do bunnies need toys?

[lindsay715]

the reason i ask is because wesley has amassed a sizeable collection of toys, all of which seem to be worth a one-time nudge and nothing more.  he has toys that rattle, toys that dont, chew-toys like apple wood sticks and wood shapes, toys that roll… i think he has gotten more amusement tossing around a crumpled piece of paper for a couple seconds… i will add that he has teeth issues and has to get his taken care of at the vets on an ongoing basis. 

he is free roam so he does explore quite a bit, but since the second floor is bunny-proofed he’s not really “playing” with anything.  he does like to lick pillows and furniture, climb piles of laundry, and occasionally harass our elderly Shih Tzu.  

so whats up with this? do his interests just lie in a more cerebral realm?  is he picky?  should i just chalk it up to personality, or am i getting the wrong things for him?

 

xx lindsay

[bwild]

Some rabbits will play with toys, some won’t, although it’s a good idea to keep some around just in case he gets bored. My Penelope almost never plays with toys, but Thumper would be lost without any. I find that the best toys are the ones that you can’t get at the pet store, like a cardboard box or a phonebook. Penelope also finds harassing our cats to be fun, so your Shih Tzu is not alone! lol

BTW – that picture is adorable!

[equalsign]

  Some bunnies are just really picky. My first rabbit really only likes things she can destroy and rip apart. The toys I’ve seen my bunnies play with the most are those made from cardboard (boxes with holes, tunnels, ect), those made from hay (grass matts, ect), and stuffed animals. Even if they don’t play with the toys often, I’m convinced having them around keeps them from destroying things they shouldn’t around the house.

 

For me, the cardboard and grass stuff gets daily use though.

[Stickerbunny]

Yes they need toys. What toys, is up to the bun though.

Powders favorite toys are anything cardboard and willow chew toys (twigs / balls). He isn’t into anything he can’t chew and he doesn’t toss things, his other forms of entertainment are zoomies and binkies. He isn’t into digging.

Stickers is a wild child. She loves to dig, so has her diggy toys (dig box, blankets, phone books, etc). She will chew anything she can get her teeth on, so lots of boxes/willow chew sticks for her. She likes to toss glasses shaped things, so little hard plastic sun glasses and such, she won’t toss anything else (I found this out because she stole my actual glasses when I took them off a second and made the mistake of leaving them on the floor in her reach).

I would try a willow toy with the bark on, I don’t think I have heard of a bun that doesn’t like to chew those to bits.

[Mandyyy]

Depends on the rabbit when it comes to toys. Domino NEVER touched toys (unless they were for chewing). Nava loves things that rattle or jingle. Before Domino passed I found out she likes ringing bells as well.

There are many home made toys too, some buns prefer those then to petstore bought ones.

[kinggoblin]

Mine only likes things he can chew or pull apart, like willow tunnels, sticks, baskets and straw mats & bungalows. I will catch him nudging his hay ball with a bell around sometimes and he likes to run through his crinkle tunnel.

Yours probably doesn’t like chew toys because of the tooth problem though.

[Sarita]

He’s adorable. It really does depend. Some do and some don’t.

My aged crew is not much for toys, treats, yes, toys no.

Bobby likes to fling things though – he’s a youngster though, about 3 years old. He also likes to jump on things. My seniors though, they just like lounging.

[lindsay715]

sometimes i think wes is old for his age, haha. he isn’t a year old yet and he loves lounging. this is funny to me especially because ive read that nethies are usually very energetic, but he really reminds me of larger breeds that ive seen! sometimes i also think some bunny toys are sized a bit big for him. :/

[Mandyyy]

My bun is a dwarf mix. She isn’t as small as a dwarf, but she’s close. A lot of toys are big for her too. She LOVES the ball I have for her that’s like her size. Haha.

[Molzy]

My bun really only plays with toys when he is locked in his cage, and even then it is only the cardboard boxes. Outside of the cage, he like his crinkle tunnel (a cat tunnel from Target), and his treat ball (a cat toy that you can put his pellets in). He also likes when I stuff old egg cartons with hay.

Your bun is adorable! I am so jealous of your ability to have him free range!

Molly

[piperknitsRN]

My bunny Olive likes to play with–as in rip, tear and shred–medium sized cardboard boxes, and she did have a project going on with a straw mat I bought  for her (that is, before Simon, then-not litter trained, peed all over it and the floor beneath it)–but in general, my bunnies seem to be occupied with chewing hay, lounging, and random binkying/Bunny 500s.  Sometimes they’ll dig or bunch up an old towel I have laying around for that purpose.  Oh, Olive also has a willow Easter basket she likes to hop into from time to time, but she’s never shown any interest in smaller toys.  On the whole, I have very nicely behaved bunnies if I do say so myself–they haven’t acquired too much of a taste for my possessions (knock on wood!).  Simon is a bunnicula–he shows his frisky side usually at night, but mostly he just follows Olive around like an inquisitive puppy, or sleeps under the couch all day long. 

[LoveChaCha]

Toys are a hit and miss.

I have a dwarf as well, and she favors blankets, willow toys, boxes, empty toilet paper rolls, and tunnels.

[Tipsy Bunny]

What about a food dispensing ball? My mom bought a ball for the dogs that dispenses treats when they roll it around, I figure, what if I put my bun’s food in there so she has to work for it? I have yet to try it as my parents live 2 hours away, but this Thanksgiving, I am giving it a try.

[lindsay715]

i might try the food dispensing ball to get his interest. i think also getting him a tunnel might be good – he seems to like environmental toys more than contact ones. he’s lucky christmas is coming

[Sam and Lady's Human]

Posted By Tipsy Bunny on 11/21/2011 11:53 PM
What about a food dispensing ball? My mom bought a ball for the dogs that dispenses treats when they roll it around, I figure, what if I put my bun’s food in there so she has to work for it? I have yet to try it as my parents live 2 hours away, but this Thanksgiving, I am giving it a try.

I bought Sam a SlimCats treat ball for her food, she loves it and it keeps her from mowing down and eating it all in one go so she eats more hay too

Actually, she could be silently cursing me as she chases her food, but either way, it makes her more active

[Rabbit lover]

I stuff a paper bag with hay carrots and lettuce then poke holes in it all my bunnies love it!

[Tipsy Bunny]

Sam and Lady’s Human, that reminds me of the other dog stimulation toy we got. It was a puzzle for our dogs, little hidden compartments that they had to push open with their nose and some they had to open with a roller. Our Boston got so frustrated with it that she eventually grabbed one of the little compartment doors and ran off with it do try to demolish it to get the treats inside haha.

[Bunnehs]

My bunny likes to chew on wooden stools. also i have a question! can bunnies chew on doggies rope toy?

[Author]

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