Toys your bun can play with based on my personal experience
Ever wondered how intelligent your furry friends with long ears are? Well, they are actually more intelligent than you think. Rabbits have about the same IQ as the average cat or dog, and given their IQ, they need constant mental and physical stimulation with toys and plenty of exercise. It is important to change toys every once in a while so that they do not get bored. Just like us humans, rabbits will get bored very easily if they were made to eat the same foods, do the same things or play with the same exact toys everyday without a change in routine.
Here are a few of the toys that we have that may actually be useful for your little furry one. 😉
1. Ball of Apple Twigs from RHQ
We got this toy for her about one month ago from RHQ Rabbit Headquarters. The ball is made of apple twigs that is safe to consume for rabbits. Just like any other bunny, Whiskers likes to chew on stuff, so this ball would be perfect for her. Since rabbit teeth are constantly growing just like our nails, they need to chew on something to prevent their teeth from overgrowing to the point that they become too long for them to eat anything.
Any chew toy should be made safe to eat for bunnies, and this ball manages to kill two birds with one stone by being both a chew toy for her to use her teeth on and a consumable product made with delicious apple twigs that she can feast on whenever she’s hungry. This can help to keep her busy while we’re at work so we don’t have to worry about her not being occupied with something. Since it’s a consumable product, it will run out once your rabbit has ate all of it and you will have to replace it with a new one. The ball can undo itself easily so you will need to pick up the pieces when it happens.
Pros:
– Made of natural edible material
– Allows them to play and eat healthily
Cons:
– Untangles itself easily due to weak material used, forcing you to clean up the mess whenever it occurs
– Not an infinite object – will run out once your bun consumes all of it and you will have to get a new one
2. Dangling wooden toy
Bunnies like to chew on anything, especially if it’s made of wood. Chewing not only prevents their teeth from overgrowing but it is also therapeutic for the bunny’s soul, just like hitting a punching bag is therapeutic for a human’s soul. If you have a lot of wooden furniture at home that you do not wish for your bunny to chew on, then this wooden toy should serve as an alternative to wooden furniture for them.
This toy is made entirely out of wood, attached to a string that connects it to a wooden hook to hang it on the ceiling of the cage. It is perfect for little critters who just can’t help but find wood to chew on. The toy stimulates them mentally so that they will not get bored, but the string is so brittle that it will break when your bun pulls it too hard.
We got this toy for her since she always likes to run into the master bedroom where most of the furniture is made of wood and we’ve had enough of her chewing on the wooden tables, walls, and any furniture from our living room that is made of wood. We thought that this toy would keep her from chewing other stuff so we got this for her. We also got this as an alternative to a small wooden log that we got for her before since she chewed only a small portion of that log and got bored of it that she resorted back to chewing our wooden furniture.
The wooden toy was hanging in her cage for two years until one day, in a fit of rage, she pulled it down, breaking the string that held it up. She probably got bored of it for being in her cage for two years. We had to put it back together since the string broke. Right now, it is still hanging up there in her cage but as a decoration rather than as a chew toy. She hardly ever touches it again since right now there are other toys that she prefers to this and her body is too obese for her to lift up her front legs to reach it.
Pros:
– Made of wood so it is good material for chewing and relieving stress
– Keeps rabbit entertained when left in the cage for hours
Cons:
– String is too weak. Will break if rabbit pulls it too hard
– Design is too simple and rabbit will grow bored of it after a few months.
– Some rabbits may not be able to reach the toy if it’s placed too high up
3. Toilet paper roll
Do you know that toilet paper rolls are actually safe to consume for rabbits? It can also serve as a chew toy!
Toilet paper rolls are made of cardboard material that is safe to ingest for rabbits and satisfying for them to chew on. To make it even better, you should stuff some hay and other smaller snacks into the cardboard tube to add more variety to his/her diet. Make it more challenging by stuffing the hay in tightly and hide the tube with food in one place for extra difficulty 😉
Likewise, cardboard boxes are also a good toy for them and safe to consume. You can take pieces of cardboard and put them together to make a little house! 😉 You can cut square holes in the cardboard for them to jump through and play hide-and-seek. Just make sure to file the sharp edges with sandpaper so that they don’t get hurt from playing. Who knows? Maybe one day the cardboard house will become your little one’s favorite playground! 😀
Also, if you have some old phone books, don’t throw them away! It’s good to keep some old phone books and get your friends to do the same thing. Your little furry friend will really love to tear through the pages and rip the phone books into shreds, so be sure to save some old phone books for them! 😉
As you can see in the IGTV vid here, Whiskers really likes to play with the toilet paper roll. Ever since, we don’t see her chewing on our wooden furniture anymore now that the toilet paper roll has already made up for her boring wooden toy. The toilet paper rolls have proven time and time again that you don’t have to spend money to keep your little furry friend entertained. Sometimes, all it takes is a little creativity. 😉
Pros:
– Cost effective
– Can be used as a foraging toy
– Safe to consume
Cons:
– Not infinite. Must be replaced if all is eaten up by rabbit
4. Metal ball with bell
This is a round-shaped metal cage for you to stuff with hay. As they eat, the cage will shake and cause the bell to make a satisfying “ding” sound for their ears to pick up. Every time Whiskers brushes past it, she would trigger the bell sound. The bell sound is quite relaxing for a rabbit and not as loud as music from the radio.
The metal ball cage needs to be replenished with hay frequently since they consume hay in large amounts every day because hay forms a large part of a rabbit’s diet. Whenever there is no more hay left in this ball, Whiskers will get annoyed and thump her feet at us to show her disapproval. She’s like a five-year-old human kid who is addicted to sugar and gets mad when he runs out of sweets so he demands his mom for more sweets. These little critters are so adorable even when they get mad at us. XD <3
It’s best to replenish it with hay when it’s left half-full as their rate of hay consumption per day is quite high. They’ll get dissatisfied when the metal ball of hay is less than half-full and thump their feet at you like an angry rabbit. After all, it’s hay that they should consume more of and not carrots, so take that Bugs Bunny! 😀
When they’re not eating, you can ring that little bell for them to signal that it’s playtime. Sometimes, when your eyes are not on them, they may even ring the bell to communicate something to you, or to just show you that they are awake and hyper and cannot wait for playtime! XD
Pros:
– Metal chain is strong enough to hold the ball up so that it won’t break when pulled
– Perfect for hay storage. Can possibly be a foraging toy. 🙂
– Bell ringing is soft and ASMR. Most relaxing sound for a rabbit.
Cons:
– Not a suitable toy for chewing.
Conclusion
So here are the toys that we own which may be useful for your little one. What do you guys think of this list? Do you have any rabbit toys that are not listed here which can be fun and beneficial for your bunny? Share with us in the comments below! 🙂
* This blog is designed to be a community where pet owners can learn and share. The views expressed in each post are the opinion of the author and not necessarily endorsed by Pawjourr. Always consult your veterinarian for professional advice.
