Toys and games

From WabbitWiki

Rabbit toys come in many varieties, and different rabbits prefer different types depending on their individual personalities. Many rabbits enjoy purchased toys, but they can also prefer simple things around the house like paper towel tubes or cardboard boxes. The lists below can help you find a nice surprise gift for your rabbit to celebrate a special occasion.

A newer mini-study found that by supplying your rabbit with enrichment toys (balls, boxes, or tunnels) can help reduce their stress level by almost 50 per cent.[1]

NOTE: When purchasing toys for your rabbit make sure they are safe! This is Monica stuck in her hidy house bought from 'Pets at Home' in the UK. She had to be extracted at the vets office. Picture © and used with direct permission from Camp Nibble.
NOTE: Toys like the 'Atomic Nut Ball' can become dangerous with time. Houdini injured himself on his chewed wooden ball. Picture by SarahJ.

Chewing toys

Often, rabbits will chew on furniture to explore the world through taste and texture, to build up strong muscles of the jaw, and because it is fun.[2] Chewing toys can help prevent destruction of your property by your rabbits and also have the benefit of wearing down your rabbit's incisor teeth. These toys can also be thrown. Chew toys should also be edible toys to prevent poisoning.

Rabbit playing on top of a Cottontail Cottage with ramp.
A French Lop rabbit munching on fresh apple tree branches.
Bunny Treats & Toys page on pinterest.
  • Toilet paper rolls with all the toilet paper and glue removed. You can also stuff the tube with hay, pellets, and vegetables to make it a puzzle feeder.
  • Paper bags filled with hay and treats.
  • Fresh or dried untreated lumber and branches.
    • Make sure to avoid sticks from cherry, peach, apricot, plum, redwood, and other single-seeded fruit trees which are all poisonous. Cedar is also dangerous due to its aromatic oils. However, the House Rabbit Society notes that toxic branches such peach and apricot branches are safe after a month or more of drying after cutting.[3]
    • Try to collect branches from plants that are not near road pollution and have not been treated with pesticides. You may wish to freeze branches before giving them to your rabbits to kill any bugs or wash them in the shower.
    • Safe options are the following: [4][5][6][7][8]
  • Alder (Alnus spp.)
  • Apple (Malus domestica)
  • Ash (Fraxinus spp.)
  • Aspen (Populus adenopoda, Populus grandidentata, Populus sieboldii, Populus tremula, Populus tremuloides)
  • Beech (Fagus spp.)
  • Berries (Rubus spp.)
  • Blackcurrant (Ribes nigrum)
  • Black elder (Sambucus nigra)
  • Birch (Betula spp.)
    • European white birch (Betula pendula)
  • Common oak (Qercus robur)
  • European larch (Larix decidua)
  • Gooseberry (Ribes uva-crispa, Ribes grossularia)
  • Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna)
  • Hazel (Corylus spp.)
  • Juniper (Juniperus spp.)
  • Little-leaf linden (Tilia cordata)
  • Lemon (Citrus × limon)
  • Maple (Acer spp.)
  • Oak (Quercus spp.) - without bark only
  • Orange (Citrus × sinensis)
  • Pear (Pyrus spp.)
  • Pine (Pinus) - kiln-dried only to remove phenols
  • Poplar (Populus spp.)
    • Black poplar (Populus nigra)
  • Redcurrant (Ribes rubrum)
  • Rose (Rosa)
  • Rowan (Sorbus spp.)
  • Spruce (Picea spp.)
    • Norway spruce (Picea abies)
  • White buckeye (Aesculus hippocastanum)
  • White locust (Robinia pseudoacacia)
  • White mulberry (Morus alba)
  • Willow (Salix spp.) - all willow species are safe
    • Corkscrew willow (Salix matsudana)
    • Goat willow / Pussy willow (Salix caprea)
    • White willow (Salix alba)
    • Weeping willow (Salix babylonica)
  • Phone books with the plastic outer cover removed.
  • Sisal objects - mats, toys, etc. Sisal is a natural fiber with which many cat trees are wrapped.

Here are some links with information about the rabbit behavior of chewing:

Digging toys

Female rabbits tend to love digging as they are usually the ones to do the tunneling for burrows in the wild.[9] Digging also wears out a bunny's nails.

Rabbit digging on a seagrass mat.
  • Carpet scraps - Be careful if you already have carpet in your place. This may end up backfiring as your rabbits may not be able to understand that only certain locations of carpet are appropriate to dig in.
  • Grass objects - mats and beds
  • Straw mats.
  • Sisal mats.
  • Jeans, towels, or blankets held under a heavy object to prevent motion when digging.
  • Cardboard boxes - You can combine multiple boxes with doors and holes cut out to make massive forts for endless fun. Remember to remove all tape, staples, and labels.
  • Paper bag, plastic hamper or tub, litter box, or cardboard box filled with hay, soil, litter, or ripped newspaper.
  • Phone books with the plastic outer cover removed.
  • Bobby's Bunny Boutique, Carrot Play Patch
  • Napoleon Bunnyparte, Hoppy Trails Picnic Mat
  • BunnyRabbitToys

If you are filling your own dig box with materials, please use rabbit-safe materials such as shredded paper, plastic ball pit balls, plain soil, straw, hay, and other rabbit-safe litter alternatives.

Sand as a digging material can be dangerous due to dust and silicates. Rabbits can easily inhale the small particles, and the sand can also get lodged in genital folds and cause infections if not cleaned out. Sand can also irritate their eyes and cause permanent scarring. A few anecdotes of owners using play sand for their rabbits:

Below are resources to DIY instructions for digging toys.

Some links to read for more information on the digging behavior of bunnies have been listed below.

Throwing toys

A black lionhead rabbit with some baby stack-up cups on her back.

Some rabbits like throwing and tossing objects with their mouths. Others like the noise that they can make. Many of the chewing toys listed above can also be thrown if they are a small enough size.

Climbing toys

One of the many types of Activity Zone Rabbit Tables/Toys found at Happy Rabbit Toys.
A white lionhead rabbit on the top level of an Armarkat cat tree.
Rabbit exploring a castle. Castles from Napoleon Bunnyparte.

Some rabbits like hopping on top of objects to get a higher point of view of their territory.

  • Low cat trees with multiple platforms - Try not to purchase a tree over 3 feet tall as rabbits are more likely to injure themselves falling from heights compared to cats. Trees suitable for kittens are great.

Burrowing toys

Rabbit sleeping in a cat condo.

Rabbits are natural burrowers that dig to create underground warrens. You can also stuff paper into these tunnels to make them for fun for a rabbit to dig out.

  • Large paper bags laid on its side.
  • Blankets and towels strategically placed to create a hideout.
  • Setting up furniture with narrow running spaces.

Puzzles

The following toys can provide mental stimulation for your rabbit and teach them problem-solving skills. Also look into clicker training for more ideas.

Interactive games

See the links below for more information about games you can play with your pet. Also consider clicker training and luring to teach interesting tricks to your rabbit!

Homemade toy projects

See the links below for some homemade rabbit toy projects.

Monthly subscription & gift boxes

Mia checking out her first Happy Bunny Box! Picture by /u/MeddlinQ.
Bunny's Furr and Feathers subscription box review by Kelli & Sharon, February 2014

Subscription services geared towards pets are not very common yet, but here is a list of some rabbit-based monthly subscription boxes you can sign up for! Some of them will ship internationally.

USA

UK

Australia

Canada

The following are some single gift boxes, kits, and packs for rabbits:

Online rabbit toy stores

Below are reputable online bunny toy stores where you can find many unique rabbit-safe toys that might not be available in your local area. Be aware that these stores may be located in various countries, so check to make sure they ship internationally.

Australia

Canada

Lithuania

United Kingdom

United States

Further reading

What Kinds of Toys Do Rabbits Like?

See also

References

  1. ↑ Amy Johnson (2016). Enrichment cuts rabbits’ stress levels by half.
  2. ↑ Buseth, M.E & Saunders, R. (2015). Rabbit Behaviour, Health and Care.
  3. ↑ House Rabbit Society. (2013). Chewing. Retrieved 08 Mar 2016 from http://rabbit.org/faq-chewing/
  4. ↑ kanin.org. (n.d.). Rabbit-safe branches and twigs. Retrieved from http://kanin.org/node/190
  5. ↑ Camilla Bergstrøm. (n.d.). Feeding the house rabbit: twigs and branches. Retrieved from http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/GI_diseases/Food/Branch/Branch_en.htm
  6. ↑ Dr. Sari Kanfer and Alexandra Logsdon. (n.d.). Rabbits Need Dental Care Too. Retrieved from http://www.mybunny.org/info/dental_care.htm
  7. ↑ Z. Princz et al. (n.d.). Application of Gnawing Sticks in Rabbit Housing. Retrieved from http://www.wrs.upv.es/files/journals/wrs0715029036.pdf
  8. ↑ Happy Rabbit Toys. (n.d.). FAQ. Retrieved Mar 14 2020 from http://www.happyrabbittoys.com/faq/
  9. ↑ Wildpro, The Mammal Society, THE RABBIT Oryctolagus cuniculus
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