What do I avoid when buying toys?

[Moonlightbunny66]

Hello everyone! I was at a couple pet stores and other stores that sell pet items yesterday. I tried to find toys that are safe for bunnies. The willow stick toys were sold out. I looked at other things but most of the toys I looked at had no indication or list of what they’re made of. I only bought the Oxbow Timothy Twists because it says 100% Timothy hay. It also came with 6 twists and I’m getting two bunnies, so I thought it would be fair. 🙂 Everything else didn’t have much specification. Said things like “wood blocks”, “wood balls with bell”. Even the bird toys said this which I see people online give to bunnies. The wood is also dyed on many things. I don’t know what is safe. I tried looking some things up but it was just descriptions from the same company selling. I also made my bunnies some cardboard toys. What are some safe materials in toys? What are the toys and materials to avoid? I’ve heard that corn husk is bad but it’s in many toys. I also live in Canada so I don’t want to pay shipping and customs fees if I buy stuff online. I know this was a long paragraph sorry!

[Louiethebunny]

Most toys are safe, but there are some brands that may not be as good as others. I like to buy Oxbow toys because they are a pretty reputable brand, and I also make some out of toilet paper rolls and cardboard. Things that are definitely safe are “apple wood sticks” and toys made out of willow.

[Moonlightbunny66]

Thank you! I was looking for apple sticks and willow stick toys but couldn’t find any in stores. I’m nervous to use tp rolls because of the glue used on them. Most people say that they’re safe but it’s still glue. I’ll try to find more Oxbow toys! 🙂 I wonder if I could make some toys made of just timothy hay. I just saw online that Oxbow has hay mats.

[Wick & Fable]

I don’t have personal experience with all these woods, but https://bunnylady.com/safe-wood-for-rabbits/ here is a list (from what I can see is pretty reliable and presented competently) of rabbit-safe woods. If you cannot find a specific description of a toy on the online website, I would either try to find that toy somewhere else or overlook that toy — it’s always best to know and be able to make an educated choice. That being said, typically toys by well-known, reputable brands, such as Oxbow, are safe. Toys you need to be more vigilant about double-checking materials are those that aren’t actually made for rabbits, but people may advertise them as being popular for “any small pet”.

You can visit the BinkyBunny store and see what materials are found there that make-up the toys. Anything on Binkybunny is 100% safe and OK for rabbits, so if you find a material that overlaps, it’ll be safe as long as there isn’t some sort of change in material processing (i.e. chemical polishing/drying, toxic glues/adhesives…)

The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.

[Moonlightbunny66]

Thank you so much! I’ll check the store. 🙂

[DanaNM]

I tend to buy most toys online, so I end up just reading the reviews to make sure no one had any problems with it. And when i’m buying stuff in person I end up googling on my phone…. haha.

Some toys are OK to give if supervised but prob best not to give unsupervised. For example there are these wire balls that you can use to stuff hay or veggies in, but I read a review of a small bun kind of getting his head stuck in it, so that is one to just give when supervised.

 

. . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.  

[Moonlightbunny66]

@DanaNM Oh no 😧 I know what you mean. I used to have one when I had guinea pigs a long time ago. I probably won’t be buying that again then. I should probably try googling stuff more but I wish they would just list the materials on the packaging…

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