So just quick update on a toy I bought recently which I think is quite cool and Dustin seems to like. It is the trouble and trix photo booth which is actually a cat toy but I thought it would be quite appropriate for a rabbit. It is pretty much a fancy box but it is quite tough and it has a cardboard bottom which is for cats to scratch up but I thought it would be quite good for Dustin to dig on... which he has already started to do. It is also a nice area for him to sit in when he is running free in the living room but he also enjoys sitting on top of it, he has not chewed it up yet which is also nice because it is quite costly for a fancy box but he likes it so I don't mind spending the money :)
So last night I was up quite late watching youtube videos and making some toys to put in Dustin's new indoor pen. They were super easy and cheap to make, all you need is cardboard, empty paper towel roll and some scissors. I made two cardboard woven mats and a swirl toy they actually turned out pretty good especially as I am not that good at arts or craft things! I got the ideas from 101rabbits (ill post the links) on youtube which is a great site for ideas on toys and housing!! I hope that he will enjoy these toys he has not shown much interest yet but maybe once he gets use to his new freedom he will have a chew on them! Wooven mat: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ttW03SEKQmQ Swirl toy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2U35B5mxl4 Plus I just made a throw/chew toy out of toilet paper rolls, I just cut them into thirds and tied them together with some string! Now of course many store bought rabbit toys are quite expensive for what you get and I know the pain of spending lots of money on toys and then having Dustin ignore them and have no interest, which has led me to start coming up with some DIY toys from things around the house. Boxes are the best cheap toy possible for rabbits and there are so many possibilities involved with them; they can be made into tunnels, filled with shredded paper and used as dig boxes and create great little houses which your rabbit can happily chew and make their own! I like boxes as houses as I find it difficult to find store bought hidey homes and houses which actually can fit Dustin, and he is just an average size mini lop, and rabbits do like hidey homes as being a prey animal they like areas that are covered and places they can hide. Empty toilet roles and egg cartons make easy, relatively safe toys for rabbits to chew on and I usually have a egg carton available in Dustin's exercise pen which he occasionally chews on. These kind of things can be filled with hay and treats to make it a bit more exciting for your rabbit. There is a number of safe branches and twigs that can be provided for your rabbit (list of safe branches are included in the list of safe veges in diet category) and these can be given to your rabbit for chewing or tied together to make a good throw toy. So don't fret if you can't afford the toys that are available at the pet stores, there are plenty of toys you can make yourself from things around your home. I have attached a number of ideas for DIY toys that I have either tried or am keen to try (bunny approved website is a good one for ideas) :) Rabbits and toys can be a difficult topic to cover... especially when discussing store bought toys. Every rabbit is different therefore every rabbit has different toys that they will like and play with. For instance Dustin is not a huge chewer or digger but he enjoys throwing around toys so when I have bought toys for him I tend to get ones he can grip and throw. There is not a huge amount of toys available in NZ pet stores for rabbits but we are starting to get more and more in this country so hopefully we will begin to have lots of choice! For rabbits I quite like the loofah and wood chew toys as well as balls, cat toys and baby toys like rattles and stacking cups. One of the best things I tend to buy for Dustin is cat tunnels... he loves them!! I have bought pet store ones but they are quite expensive and seeing as he ends up chewing them up I have started buying them from k-mart and places like that which are way cheaper. One of his favourite one is a 3-way cat tunnel that I bought him from the pet store, but he enjoys his normal straight tunnels as well. It is always important to provide your rabbit with some toys as they are good for reducing boredom and are beneficial for their mental and physical health. When picking toys for our own bunny make note of his behaviour and what he likes to do... does he dig a lot, does he chew a lot, does he like to pick things up and throw them?? For a digger make him his own dig box, or provide him with phone books to shred and dig on, if he likes to chew pick him up some hard wood toys and loofah toys that he can chew on, and if he likes to throw things pick up some cat toys, balls or baby rattles and stacking cups. Food related toys are usually a sure fav with rabbits and so treat balls are a great toy which you can fill with a rabbits fav treats or veges as an easy way to amuse them. In the wild rabbits burrow and dig so I always feel a cat tunnel is a must for any rabbit as they enjoy using them and they work with their natural borrowing instinct :) I f you guys know of any good shops around NZ or websites that ship to NZ (for not to expensive) that have cool rabbit toys please let me know!!
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