Rabbits are curious animals and need toys to challenge and entertain themselves. Apart from buying toys for your bunny, you can also make your own easily and for free at home. You need to make sure that the toys you are giving can meet their expressive needs, such as digging or chewing. However, with a little creativity, you can provide him with whatever he needs.
Step
Method 1 of 3: Making Toys for Digging or Nesting
Step 1. Make a box for nesting
Basically, rabbits will build nests, and when kept in a cage, rabbits still need to exercise their instinct to dig. You can easily and quickly create custom cribs to make your rabbit feel like he's digging and nesting in his natural habitat.
- Look for a large box. If you have no other choice, you can use a thick cardboard box. However, an unused plastic basket, wicker basket, or litter box can also be a good (and more durable) option.
- Fill the box with dry grass. If you don't have hay on hand (or don't want any hay scattered around your house), you can use shredded newspaper or magazines.
- If you don't mind the rabbit getting a little dirty, you can use a flower pot or litter box filled with clean soil. However, be careful placing this box as the soil your rabbit dug into can spread around the cage and litter the room.
- Try providing a litter box with clean sand (usually child-safe sand) for your rabbit. However, as with litter boxes filled with dirt, using nest boxes like these can get dirty or messy if you let your rabbit play in a carpeted room.
- If your rabbit is used to digging or scratching the carpet in the house in certain areas, try covering the area with a nesting box until your rabbit gets used to using the box to satisfy his urge or desire to dig.
Step 2. Make a tunnel
In the wild, rabbits tend to dig underground tunnels. If you make an artificial tunnel for your rabbit, there's a good chance he'll like it right away.
- Purchase a thick cardboard tube that is usually used for molding concrete. You can buy them from building supply stores, and they're inexpensive. Otherwise, you can use a long cardboard box with a small opening.
- Insert the torn and crumpled newsprint into one end of the tube (or box). Your rabbit will hide in a tube or pick and dig through the newspaper, as if he were digging a tunnel in the wild.
Step 3. Provide a special surface that the rabbit can scratch or scrape
If your rabbit tends to scratch a lot, try placing an artificial grass rug on the floor. This is so your rabbit can scratch and 'dig' the grass carpet without damaging the carpet or the floor of your house.
- Place a blanket made of polar wool on the floor so your rabbit can dig and nest. Your rabbit will love being able to scratch the soft surface of the blanket. Plus, the fibers in polar wool are short enough that they won't cause digestive problems if your rabbit ever swallows the fleece.
- You can also put out old magazines for the bunny to scratch or scrape the pages. Make sure your rabbit doesn't eat the magazine pages, and remove staples that could injure your rabbit.
Method 2 of 3: Making a Chewable Toy
Step 1. Give your rabbit pine cones
Uncoated woody materials such as spruce seeds can be fun chew toys for rabbits. Rabbits need to nibble and chew on woody items to keep their teeth eroded. In the wild, spruce seeds are the easiest source of wood for rabbits to obtain. You can find them in the wild yourself, or you can buy them at almost any pet store for cheap. It's a good idea to preheat fir tree seeds obtained from the wild to kill insects that may be nesting in the seeds.
Step 2. Prepare tree branches for your rabbit
Rabbits love fresh, uncoated wood. Branches, especially apple tree branches, are a favorite toy for almost every rabbit. If you have an apple tree, try cutting a branch off to give to your rabbit and let him nibble and chew until satisfied.
Step 3. Give your rabbit an unused toy
If you or someone you know has grown-up children who no longer play with their childhood toys, some of these toys may be suitable (and safe) for rabbits. A hard plastic ring (commonly used for baby biting practice) makes a great, durable chew toy for your rabbit, and keeps them entertained.
Make sure the toys don't have small parts (eg buttons shaped like eyes or noses) that can be swallowed and cause blockage in the rabbit's intestines
Method 3 of 3: Making Toys to Rip
Step 1. Give your rabbit an unused hand towel
Some rabbits enjoy tearing cloth, while others simply enjoy collecting and 'sorting' cloth. Unused hand towels or washcloths can be toys that your rabbit can collect or tear at will. However, make sure your rabbit doesn't eat it as doing so could risk making him sick or causing him to choke/choke.
Step 2. Let your bunny tear up the unused pages of the phone book
Once you've removed the front and back covers of the phonebook, the rabbit can tear, collect, and 'sort' the scraps of the phonebook. However, you should watch him closely to make sure he doesn't eat the glue stuck along the spine of the book.
Step 3. Make toys from cardboard tubes
Paper towel tubes or toilet paper can be fun toys for your rabbit to tear. The surface is soft enough to make it easier for your rabbit to tear it, but thick enough so it won't break or crumble easily. For better results, fill the cardboard tube with hay or scraps of paper, and hide the treats inside. Your bunny will tear it apart, and finally find the prize inside!
Tips
Use towels and soft blankets for the base of the plaid
Warning
- Don't let your rabbit nibble or chew on any wires!
- Do not give toys with sharp corners or edges.
- Be careful what food you put in your toys - look online for information or ask an expert about rabbit-safe foods.
- Be careful not to let your rabbit eat the paper, especially paper that has printed writing or graphics on it.
- Don't give your rabbit a toy that is dangerous if bitten or chewed by your rabbit.
