Cardboard rolls

[BunnyMunchkin]

I am trying to make some homemade toys. Would it be ok to use the cardboard roll that comes with aluminum foil? I cut the parts where the aluminum was glued on off but these rolls are a lot harder and thicker than toilet paper rolls. Are they still safe to use?

[Whitesnowy]

I wouldn’t recommend them. Why? They still have glue. To be folded like rolls they need to be glued. You can test that – apply some water on the roll and notice it feels a little jelly. This is the glue.

I recommend pure cardboard box (not bleached and with no printed inc or whatever). If there are any metal cramp-iron (clips) or such – remove them. 

And watch the rabbit first few times it plays with your toys. They must not swallow parts of the toys they chew.

[BunnyMunchkin]

Hmm Ok. I always saw people using the toilet rolls and stuffing them with hay, are these not safe? I was looking for something I could stuff hay into, any recommendation? 

[Whitesnowy]

Posted By BunnyMunchkin on 8/29/2016 4:27 PM

Hmm Ok. I always saw people using the toilet rolls and stuffing them with hay, are these not safe?

They are not safe because of the glue. If the toilet paper is aromatic the chemicals might be found on the roll as well. That’s not good. And if the roll is the kind that dissolves in water, it might be even dangerous for a toy.

You can stuff hay in wood. Just check if the kind of wood you use is safe. https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/plant-list

This is a good one for making toys: https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/…abylonica/ . Toys like these.

You can also make a bunch of hay by wrapping it with a thread like this.

What to avoid for toys (cherry, peach, apricot):

(Prunus avium) – http://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/all/prunus-avium/
(Prunus armeniaca) – http://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/all/prunus-armeniaca/
(Prunus persica) – http://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/all/prunus-persica/

[Bam]

I’d just like to say that toilet-paper rolls are much used as toys for bunnies. It’s not to be recommended for bunnies who like to eat everything in sight. Plain cardboard and newspaper with soy-based ink is non-toxic, but if the bun eats a lot of it, mechanical obstruction of the gut can occur. So use with discretion. My bunnies doesn’t chew toilet-paper rolls, they just throw them around. Many bunnies like to tear toilet-paper-rolls and cardboard to pieces, that’s of course fine.

I don’t know what glue is used on tin-foil cardboard rolls. But the bun isn’t supposed to eat the roll.

[BunnyMunchkin]

Thank you both for the links and information. My bunny is only 11 weeks so I’m not sure if he would try to eat the rolls or not. I work from home so I am here 24/7 to watch him and make sure he doesn’t try to eat any of it. I was just looking for foraging toy ideas to keep him from getting bored. He loves to dig so I may create a dig box for him as well.

How can you tell if the ink used on the newspaper is soy based?

[Whitesnowy]

You can’t be sure what inc is used. They may claim they use safe inc but it may turn out it’s not safe. Use a cardboard box to make a little house. Whitesnowy loved chewing his house -> https://vimeo.com/84763746

[Azerane]

@Whitesnowy, but there is ink and printing on that cardboard box that you used.

Toilet paper tubes, paper towel tubes and cardboard tubes from foil and plastic wrap are all safe to use. I actually make sure that I buy the brand of toilet paper and paper towel that doesn’t have any glue residue so that I can use them for the bunnies. If there is hard glue on the foil roll, just remove it, and as the others have said, if you notice your bunny ingesting a lot of it, remove it. Luna and Apollo love to chew cardboard and rip it to shreds, but they don’t really eat it, just leave it for me to clean up

[Whitesnowy]

Posted By Azerane on 9/02/2016 9:20 PM

@Whitesnowy, but there is ink and printing on that cardboard box that you used.  

Yes, this was the very first cardboard box for him. That’s how I learned printed cardboard boxes should not be used.

[Bam]

Bunny Munchkins, soybased ink is regularly used in newspapers today, but to be sure you’d have to ask the newspaper. It’s not completely non-toxic though, so your bun shouldn’t eat newspaper. A nibble is harmless though.

[BunnyMunchkin]

Posted By Azerane on 9/02/2016 9:20 PM
@Whitesnowy, but there is ink and printing on that cardboard box that you used.

Toilet paper tubes, paper towel tubes and cardboard tubes from foil and plastic wrap are all safe to use. I actually make sure that I buy the brand of toilet paper and paper towel that doesn’t have any glue residue so that I can use them for the bunnies. If there is hard glue on the foil roll, just remove it, and as the others have said, if you notice your bunny ingesting a lot of it, remove it. Luna and Apollo love to chew cardboard and rip it to shreds, but they don’t really eat it, just leave it for me to clean up

I was thinking the same thing when I saw that cardboard box. Which brand of toilet paper doesn’t use glue?? I will start buying those! I’m still looking for toys I can make that he might be interested in. Right now he has a giant yucca roll toy, a woven wood ball, a hay toy that looks like a carrot, a hay mat and some tunnels. He loves the tunnels and throwing the ball around but doesn’t touch the rest lol. I figured if I filled the toilet paper rolls with some hay and hide different treats or food inside it would keep him entertained. I also think my local store sells just plain cardboard boxes for moving purposes so I might pick one of those up to make him a house to play in.

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