5 DIY Rabbit Toys That Your Pet Will Love (With Pictures)
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If you own a rabbit or two, you know they enjoy playing with toys occasionally, especially if they’re happy and well cared for. Providing toys to play with is essential to caring for a rabbit. Playing with toys leads rabbits to perform several natural activities important to their overall health and well-being, including digging, chin rubbing, and several more.
Of course, you can purchase toys for our rabbit to play with, and plenty of them are on the market. However, if you’re the DIY type, making toys for your rabbit might be the way to go. To help, below, we’ve collected 5 DIY rabbit toys your pet will love. Most are easy to complete using basic DIY supplies and tools. Read on to discover them all, get plans, and make healthy, fun toys for your rabbit friend today!
The 5 DIY Rabbit Toys That You Can Make Today
1. DIY Toilet Paper Tube Toy and Treat Dispenser by The Bunny Lady
| Materials: | 1 toilet paper tissue roll, rabbit treats |
| Tools: | Scissors or a razor |
| Difficulty level: | Easy |
From The Bunny Lady comes this super-simple toy/treat dispenser you can make in minutes with a toilet paper roll. Yes, it’s pretty basic, but it’s also made with a paper tube, which your rabbit will love chewing apart. Inside the tube, you place pellets or treats that will fall out when your rabbit’s playing with it.
You can make this DIY rabbit toy in mere minutes, and besides the treats, this rabbit toy costs nothing to make! Also, if you’re like most people, you’ll have an endless supply of TP rolls!
2. DIY Rabbit Snuffle Mat by Calgary Humane Society
| Materials: | Rubber mat, strips of fleece material |
| Tools: | Scissors |
| Difficulty level: | Easy |
This DIY rabbit toy is easy to make in just a few minutes but will give your rabbit a toy they can play with for months. It’s called a snuffle mat and is meant to be an interactive scent and treats toy that will keep your bunny entertained and stimulate their senses. However, it isn’t a toy specifically for rabbits and can be used for cats, dogs, and other pets.
For rabbits, though, it’s perfect. You can find the mat you need to make this toy at any big-box home improvement store and the cotton fleece material at a craft or sewing store. Putting the mat together is easy and will provide your rabbit with hours of fun and stimulation! Plus, it’s colorful and fun!
3. DIY Cardboard Rabbit Play House by 101Rabbits
| Materials: | Cardboard, tape, binder clips |
| Tools: | Razor knife, scissors |
| Difficulty level: | Moderate |
Small DIY rabbit toys are great, but to give your bunny something bigger and better to play in, this DIY cardboard rabbit playhouse is fantastic! All you need are several cardboard boxes of different sizes, a razor knife, some tape, and moderate DIY skills. In about 1 to 2 hours, your best bunny will have a fun playhouse to relax in and get away from the world if it’s a little stressed. It helps to have extra room when you make this DIY rabbit toy because, although lightweight, it’s big and bulky. Still, you could also use smaller boxes to reduce the bulkiness. Either way, this is a fun, affordable project that will keep your rabbit entertained for hours!
4. DIY Rabbit Piñata Toy and Treat Dispenser by Bun’s Best Life
| Materials: | Paper bag, twine, treats, or rabbit pellets |
| Tools: | Scissors |
| Difficulty level: | Easy |
This easy bunny piñata is a blast for your rabbit! It comes from Youtuber Bun’s Best Life and, besides being ridiculously easy to make, is a real hoot for your bunny! There are five DIY rabbit toys in the video, but the piñata starts at the 3:08 minute mark. Like an actual piñata, you fill it and hang this DIY model from the top or side of your rabbit’s cage.
That gets your bunny buddy up on its hind legs batting it around, which is excellent exercise. It‘s also entertaining to watch since the piñata moves while your rabbit tries to grab it! The best part is that this DIY rabbit toy costs next to nothing and can be made in a flash! You could even go so far as to embellish your piñata with non-toxic paints or markers for a splash of color.
5. DIY Egg Carton Hidden Treasure Rabbit Toys by Captain Jasper Rabbit
| Materials: | Egg carton, glue, tape, bunny treats, or pellets |
| Tools: | – |
| Difficulty level: | Easy |
If you eat eggs, you no doubt have egg cartons around the house and might even save them as they make great DIY components. They certainly do for this DIY rabbit toy that Youtuber Captain Jasper Rabbit shows you how to make (along with five other egg carton rabbit toys).
The directions start at the 3:41 mark and couldn’t be much easier! You simply take a 6-egg egg carton, place some treats inside, and shut the carton.
Which Materials Are Best to Make DIY Rabbit Toys?
Rabbits are habitual chewers because they need to chew to keep their teeth from growing too long. What that means for you as a rabbit owner is you must provide your rabbit with DIY toys that, if swallowed, aren’t toxic. The three materials that make the best DIY rabbit toys include the following:
1. Paper
Try always to use paper that’s unprinted, plain, and hasn’t been bleached. Plain brown wrapping paper is a great choice. If you use colored paper, be sure it’s made using non-toxic inks.
2. Cardboard
Plain cardboard boxes are easy to find and easy to use. You can make many things from cardboard, and since it’s free, the cost is affordable. If you’re worried about using used cardboard boxes due to germs or bacteria, you can purchase new ones from most big box stores. Even a huge box only costs a few dollars and will be clean and pristine.
3. Cotton Fleece
Cotton fleece can be used to make all sorts of DIY rabbit toys, including one on our list. It should be clean and new with no threadbare spots or holes. The reason is that your rabbit could get its foot or leg trapped and injure itself, or it could accidentally eat the material.
Why Do Rabbits Need Toys?
One thing you must know about rabbits is that they’re active animals with intelligence that rivals dogs and cats. For example, a rabbit can recognize its owner, and many can be trained to come to you when you call them. Like dogs and cats, a rabbit will easily get bored, especially if it lives alone. Boredom can lead to depression, which can cause several other health issues. That’s why providing mental and physical stimulation and engagement for your rabbit is essential.
Final Thoughts
Rabbits are intelligent animals that demand mental and physical stimulation to be happy and healthy. The 5 DIY rabbit toys on our list today are guaranteed to make your bunny happy, keep them occupied, and prevent any health issues from boredom. Best of luck making one, or all, of these fantastic DIY rabbit toys and watching your favorite bunny have a great time with them!
Featured Image Credit: Bunnada_S, Shutterstock
