Toys for Your Bunny

One of the most overlooked areas concerning rabbits is their toys. Granted, rabbits don't play with toys in the same sense that cats and dogs do (though if you could teach a rabbit to catch a Frisbee, think of the money you could make!), but that simply means you need to rethink your concept of what is a toy.

Toys fulfill two major roles in your rabbit's life: mental stimulation and physical exercise. A solitary rabbit sitting in an empty cage is one of the saddest sights in life. Without mental stimulation your rabbit can become bored and depressed. Keeping your rabbit entertained will keep them happy and interested in life, perhaps even extending that life. In addition, much like a child, if your rabbit is not entertained they may provide their own entertainment in the form household destruction. Toys also provide physical exercise for your rabbit keeping them fit and active.
Remember to experiment and be creative. Not all rabbits respond to the same stimuli. For example, Wedge, a nine pound Rex, loves to rip telephone books or sale catalogs. Whereas Rocky, a five pound Dutch, turns his nose up to all toys except a sand box filled with shredded paper to dig in, which can occupy him for hours. Primarily rabbits like toys that make noise, can be chewed, tossed/thrown or used for digging.
Some Suggestions:

·      Paper bags

·      Cardboard boxes (either to chew or climb) or small empty boxes to throw and chew

·      Toilet paper rolls or any type of cardboard rolls (either stuffed with hay or plain)

·       Paper towels

·       Pegs

·       Ping pong balls

·      Duplo Blocks

·      Telephone book or catalogs for shredding

·      Cardboard Critter castles

·      Towels to bunch and scrabble in

·      Baby keys to jingle or baby rattles

·      Untreated sea grass mats to chew

·      Pine cones to chew and throw (washed and scrubbed)

·      Cardboard concrete forms to climb in

·      Untreated wicker/willow baskets or wreaths

·      Paddle pop sticks (washed)

·      Cat toys, like wire balls, that can be rolled or tossed

·      Wooden bird toys that can be hung in cage

·       Plastic jar lids/milk bottle tops (washed of course)

·      Untreated wood items from a craft /hardware store such as pine/ply or dowel rods

·      Straw whisk brooms or untreated straw mats

·      Hanging treat holders

·      Children’s plastic slinky’s

·      Washed plastic coke bottles for nudging (frozen with water can be good to keep bun cool in summer)

·      Mini straw bales (often sold at craft stores) or full size bales. Tons of fun to climb on pull apart, then dig in if you have the space. If straw becomes damp, dispose of immediately as it forms   bacteria which can be toxic to rabbits.

·      Untreated  washed and dried (at least 3 months) twigs (only apple is safe to use fresh)

 *Note: stay away from cherry, peach, apricot, plum and redwood, which are poisonous

·      Several companies also sell great toys for rabbits. Check out:

www.busybunny.com        www.bunnyluv.com         www.bunnybytes.com