Chew Toys for Rabbits

[MamaSheepdog]

Just wondering what kinds of things everyone gives their rabbits to chew on.

I give ours chunks and slices of wood, dried flower stalks from our artichokes, and the woody stem of sunflowers. I have given them TP tubes, but some of them actually ate the roll and that concerned me. If it is not harmful to ingest paper products, I thought egg cartons would be fun to give them with the cups filled with treats.

What about nuts in the shell? Walnuts in particular would be fun since they roll around.

 

[Secuono]

Cardboard of any kind is fine if it has none to limited amount of printing on it. So TP rolls are fine for them to eat.
Idk about the nuts, though.

 

[caroline]

I have lots of prunings from the orchard and I cut them into lengths that are short enough to save in a box. I have the boxes stacked next to the rabbitry and I give each cage a couple o sticks a day. Some times they have leaves still on them and sometimes it's just the sticks. Some rabbits seem to love them. Others not so much. I can tell the ones that really enjoy their sticks will chew all the bark off and and shorten the stick up quite a bit.
I have also saved all the various small plastic and glass screw top containers that things like vitamins come in. I have learned that they need to be sturdy. They chew holes in the flimsy ones pretty quickly. I fill them with pebbles and screw the top back on tightly. I put these in each cages and, again, some like to roll them around and others...

 

[Miss M]

Many rabbits like golf balls and whiffle balls. I got 4-packs of colored whiffle balls for $1 at the Dollar Tree, and my bunnies love them. One even neatly chewed one of them in half. :lol:

Pine cones are also great chew toys.

 

[MamaSheepdog]

Thanks everyone! Good to know about the cardboard being edible. I guess you'll never hear a bunny say "Ugh! This is so bland- tastes just like cardboard..." I have given mine apple tree branches as well, Caroline. The bottle idea is great- I'll start a collection. Miss M, I have ping pong balls for mine, but I bet they really like the whiffle balls since they can pick them up. Do you bake your pine cones to get the sap off? If so, what temp. and how long? Must make the house smell interesting!

 

[Miss M]

Yes, the whiffle balls are easy for them to pick up and toss, so they love them.

I've never baked the pine cones (hadn't crossed my mind), but I do collect only open, dry pine cones. They'll have small amounts of sap, but I've never had an issue.

I guess you'll never hear a bunny say "Ugh! This is so bland- tastes just like cardboard..."

:lol: Nope, they love cardboard. In winter, I'll sometimes give them each a nice, sturdy, closed box with a 6" hole cut in one side. They love going inside to warm up, and they will eventually rip the thing to shreds -- having lots of fun in the process. I have used packing tape when needed to close the boxes, and I've never had that cause trouble. Maybe I should use hot glue instead.

 

[MamaSheepdog]

Yes, the whiffle balls are easy for them to pick up and toss, so they love them.

I've never baked the pine cones (hadn't crossed my mind), but I do collect only open, dry pine cones. They'll have small amounts of sap, but I've never had an issue.

Not sure where I read about baking pine cones- rabbit site? bird site? craft site?... but it seems like a good idea so the buns don't get all "sappy"! Some of our cones have big blobs of sap on them.