot find it, show them rather than making them work harder. Keep their usual hay and water available elsewhere throughout the activity.
Use familiar foods appropriate to that species. A guinea pig's normal vegetable portion can provide a few search pieces, but do not automatically offer the same foods to a chinchilla. PDSA's chinchilla feeding guidance recommends a predominantly hay-based diet with limited treats. Using their usual pellets avoids introducing a new sugary reward.
2. Explore a tunnel together
Place one stable, roomy tunnel on the floor. Sit beside it and let your pet investigate. A small familiar food reward near the entrance can encourage interest, but never push the animal through or lift the tunnel while they are inside.
A plain cardboard box with two generous openings is a practical option for rabbits and guinea pigs. Remove tape, staples, handles and loose packaging first. The animal must fit comfortably without squeezing; check the openings again as youngsters grow. Remove wet, damaged or heavily eaten cardboard.
Two exits are especially useful for compatible animals playing together because one cannot trap the other inside. PDSA recommends two openings in guinea pig boxes and tunnels to reduce the risk of being cornered. Do not use a shared game to introduce unfamiliar animals.
3. Come over when called
Begin with your pet already nearby and relaxed. Say a short cue once, then offer a small reward as they approach. Repeat a few easy successes before increasing the distance slightly on a later occasion.
This is a practical application of reward-based learning, not a test your pet must pass. Stay still and allow a voluntary approach. If they turn away, stop or make the next attempt easier. The RSPCA recommends positive training for rabbits, with food rewards taken from their daily allowance.
A chinchilla may prefer approaching your stationary hand to being stroked. Do not grab your pet after every successful approach, or coming to you may start predicting an unwanted experience. Recall practice also does not replace secure doors and barriers.
4. Choose a route
Set out two familiar shelters with a clear, flat route between them. Sit alongside the route and let your pet move between hiding, exploring and approaching you. Reward a voluntary visit, then let them leave again.
For guinea pigs, keep cover close enough that they do not have to cross a large exposed space. For rabbits, leave room to turn and stretch out. Chinchillas need an escape-proof area with no access behind appliances or into furniture; their agility makes an ordinary low playpen unreliable.
Keep this beginner game at floor level. Chinchillas also need appropriate climbing opportunities in their wider environment, but these should be stable and designed to limit falls. See the RSPCA's chinchilla housing and exercise guidance for enclosure planning.
Is my pet enjoying the game?
| What you notice | What it suggests | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Voluntary approaches, exploration and normal movement, with pauses to eat or rest | The activity appears manageable. | Continue briefly while leaving an easy exit. |
| Freezing, tense crouching, repeated retreat or frantic escape attempts | The animal may feel threatened or overwhelmed. | Stop now, step back and provide quiet access to shelter. |
| Repeated refusal of familiar activities, stiffness or a clear change from normal behaviour | Discomfort, stress or illness needs consideration. | Check eating, droppings and movement; contact your vet promptly about a persistent or sudden change. |
| Not eating, marked weakness, severe pain or breathing difficulty | This is a health concern, not a training problem. | Stop play and seek urgent veterinary advice; breathing difficulty or collapse requires emergency care. |
A still animal is not necessarily a relaxed animal. Look at posture, escape behaviour and the whole situation. The RSPCA's rabbit body-language guide describes tense crouching, hiding and thumping among signs that need context rather than automatic interpretation as play.
Why might a small pet stop wanting to play?
Start with the setup: an unfamiliar room, slippery floor, loud children, another animal nearby or an activity offered during sleep can explain reluctance. A puzzle may also simply be too difficult. Return to a familiar, easier activity and observe without pressure.
A change in an established pattern matters more than whether a pet performs a particular trick. A previously active animal that now moves reluctantly may have painful feet, joint discomfort or another illness. Drooling, reduced eating or difficulty chewing raises concern about dental disease. Fear and pain can look similar, so buying more toys is not an adequate response to a health change.
PDSA's guinea pig health guidance highlights changes in appetite, energy, breathing and movement. The RSPCA advises immediate veterinary consultation for suspected illness or pain in chinchillas, which may show only subtle changes.
When should play stop for urgent veterinary care?
Contact a vet immediately if your rabbit stops eating or is eating less than usual. Do not wait overnight or try to exercise the problem away. PDSA explains why reduced appetite in rabbits needs prompt assessment.
A guinea pig or chinchilla that stops eating, produces markedly fewer droppings, becomes unusually quiet or appears painful also needs an urgent call. Breathing difficulty, collapse or a serious injury warrants emergency veterinary care. Minimise handling, keep the animal secure and follow the clinic's transport advice.
Do not give human medication or start force-feeding without veterinary direction. Your vet needs to establish why the animal is unwell before choosing treatment.
A practical plan for your next play session
- Check your pet first. Confirm normal appetite, droppings and comfortable movement. Choose a time when they are naturally awake.
- Prepare one simple activity. Clear cables, toxic plants and small loose objects; close escape routes and keep other species away.
- Set aside the reward. Use a small part of the normal food allowance, leaving essential hay and water freely available.
- Invite participation. Sit quietly at floor level and let your pet approach. Finish after a few easy successes or sooner if they lose interest.
- Record the response. Note the game, whether your pet approached willingly and any unusual signs. Next time, change only one detail so you can tell what helped.
There is no single required session length for all three species. A brief willing interaction is useful; continuing until an animal is tired or trapped is not. Older animals, pets with mobility problems and those recovering from surgery need activities adapted with their vet.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Playing chase or tag. Running away can be an escape response. Let your pet follow voluntarily instead.
- Luring an animal into forced balancing. Raising food higher and higher adds unnecessary difficulty and fall risk. Reward a comfortable position.
- Using surprise as entertainment. Sudden movements and peek-a-boo reveals may startle a prey animal.
- Adding treats throughout the day. Training rewards count towards the diet; exercise does not cancel out excessive food.
- Ignoring refusal. Do not punish, corner or repeatedly handle an animal that wants to stop.
Build play into good everyday care
Interactive games complement a spacious, secure home, suitable food, routine health checks and opportunities to explore independently. Keep familiar resting places while rotating a small part of the enrichment. A predictable routine makes new experiences easier to approach.
Human attention does not replace compatible companionship of the same species. Rabbits, guinea pigs and chinchillas have different social and housing needs; arrange introductions appropriately rather than putting different species together for play.
Frequently asked questions
Can I play chase with my rabbit?
Avoid chasing your rabbit. Sit or move slowly away and allow them to follow if they choose, without reversing roles and pursuing them.
What games do guinea pigs like?
Start with simple food searches and routes between roomy tunnels or shelters. Give them cover and a choice to leave, and judge success by relaxed voluntary participation.
Can chinchillas learn to come when called?
You can practise rewarding a voluntary approach to a consistent cue. Keep the area secure even when your chinchilla responds well, and never rely on recall to prevent escape.
Should I wake my pet for playtime?
No. Offer interaction when your pet is naturally awake. This is particularly important for chinchillas, which need undisturbed daytime rest.
Why does my pet ignore a new game?
They may be cautious, uninterested or unsure how it works. Make it easier and allow choice. A sudden loss of interest in familiar activities, especially with appetite or movement changes, needs a vet check.
Let your pet set the pace
The best game is one your pet chooses to join again. Start simply, protect their ability to retreat and notice changes in health or comfort. Trust grows through predictable, rewarding interactions.
ASK A VET™ offers practical animal-care information to help you make thoughtful everyday decisions. If play reveals signs of illness or injury, contact your own veterinary clinic promptly.
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