bunny safe thread?

[apanda]

so I know sisal rope is okay for them to chew on, but what about hemp or some other natural thread? I want to find something so I can make Truffles this crocheted bunny and carrot rattle that I just got as free patterns from LionBrand. 

[osprey]

I am curious to know the answer to this too.  I have read that bunnies can chew cotton, but that if they swallow too much of it the strings can get stuck in their intestines.  What about raffia?  Would that be strong enough to crochet with?  The short pieces would probably be a pain to deal with.

 

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

hmm…I don’t know for sure, but I’ve read that marijauna is toxic to bunnies, so maybe hemp is not so good….

Clearly we know that carpet and remote control buttons are fine though LOL!

Osprey what is raffia?

[apanda]

oo I have seen raffia knitting yarn before! raffia is kinda like straw. the actual plant is a type of palm. that does sound like a good idea osprey! I just need to find a natural yarn that hasn’t been dyed or anything. hmm…

[apanda]

oo or also I could just crochet with sisal twine! I have seen some good all-natural ones on ebay!! wow that brings a whole new world of home made toy possibilities!

[MimzMum]

May I add to this post and ask, how dangerous is it for the buns when they chew up the scraps of fabric that I use to cover their cages at night? Usually it is just little holes that appear in the fabric, so I can’t imagine they are swallowing much.
Also, I have a few of those Cuddl-e Cups, a small one for bunnies and a larger one for cats. Mimzy likes to dig (and pee) on the fluffy fabric inside (I think it’s faux sheepskin) and then sometimes he chews on it. Will it hurt him?

[Scarlet_Rose]

Synthetic fabrics are not the best, however how much are they eating? If it isn’t a lot, then I would not worry about it. My two destroyed a fly swatter once and I sweatted that out and sure enough, it all just passed through. Trust me, I had syringes loaded and waiting for a GI upset.

[MimzMum]

Eh, not so much. I’d say there’s a one inch hole in the fabric this morning after she pulled it through the bars and gnawed at it a bit.

[kimberleyanddarren]

she may not be eating it just biting holes in it and digging at it if the peices were small you may not be able to notice them
can i ask is there a reason you cover your bunnies over? does everyone do this?

[MimzMum]

We’re trying to get Pip to settle at night. She tends to get more active in the wee hours, and covering the cage is sometimes helpful to get them to relax.
However, in our case, it just gave her something else to chew and fuss with all night long. >_<

[apanda]

lol I used to do this when my roommate had a (hyper-active not so well taken care of) dwarf that she kept across from the bed in my room (I mostly slept in my boyfriend’s room). she gave her bun a treat kabob type thing with a bell and starting at about 5 AM it would run back and forth around its cage ringing the bell. My rationale for covering it at the time was “maybe its like a bird and if I cover it it will think its night time and SHUT UP. It kind of worked, or maybe the sound was just muffled? also sometimes I cover a part of my truffles’ cage with a towel to protect him from drafts.

oh also as an update on the thread, I have found sisal twine from pet stores on ebay for cheap but as it only comes in huge heavy spools shipping is expensive. boo I will keep looking.

 

[RabbitPam]

I just did a quick google search, and there’s corn yarn and bamboo yarn out there. I don’t know if corn is bad for bunnies, but those yarns are 100% corn. Also, does anyone know if bamboo has been determined as good or bad for bunnies? It’s a very excellent natural resource for everything from fibre to furniture, and growing in popularity. If bamboo is not harmful, you can also find 100% yarns for knitting. There were some natural sites that sell these – just search for “corn yarn,” or “natural yarn,” and browse the options.

Otherwise I’d be tempted to get a seagrass mat and cut it apart for the strands then put it back together for your toy. Have you contacted bunny sites that sell natural toys and asked them for their sources of materials? They might be willing to share that info. for you.

[Gravehearted]

corn’s not good for bunnies – but sisal or raffia sure are ok. since it’s being used specifically to make a bunny toy – i’d stick with one of those.
i’d be worried about Truffles ingesting too much of the other kinds. I do hope you’ll post pics after you make them – they sound so cute.

[Tami]

I have parrots as well as bunns and I use the same toy parts for my bunns as I do for my parrots……..no sharp edges, not too small (choking hazard) & non-toxic.  I have instructed my mom & sis to save all their plastic lids, plastic water bottles and cardboard rolls for me because they know I make my own toys, so I always have a LOT of toy parts that I don’t have to pay for ;o)  The only thing I have to purchase is whatever I’m going to string them on !

I just recently ordered some stuff off ebay (plug “bird toy parts” in the search window)……colored baseball size whiffle balls, plastic links to hang the toy with and……..vegetable tanned leather strips !  I have a whole lot of leather now that should last me til summer, at least :o))

I’ve made several toys so far with the whiffle balls and the leather strips, along with rolled- up newspaper and pieces of cardboard (whether from boxes or tp/paper towel rolls).  I’ve also cut strips of denim from old jeans that hubby can’t wear anymore because of having too many holes in them to the point he can’t even use them for shorts, LOL……..but I just remove the zipper, cut around the pockets, waist & heavy seams and make all sorts of different shapes out of the denim fabric.  I make strips out of the denim, too, and just weave it through the whiffle ball holes and knot so they don’t come through.  It’s like a foot toy !  I threw one of these in Frosty’s (my English Angora bunn) cage and he tosses it around all the time…….he just loves it !  :o)

I’ll take pics the next time I make a toy (probably today or tomorrow) and share it with you.  I have several buns that need something to play with since destroying the Jelly Fish toy I made them, LOL !

Anyway, vegetable tanned leather strips is another “thread” you can use to string parts on for making toys ;o)

[kimberleyanddarren]

i have wondered if i could give a bird toy to my bun in the pet store buy me there is this wooden thing with an attatchement to hang on the bars on each end and i think hopscotch may like it although he isnt really a chewer it would make the cage more exciting anyway.. would it be safe?

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

my guys have a few bird toys, two are big wooden shaped animals with strings hanging down and one is an abicus type thing…Lemmie find some pics…All the material is non-toxic and it’s been fine. Kokanee ate an entire wooden animal once so I know it’s OK

 

Here are some pics of bird toys I have

[script removed]

 

I can’t find a pic of my other toys, but they are similar to this

 

 

[apanda]

still haven’t found a good sisal source. I’ll keep looking on ebay though. also just wanted to put my 2 cents in that parrot toys are def fine for bunnies, bird toys are recommended on a lot of those bunny toy guides, I think even the HRS one. Just make sure they are toys for parrots or other big birds as toys for smaller birds might not be built to last bunny chewing.

[kimberleyanddarren]

thanks K&K i have also found that they are cheaper i can get a huge wooden bird toy for £3 when a rabbit one which is 1/4 the size was £5

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