Easy Homemade Rabbit Toys Using Recycled Materials
You may be surprised to learn that rabbits are highly intelligent and playful pets. Unaware of this, many rabbit owners fail to provide their bunnies with the necessary opportunities to exercise their bodies and their minds. This causes boredom which can then lead to a variety of health and behavioural issues. Looking for a solution to entertain your rabbit? Check out these easy homemade rabbit toys!
In order to live a happy, healthy life, your rabbit requires regular exercise and mental stimulation.
While your can encourage daily exercise and play with your time and attention, the best solution is to provide your pet with a variety of rabbit-friendly toys including chew toys, tunnels, balls, and more.
The good news is that you don’t have to break the bank to provide your rabbit with the toys they need.
Today, I’ve put together a short list of everyday items that can be repurposed and recycled to make fun, safe and engaging rabbit toys.
The best part? You likely have everything you need to challenge your rabbit’s mental skills and keep it out of trouble sitting around at home!
Related: ‘How to Litter Train Your Rabbit‘
Check Out These Easy Homemade Rabbit Toys
Cardboard Boxes
Have you ever purchased an expensive gift for your pet only to have them gravitate to the box that it came in? If so, you’re not alone!
Rabbits love playing in boxes of all sizes, so why not take advantage of it?
If you’re anything like me, you have plenty of boxes waiting in the recycling bin from your latest online shopping deliveries.
Cut a couple holes in each side of a box to create an easy burrow for them to hide out in.
Feeling overly creative? Use multiple boxes to create tunnels, castles, or other structures. The only limit is your imagination!
You can also use the cardboard from the boxes to create platforms, allowing your rabbit to see the world around them from different levels.
Note: When selecting cardboard for your rabbit, be careful to choose boxes that aren’t printed on the surface. These printed inks contain chemicals that can be dangerous if ingested in large quantities.
Toilet Rolls/Kitchen Rolls
Another cardboard item that can be recycled to create a fun, rabbit-friendly toy are toilet paper rolls (or kitchen rolls).
Larger rolls can be used to create a fun tunnel, providing your bunny with new places to explore.
Cut a few holes into your smaller toilet paper rolls and stuff them with hay to create a fun and interactive chew toy.
Not only can they chew on the cardboard and hay, but they can also throw the toy around.
You can also fill your toilet paper roll with treats or rabbit pellets, folding over the ends to create a food puzzle toy.
Create a game of hide and seek by filling the toilet paper rolls with fresh fruits and vegetables (including carrots, apples, broccoli and leafy greens) and then hiding the rolls around your house.
This will tap into your rabbit’s natural desire to forage for food.
Related: ‘Learn to Recognize These 12 Common Rabbit Diseases, Illnesses and Ailments‘
Kraft Paper and Newspaper
In addition to cardboard, there are some types of paper that are safe for your rabbit to shred and destroy.
As previously mentioned, you want to avoid papers printed with chemical-based inks.
Most newspapers are printed with a soy-based ink, making them safe. However, if you’re unsure, err on the side of caution.
Paper can be used to add to your rabbit’s cardboard burrow, creating additional tunnels and tents. It can also be crumbled lightly and placed inside a box to encourage safe digging.
If your bunny enjoys throwing toys around, crumple up paper to create a light-weight ball.
Tree Branches
Not only do rabbits love to chew, but they also need to chew to maintain their teeth.
Consider bringing a small branch or stick from a safe tree in from your garden to provide a safe and natural chew toy.
Safe woods include apple, birch, maple, sycamore, willow, hazel, cotton, poplar, and juniper.
Only bring in branches from a safe space like your own garden to avoid any unhealthy bugs or pesticides.
Wash the branch and allow it to fully dry before handing it over as an extra precaution.
Polar Fleece Blankets
Create a fun digging and foraging opportunity by repurposing old polar fleece blankets.
While other fabrics can cause digestive problems, the fibers from polar fleece are short enough that they are safe for your bunny.
Pile blankets up with treats or rabbit pellets tucked in randomly to create a food puzzle.
Cut your blanket into strips and tie it together/roll it up to create a fun, rabbit-friendly ‘yarn ball’ that your rabbit can toss around or chew on.
You can also use the strips of fleece blanket to add an extra layer of fun to your rabbit’s cardboard box burrows.
Do you enjoy making homemade rabbit toys for your furry friend?
Feel free to share your tips, tricks, and creative toy ideas in the comments section below to inspire other rabbit lovers!
I had no idea how easy it is to make your own rabbit toys using cardboard loo rolls. What a great tip, Britt, thank you. My neighbour’s daughter has a rabbit so I’ll have to share this post with them. I’m sure her rabbit will be delighted! x
It is SO easy and I’m sure her rabbit will thank her for it too! Often we find ourselves getting caught up in all the marketing of the latest and greatest pet products out there, however, the best solution is sometimes the simplest.
Some fab ideas for rabbit toys that also won’t hardly cost you a thing either! Its great to use what you already have and you know that you’ll be putting them to good use as well 🙂 x
Exactly – providing your rabbit with fun toys while also making choices that fit with a green lifestyle. It’s a win/win for everyone!
You are a resourceful person with lots of creativity. We too at home like to use our recyclable objects like toilet paper rolls and boxes to make hamster mazes. The kids love it and it’s free art and craft materials.
I love it! It’s free and fun for both those doing the crafting and the pets that get to enjoy it after.
This is fascinating, I just learned a whole bunch about rabbits! I only knew that of course, they are super cute and curious but never stopped to think about how to entertain them. These toys are super easy to make, love it!
A lot of people make the mistake of thinking that they are content to just hang out simply due to the fact that they live in a cage. However, if you’re looking for a quiet, calm and low-maintenance animal, a rabbit may not be the right fit lol
Okay, these are genius ideas and so so so handy, especially for anyone on a budget. I was expecting to see the toilet rolls mentioned but I didn’t have a clue what the others were going to be. Love the creativity and that it’s a more sustainable way of doing things.
There are so many products that find their way to the landfill that can be used to take care of our pet’s needs. That’s something that my husband and I have been working on incorporating even more in our life here as of late.
I loved it! This homemade rabbit toy is such an amazing idea.
Wonderful Post! Have a great day!
Rampdiary | Fineartandyou | Beautyandfashionfreaks
Thank you!
I had no idea that rabbits were that active or engaging! I always thought they were just cute fluffy creatures that lived in cages. I can definitely relate to the boxes. My cat loves to get into the boxes, and I swear he always picks the ones that are too small for him too. I can easily imagine making a huge maze out of cardboard boxes if I had a bunny. Lol. Let’s not tell my husband about this. He would veto the bunny idea!
Rabbits are like cats in SO many ways. They are playful, social little creatures and can even be litter trained!
How cute and how helpful I only wish I had someone to show this article to: nobody has rabbits among my friends
They aren’t as common as some of the other pets, like cats and dogs, but they are so adorable!
It is always really cute watching bunnies play with toilet paper rolls! Great post, I wouldn’t have thought of some of these ideas.
They are adorable, aren’t they? I had a bunny growing up and she LOVED playing with random items like toilet paper rolls.
Oooh! I didn’t know rabbits are playful animals. Haha, like cats, they also love boxes. I love that you can use some materials you can easily find at home, and for free. Like TP rolls! Love that there are different type of woods they can utilize. Thanks for dropping all of these facts!! Affordable ones too 🙂
Nancy ✨
I am a HUGE fan of repurposing and reusing products that would otherwise wind up in the landfill. These toys are all a win/win – the owners are able to do something great for the environment by repurposing items, while the rabbits are excited about their new toys!
This is great stuff! The use of particularly recycled materials is great, especially for those who have a low budget or just want to be more eco friendly.
I love that the low-cost solution means that it’s available to anyone, regardless of their current budget. Especially at a time where many people are struggling with layoffs and shutdowns due to the current pandemic.
There are some really good hints and ideas here for sure. I love how you also prevent waste by reusing items too so this is great x
We are big about finding ways to leave a greener lifestyle here in our house, so recycling items as pet toys like this is the perfect solution!
I’ve 100% use the toilet paper rolls for the bun to play with before, I like to fill it with timothy hay for the bunny. She likes it, where my bun Lemon that passed a few years ago and my twin’s other bun that passed last year Katie liked it without anything in it, Lily (my twin’s current bun I am taking care of) won’t care about it unless the timothy hay is in there lol.
It’s fun to see their individual personalities and preferences, isn’t it? lol I love experimenting and seeing what toys our pets gravitate to.
We loved our rabbit Simon very much. He passed away last year. He really loved cardboard tubes and chewing cardboard in general. These are really great ideas.
Sending love – it’s never easy to say goodbye to a pet.
This is just what I needed! We have a bunny at our shelter so finding things for her to do has been a little tough since none of us have experience with bunnies. Thanks for the ideas
I’m glad to hear that this can help, especially in a shelter situation where you have to be super aware of finances. Being able to recycle household products as toys like this offers a great solution to give the bunny the mental and physical stimulation that it needs without breaking the bank!
These are such cute ideas for rabbit toys! I have never owned rabbits but I would love to in the future – they are so cute! x
They are very cute pets but a lot more work than most people realize. A lot of potential rabbit owners just see that it’s an animal contained in a cage/hut and assume that it’s largely hands off but that’s SO far from the truth!
I love the recycling element of this post!
Rosie
Thank you! Green living is super important to us, so we try to find opportunities to incorporate it into our lives whenever possible.