New Hanging Chew Toys for the Bunnehs!

[MamaSheepdog]

I made some chew toys for the rabbits today from mostly free materials. That and a chop saw and drill gun turned out some nice toys that will stay off of the floor wire so they will remain free of contamination by feces and urine.

I cut up the scrap wood from a tongue and groove ceiling install that Hubs and Firstpup recently completed, a Yucca flower stalk, and a gopher-killed apple tree. Sadly, the apple tree slices are very difficult to drill through, so I think I need a sharp new drill bit before proceeding with that part of the project.

The Dollar Store provided plastic shower curtain rings for $1 per dozen.

Here are the toys so far assembled:



And some of the recipients enjoying their new cage accessories:

 

[MamaMandy]

Love the idea! Very good job!

 

[Bad Habit]

Rabbits can eat yucca? Is it just Adam's Needle Yucca?

 

[CWD]

these are great.your bus look happy chewing away on them.
if the apple wood is not dry, it will be hard to drill a hole in it. because the wood fibers will keep trying
to fill in where the missing wood is.

 

[Whipple]

I need to get choppy with some wood. The buns are bored here.

 

[Miss M]

What great toys!

 

[Mickey328]

awesome! Evidently the buns think so too

 

[Cali]

So cool! Stealing yet another of your awesome ideas!

 

[Dood]

shower curtain rings

:happysun: BRILLIANT idea, Thanks!

 

[Marinea]

No, we don't spoil our buns

Great toys! I will be adding those to my list of "honey do"s.

 

[owlsfriend]

Yucca powder is one of the additives in Heinhold Wool blend feed.....may help prevent wool block?

 

[MamaSheepdog]

Love the idea! Very good job!

Thanks! It has been on my to-do-list for a while. I dislike having their chewies on the floor because sometimes they get a bit of poop on them. Probably cecals- but eww!

Rabbits can eat yucca?

I gave a chunk to an "experimental bunny" last year to test the safety. He ignored it for a long time ("She's trying to poison me, I know it!") but finally chewed it up with no ill effects. Yucca stalks are often used for bird toys also. The free range cattle eat the stalks when they are flowering, and we have had the flowers themselves in salads.

Is it just Adam's Needle Yucca?

I don't know what type it is. It grows wild here. I'll tell you one thing, if you ever fell full-body on it you would be history. It is nasty, NASTY stuff. When we were originally looking at this property it punctured one of the tires on our truck.

if the apple wood is not dry, it will be hard to drill a hole in it.

This is seasoned wood. I lopped off all of the smaller branches and fed them to the buns last year, and the trunk has been taking up space since then... I'm glad I finally got it chopped up.

I need to get choppy with some wood. The buns are bored here.

It's a great use for scrap lumber! Better than tossing it in the fireplace.

What great toys!

Thanks! They would be even better if they made noise... if I can find some bells to add to them, the buns will be really happy!

awesome! Evidently the buns think so too

They were really cute when I hung the toys in the cages- they didn't waste any time at all coming to investigate! :lol:

So cool! Stealing yet another of your awesome ideas!

Please do! You will further my mission to spread happiness to bunnehs everywhere!

shower curtain rings

:happysun: BRILLIANT idea, Thanks!

I use them to attach wiffle balls together- they love to pick them up by the shower curtain ring. Some of the rabbits will chew the rings in half though.

No, we don't spoil our buns

Nevah! We call it "enrichment". :mrgreen:

Poor abused meat rabbits, eh?

Yucca powder is one of the additives in Heinhold Wool blend feed.....may help prevent wool block?

I wonder what part of the plant they use? The leaves are very fibrous with an insanely sharp tip. The Native Americans supposedly pounded the leaves so only the long fibers were left and used them for sewing, with the tip as the needle. My daughter Queenpup tried it, and it works.

I will harvest some leaves and feed some to "test subjects" who are destined for freezer camp anyway.

 

[Kyle@theWintertime]

I need to make some for Nosey, she's easily bored and smashes all toys super-fast. Very cool, thank you for posting pictures!!!!!

 

[Heritage Homestead]

Now I know why I have had escaped rabbits in the past! They are all trying to get to MSD's house!
You must own bunny paradise! :lol:
That is really neat. Got to make some of those for my bunnies too!

 

[Bundy's Tree]

I really like the way you made the chew toys!
I had my husband come in to look at them and
he said no problem he would save me some of the
wood from the barn he is building for me.
I know the bun's are going to love these!

 

[MamaSheepdog]

I need to make some for Nosey, she's easily bored and smashes all toys super-fast.

Well, hopefully Nosey wont rip the cage apart trying to yank the toy off of the wire, lol!

Now I know why I have had escaped rabbits in the past! They are all trying to get to MSD's house!

Drat! :angry: It figures you would figure out my nefarious plan, Heritage!

If the bunnies come to me, I can't be diagnosed with Rabbitosis Aquireosis, now can I? Hmm??? :twisted:

I had my husband come in to look at them and
he said no problem he would save me some of the
wood from the barn he is building for me.

Oooh! Your hubby is building you a barn?!? I think I'm in love! :lol:

Congratulations on the new barn, and :welcome: to RabbitTalk!

:welcomewagon:

Glad to have you join us!

 

[Whipple]

Do you find they like any type of wood more so than others? I have apple trees, but they are in use for the most part. So I might just buy some wood for now.

 

[MamaSheepdog]

I usually give them pine and fir. They are softer woods, so wont last as long, but I think the rabbits enjoy shredding it.

With apple wood they seem to prefer the bark, but they eventually whittle it down to nothbng. I have only ever given them branches that have been pruned, and this was the trunk of a young tree, so we'll see how it goes.

One thing I want to do in the future is soak the wood in juice to improve the flavor. My first experiment is going to be with beet juice because it will stain the wood a pretty color!

 

[TerriG]

Great ideas! We pruned some branches off our apple tree (after dh about took out his eye for the umpteenth time today). The bunnies love them. They were all happily chewing away when I went out to check on them tonight. We just put some branch chunks in each cage.

I have whiffle golf balls in the cages, but they don't seem to like them that much. Maybe if I use shower rings to hook them together, it will do the trick.

 

[MamaSheepdog]

I have whiffle golf balls in the cages, but they don't seem to like them that much. Maybe if I use shower rings to hook them together, it will do the trick.

I've used ping pong balls, golf balls, and whiffle balls, and some play with them, but most don't. When two balls are attached by the ring, it is a whole different ball game, pun intended! They love to pick them up and move them around. You would think a ball that rolled would be more fun, but the bunnehs have a different opinion! :roll:

Ah well... whatever makes them happy. But it costs twice as much. Thank goodness for the 99 cent and dollar stores.