Rabbits love toys. I mean, who doesn’t? Just like humans and other pets, rabbits need physical and mental stimulation, too. When rabbits get bored, they tend to chew and gnaw on things, oftentimes on something you don’t want them to chew – furniture, electric cords, blankets, and anything they can get their little paws on.
These recommended chew toys help rabbits relieve boredom, file down their teeth, and importantly, don’t break the bank.
1. Apple Sticks
We typically give our rabbits sticks from our apple trees for them to munch on. However, not everyone has apple trees in their backyard. We have given Oxbow’s Bundle of Apple and Willow Sticks to our rabbits, and it has worked like a charm. They’re made out of untreated wood and keeps your rabbit’s teeth at a healthy length. You can give it to them as a bundle, but we tend to give it to them one stick at a time so they don’t make a big mess of it.
2. A Hidey Hole
We tend to get a lot of packages in cardboard boxes. A good way to reuse them is to DIY a little hideout for your rabbits. Make sure to cut away any printed ink, tape, and glue as they are not digestible. We cut a few holes into the box for them to jump in and out of, and volia! It’s their new playground. They can run in it, scratch at it, and munch at it. If you like a more astentially pleasing hideout, there are many online, such as this Mini Haven Rabbit House. It’s easy to assemble and it’s sturdy enough for rabbits to sit on the “roof.”
3. Chews that Hang
Whenever our rabbits are in their hutches, they like to stand up and sniff around. To maximize what they already do, we place hanging chew toys for them to stand up and chew on if they’d like. More importantly, the dye is food coloring, so it is safe for rabbits. Our rabbits are not too into these hanging toys when we’re around but the teethmarks on the toy says otherwise!
4. Assortment of Balls
Don’t know what flavor of toys your rabbit may like? No problem! Get a variety of materials to see what works and what doesn’t. Have an assortment of balls that has a variety of materials to keep your rabbit interested and see what materials they might prefer. For some materials, our rabbits like to break them up. For others, they like to eat it. And for the rest? Forget about it! Being aware of your rabbit’s preferences is important so you don’t end up giving them a toy they won’t be interest in!
5. Toilet Paper Roll + Hay
Personally, we think that this is the ultimate DIY toy for rabbits. You already have all the materials at home, and all you have to do is assemble it together! We love Blue Clover Rabbitry’s version because it’s an elevated version of the toilet paper roll toy. (Pics from Blue Clover Rabbitry). We love it because we get to reuse our toilet paper rolls AND the rabbits get a treat out of it. We use the Oxbow’s bundle of Apple and Willow sticks in the hay roll.