Easy DIY Rabbit Toys
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Rabbits are naturally curious and interested in exploring. Many rabbits enjoy solving simple puzzles (often with a treat in the end) while some love the simple act of destruction (like knocking down blocks or tearing up paper). One of the worst things you can do with these intelligent animals is to leave them bored and alone in their cage all day.
Toys are a great way to provide your rabbit with mental stimulation. An occupied bunny is much less likely to exhibit aggressive or destructive habits. Luckily, you don’t have to spend hundreds of dollars on fancy playthings for your rabbit! These are tons of toys you can make with items you likely have lying around, and many that can be made with items otherwise destined for the trash can. So it’s a win-win for recycling trash and entertaining your bunny.
Always keep an eye on your rabbit when she has toys. Chewing and ripping pieces off is fine, but if she is actually ingesting bits of paper, fabric, or plastic, it’s time to take the toy away. Want some ideas for playing with your rabbit? Check out my post “How to Play with your Rabbit”
Paper Lunch Bag
This is fun for puzzle solvers, treat lovers, and paper rippers! Just take a paper lunch bag, stuff it with hay, and tie the top with a long piece of hay or jute rope. Cut a few small holes in the bag to encourage them to dig in it.
Cardboard Box Idea #1
Close the box up entirely, cut a hole in the front and the back for entrances, and a hole or two in the top for them to peek out of. Let them explore & nibble their new castle!
Cardboard box idea #2
Cut a hole in the front and leave the top open. Fill the box with crumpled tissue, nonglossy wrapping, or butcher paper. Let your bunny dig and toss paper about (try to use nonglossy paper with as little print as possible)
Cardboard box idea #3
Cut a hole in both the front & back to make a tunnel. At the top of each opening punch small holes and tie lengths of twine in front of the door, making a “curtain”
Toilet Paper or Paper Towel Tube
Stuff it with hay and hang it with a string, or just give it to them to roll around
Bottle Top Toss Toy
Collect 8 or 9 bottle tops from soda or water bottles. Carefully use a utility knife to cut a small hole in each top. String them together and tie them into a ring.
Empty Oatmeal Cardboard Container
Punch a few holes in the cardboard tube and fill it with small treats. Let the rabbit roll it around to get the treats out
Willow Balls
Bunnies think these decorative woven balls are lots of fun to toss around and chew on. Be sure to choose non-lacquered, natural ones as they will definitely be chewed on
Old Stuffed Animal
Reuse those old stuffed animals for cuddling, tossing, or ripping. Be sure to remove any eyes, buttons, or other small items that could be choking hazards
Short on time? Online retailers like Amazon sell all sorts of fun pre-made rabbit toys!
Just wondering if this is a current site or blog or whatever it is called. I’ve tried to find groups to join but they have been years out of date.. Still searching..
Hi LoriAnn – you can stop searching! I check in at least daily on the blog and on our Facebook, Instagram & Pinterest pages 🙂
Hello Liz; We have what we believe is a lion head bunny, we found/rescued wandering in our garden. Our large pine tree dumps lots of pinecones on our lawn, and we give bunny a couple now and then. She tosses around her hutch……She also chews them a little. I’m hoping this is not a bad thing.
That is totally fine, bunnies love tossing things around and a pinecone is a good size for a little lion head 🙂
I am getting a flemish giant and am wondering what toys I will need. Thanks!?
You can try any of the above DIY ones or if you want to buy something my bunnies love the little cat balls with jingle bells in them. They like to toss them about so try to find some they could easily pick up. Just keep an eye on them and take them away if they break so she doesn’t swallow the bell. They also enjoy tossing little stuffed mice (again cat toys) around
My rabbit is gone through a phantom pregnancy and build her nest in her hutch I put a toy mouse in there but in the day she is mostly out her hutch but what I’m asking is when can I clean the cage out as since she was doing this I dare not do it Incase she becomes nasty
Mother rabbits in the wild often leave their babies unattended all day so it’s possible she will be very defensive of her baby. But she also could be “over it”. I know when my girls have phantom pregnancies they usually build a nest and sit around in it for a day or two and then move on with their lives. You might want to put her in a different area while you are cleaning it out the first time just in case. But if I had to guess I bet she won’t mind
Great tips on DYI toys!
I am confused about whether or not you can keep rabbits together in the same cage, or let them play together. They are supposed to be social animals, but supposedly males with fight with each other, so that’s out, and females are territorial, so that’s out. The breeders I have seen keep them all in separate cages. So, can they play together, or do I have to play with them separately? Yours seem to be living together. How do you keep them from hurting each other?
Rabbits naturally want to live in colonies. Many times large scale breeders keep them separate because it’s easier for the human. Pregnant and mothering rabbits will be territorial and could hurt other rabbits. It’s easier to control who is breeding with who when they all have their own cage. But that is not the way rabbits would live in the wild. They are social & live in groups. I have three female rabbits (none of them are spayed) and they all live together in my rabbit barn. They have a hutch in the barn stall, but it is never closed, it’s mostly a place to keep the food, water, hay, & litter box. So they are free to roam the barn stall at all times. They snuggle together and have social grooming. You wouldn’t want to keep multiple rabbits in a tiny cage, but as long as you give them plenty of space it isn’t a problem. You can read more about colony raising rabbits here: https://thecapecoop.com/colony-raised-rabbits/
Liz, I learned the hard way that female rabbits are very prone to Uterine Cancer and must be spayed- I lost my first bunny to that cancer when she was just four years old- I took her to the vet, but it was too late- She had to be put to sleep the same day- I was devastated- Please don’t let that happen to your buns and to you-
I am so sorry you had to go through that, so sad
Thanks so much for your empathy, Liz-
Liz, I really appreciate your empathic reply-
Do angora rabbits need to live in a colder environment because of all there fur?
Yes, Angoras will do much better in a cold climate. If it regularly is over 85 degrees Fahrenheit you would need to keep them indoors or they could have heat stroke. They are fine outdoors even in temperatures near zero.
Can I socialize my Lion head and Rex bunnies, if I supervise them while together? Also, when a bunny is spayed or neutered, are they tattooed like dogs and cats?
Yes, different breed rabbits get along just fine. You might want to check out my article on introducing rabbits to each other: https://thecapecoop.com/introducing-new-rabbits/
If they are different sexes, I would recommend you get them fixed and then wait 2 months before you begin the introduction process unless you are prepared for babies (and different breeds can easily mate together). Rabbit mating takes well under a minute so you just have to take your eyes off them for a moment! Most rabbits are not tattooed when they are fixed, but that practice would vary from vet to vet.