Providing suitable toys for your rabbit will increase its mental and physical welfare. Rabbits, like all animals, have natural behaviors that include chewing, digging, as well as foraging that need to be provided for. Nevertheless, many bunny owners know the frustration of buying a toy only for their pet to seem completely uninterested. In most cases, this means the toy does not fit the instinct or preference of the bunny.
Rabbit Behaviour: Chewing, Digging and Foraging
Chewing to some degree is a must to maintain their teeth, which continuously grow. Like all animals, rabbits have instinctive behaviors. Digging is another common instinctive action they do, inherited from wild ancestors who lived in long underground tunnels called burrows. Lastly, foraging—which is the act of hunting for food—is crucial as rabbits are known to spend a lot of time looking for food. Toys designed for these behaviors are sure to please.
Cost-Free and Inexpensive Toy Suggestions for Rabbits
If you are still trying to understand how to best entertain your rabbit, there’s no reason to spend a fortune as there are several free or inexpensive options available. Here’s a list of valuable low-cost, sometimes free, bunny toys.
- Packing Paper
If your rabbit loves to dig and forage, unprinted and plain packing paper works wonders. Treats can be place inside crumpled papers to keep your bunny engaged. You can also twist or fold the paper into various shapes to further pique your rabbit’s interest.
- Safe Wood Sticks
Apple and willow tree sticks make excellent chew toys. They are useful in maintaining rabbits’ dental health, helped shaped by their urge to chew. Always ensure that sticks gathered outdoors have not been treated with pesticides or any other chemicals.
- Hay-Based Toys
Toys made from timothy hay or woven grasses are rich in nutrition and beneficial for rabbits. They also promote robust chewing habits along with containing vital fiber for their diet. Additionally, these toys emulate hay-eating bunny’s habits and foster digestion.
- Natural Toys
Loofahs and pinecones can be used as interesting chew toys. Always clean and dry your pinecones thoroughly to prevent mold or pests before adding them to your bunny’s collection.
- Wicker Items
Bunny rabbits greatly enjoy untreated wicker baskets and mats due to their chewness. Do not use varnishe or chemically treated wicker items. - DIY Hanging Toys
Hanging items are easy for rabbits to pull and tug on, so they are great for DIY toys. To draw interest from your furry friend, make hanging toys and fill them with hay or treats. - Ball Toys
Rabbits greatly engage with interative ball toys. Troll balls, hay balls, and hard plastic balls are great for tossing, chasing, and chewing. - Plastic Tossing Toys
Bunny rabbits enjoy playing with stacking baby toys, hard plastic rattles, and other pointers meant for toddlers. Provided the bottle caps are washed beforehand, they are also good. - Seagrass Mats
Woven grass mats also offer splendid oppurtunities for evading while digging and gnawing. Swiftly, rabbits will tear these mats apart, an example of instinctual action. - Versatile Cardboard Boxes
Versatile cardboard boxes become changelings, moving their appearance to hiding spots. All tape, staples, and glue remnants should be nontoxic, check that they’ve been removed. - DIY Rabbit Toys
Using a toilet paper tube and other household items, you can make DIY rabbit toys in a few easy steps. Put hay, treats, or shredded paper at the bottom to encourage foraging. - Paper Towels
If crumpled paper towels are used, they can entertain rabbits, with a proper sufficient time of supervision, so that rabbits would not eat them in large quantities.
- Shredded Paper
Fill a large digging bin with shredded paper as well as treats that can be nibbled on. These activities can imitate natural foraging, and they can keep the rabbits occupied for long periods of time.
- Puzzle Toys
Puzzle feeders and treat-releasing toys meant for cats and small animals encourage rabbits to forage and problem-solve, which are important for mental stimulation and cognitive health.
- Climbing Structures
Rabbits can also enjoy the short cat towers or other sturdy platforms. These pieces of furniture helps in climbing and exercising which helps rabbits have a different view or perspective of their environment.
- Cotton and Fleece Items
Rabbits love to burrow, and under towels and fleece blankets, these can be rearranged meaning that they make for great digging and nesting toys.
- Untreated Wood Toys
Unfinished wooden blocks and logs are great for safe chewing and are important to rabbits, providing hours as entertainment while helping dental care.
- Tunnels
Tunnels can be bought or made at home. Fulfilling the minimum requirements, these tunnels tend to be satisfactory and can be crafted from cardboard or fabric. Such tunnels facilitate active play and satisfy a rabbit’s natural curiosity.
Toys to Avoid for Rabbit Safety
While generic toys offer a multitude of choices to select from, the possibilities can be dangerous when considering the materials used to create the toy. The following summarizes the items you will need to avoid.
Toys with excessive glue: Toys with clear glue marks should not be purchased because rabbits can consume them and face toxic substances.
Painted toys: Avoid toys which are painted with synthetic paint. Only use toys with safe vegetable-based dyes.
Birdseed toys: Rabbits cannot eat seeds and they can be problematic for the digestive system.
Soft plastics or rubber: These pose a risk as rabbits may ingest them which can lead to significant health issues.
Plastic bags: These should be kept out of reach from rabbits as they present a suffocation risk.
Cedar wood: These aromatic woods are known to cause cedar and pine respiratory as well as liver problems.
Chemically treated wood, wicker: These to be avoided in favor of untreated products suspected of containing harmful chemicals.
Brand Spotlight: Small Pet Select
This company is a trusted provider of rabbit supplies since 2012. Small Pet Select is known for high-quality, all-natural products. The philosophy of the company is focused on providing small pets products specifically designed to enhance their lives while ensuring safety and quality. The company offers an array of toys made from natural materials such as timothy hay and willow specifically designed for rabbits to chew and forage.
Advantages of DIY Toys
Making DIY rabbit toys is cost effective and helps in personalizing the toys to fit your rabbit’s traits and preferences. Unique experiences tailored to your pet’s needs can be provided through the enriching homemade toys that enhance the physical and mental health of your rabbit.
