Rabbit chew toys are essential for bunnies. Aside from providing mental and physical stimulation, it is also crucial for their dental health. Read on to figure out the safe toys for rabbits to chew.
Why Are Rabbit Chew Toys Important?
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Different types of rabbit chew toys and activities should be made available for your bunny. These play a vital role in your furry friend’s growth and development.
- Rabbit chew toys encourage physical exercise in bunnies.
Yes, bunnies need constant exercise to keep their body and mind in shape. Provide them with rabbit chew toys and other equipment that allows them to climb, hop around, crawl, dig, and chew. The lack of the mentioned outlets may lead to overweight or a depressed furry companion. - Rabbit chew toys provide mental stimulation.
It is best to keep your lop-eared companion entertained and interested in its surroundings. Giving your bunny rabbit chew toys engages its mind to learn various textures and flavours. Other interactive bunny toys such as puzzles and food dispensers also provide mental enrichment and enhance their ability to forage. - Rabbit chew toys help in bunny-proofing your house.
Rabbit chew toys are deemed helpful in keeping your bunny happy within its enclosure. It prevents the development of destructive behaviour. Rabbit chew toys keep it preoccupied from chewing on anything it sees. Moreover, it also avoids the danger of your pet rabbit gnawing on dangerous materials such as electrical wires. - Rabbit chew toys to aid in wearing down your bunny’s teeth. The teeth of every rabbit continue to grow throughout their lives. Every year, these can grow around 3–5 inches. Thus, bunnies need plenty of rabbit chew toys to gnaw their teeth on; otherwise, it can lead to serious dental problems.
7 Safe Chew Toys for a Pet Rabbit
Are you having chewing problems with your pet rabbits? These rabbit chew toys may just be your saviour.
Safe Rabbit Chew Toy #1: Rabbit Chew Balls
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Rabbit owners often ask themselves: “What can I give my bunny to chew on?” Chew balls are some rabbit toys that are specifically made for bunnies to nibble on.
Rabbit chew balls may vary in shape and materials they are made of. They can be made out of willow or grassy balls, fibre balls, or woven grass balls.
Just make sure that the rabbit chew toy was made by a reliable brand. Do not use any simple home decoration in ball shapes. It should have no harmful substances that can pose a threat to your rabbit’s digestive tract.
Safe Rabbit Chew Toy #2: Bunny Tree Toy
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A tree toy is also one of the great toys for rabbits to chew on. Its base should be well constructed and firm enough for your bunny to climb on without tipping it over.
All parts of the tree toy including the playthings attached to the tree branches should be made of rabbit-safe materials. You may also add hanging toys, especially its favourite ones.
Providing these rabbit chew toys to your bunny will encourage it to move its body. This is the perfect opportunity to stretch and reach around those hanging toys. This also serves as one of the best solutions for its chewing instincts.
Safe Rabbit Chew Toy #3: Cardboard Boxes
Cardboard boxes make good rabbit chew toys since they are cheap and easy to find. Only give plain cardboard boxes for your bunny to play with. Do not use the ones that contain printed ink or coated with wax or plastic, as these are bad chew toys for a pet rabbit.
Also, check if the cardboard boxes have foils or metallic sides such as take-out containers. These are indigestible and may block your pet rabbit’s digestive system. Thus, they are not suitable as rabbit chew toys.
Make cardboard boxes more interesting for your bunny by filling them with timothy hay and hiding its favourite treats or toys inside. This will encourage your bunny to make use of its natural foraging skills.
Safe Rabbit Chew Toy #4: Toilet Paper
Most bunnies have a habit of shredding paper. Thus, it is a good idea to place some toilet paper in your pet’s enclosure. It is the safest type of paper rabbit chew toy.
Do not use newspaper or other papers with ink as toys for rabbits to chew on. These may contain poisonous chemicals, putting your pet rabbit’s health in danger.
Safe Rabbit Chew Toy #5: Bunny Chew Sticks
Providing your bunny with commercial rabbit chew sticks will appease its need to gnaw. These rabbit chew toys should be made out of 100% bunny-safe natural materials such as applewood and willow. These types of wood are harmless and edible to your lop-eared friend.
Never use random branches you see outside as rabbit chew toys. Moulds, spores, mites, and bacteria often thrive in them.
Safe Rabbit Chew Toy #6: All-Natural Grass Mats
All natural-grass mats have a double function in a rabbit enclosure. Apart from being safe rabbit chew toys, these can also be used by bunnies as bedding. Since they are composed of safe, natural materials, you don’t need to worry about your rabbit ingesting dangerous chemicals.
Safe Rabbit Chew Toy #7: Bunny Chew Tubes
Chew tubes are a nice addition to your bunny’s rabbit chew toys. These are edible and come in a variety of sizes, from small to large, so any rabbit can fit inside to snooze or sleep.
Chew tubes can function as forage devices too. You can stash your bunny’s food inside this rabbit chew toy for it to find.
What Rabbit Chew Toys Should You Avoid?
- Anything that has plastic, metal, fabric, or rubber are not safe toys for a rabbit to chew on. If your rabbit chews and ingests even small amounts of it, it can lead to stomach obstruction. Surgery may be necessary to remove whatever is stuck in its digestive tract.
- Do not purchase rabbit chew toys that have glue or other adhesive. The same goes for the ones with paint because they have chemicals that can harm your beloved pet rabbit if ingested.
- Wood coming from fruit trees such as peach and apricot are potentially deadly for rabbits. Keep away any branches from aromatic trees, including cedar and pine. They commonly possess natural toxic compounds that are unsafe for rabbits.
Other Rabbit Toys That Curb Destructive Chewing in Rabbits
Each bunny is unique with its own personality and characteristics. Some may learn logic toys easily, whilst others may still need several tries and more teaching sessions. The more exposure they have, the more they get acclimated to solving new puzzle toys.
Treat Tumbler
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A treat tumbler is one of the common toys we see in pet stores. It encourages your rabbit to nudge the ball around to get a supply of treats.
You do not have to fear that your pet will become obese with the treats. The treat tumbler has an adjustable opening that allows you to manage how fast the food can come out. Just be sure to keep tabs on it, as it is prone to roll under the furniture.
Forage Toy
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Forage toys will surely keep your bunnies preoccupied. It is usually made of woven hay or cardboard in a cylindrical shape. To make it more interesting, it is stuffed with dried wild herbs, flowers, and hay.
However, its downside is that playing with it can be messy. To avoid that, it is best to hang it in a single area, keeping it from being wasted.
Snack Board
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A snack board is designed to stimulate your rabbit’s mind, which can be very challenging especially for beginners. You can make mealtime entertaining by feeding it through a snack board.
A snack board is usually created with several holes that are covered with lids. Fill these holes with food, fruits, or its favourite treats. However, the plastic may not be able to withstand your bunny’s constant chewing.
2 DIY Rabbit Toys
The key to logic toys for rabbits involves lots of lids where the rabbit is challenged to open, pull, or slide drawers to be removed.
Watch this video:
1. Snack Roll
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To make this DIY rabbit toy, look for a cylindrical-shaped container with a lid. Create penny-sized holes around the body. Put a few small treats that can fit through the holes.
Voila! You now have a personalised toy for your furry companion. Just be careful not to let your bunny eat the whole thing.
2. Box Toys
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Gather 3–4 small boxes from a craft shop. Choose the ones that are made of wood and are not painted and treated with any chemicals. Make sure that they have lids that are easy to open, flip, or push, and without any magnets.
Once collected, it is best to attach all boxes to a wooden board. Hide treats inside the boxes and let your bunny have all the fun.
