If You Are Wondering How To Keep Your Pet Rabbits Warm During The Winter Then Try Out The Tips & Tricks We Found Out To Help Rabbits Stay Warm Through Winter.
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Top 10 Best Breed Of Rabbit For First Time Owners
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Continue reading11 Useful Pet Rabbit Hacks For New Rabbit Owners
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Continue readingWhat Should You Feed Wild Rabbits In Winter?
Rabbits Can Have A Hard Time Finding Food During The Winter, They Can Even Starve In Their Burrows Without Your Help. Learn What To Feed Wild Rabbits In Winter.
Continue readingHow To Train Rabbits To Drink From A Water Bottle?
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Continue readingHow To Keep A Rabbit’s Nails Short Without Cutting?
If you have an anxious or nervous bunny at home who does not like to get their nails clipped then you must have thought How To Keep A Rabbit’s Nails Short Without Cutting? I was really having a hard time handling my rabbits every time their nails grew out enough to be cut.
Most house rabbits need to get their nails cut every few months and it is cut using a specialized pair of nail scissors. Just like human nails, rabbit nails have a part made of Keratin (the hard nail) and the nail bed called a ‘Quick’. In order to cut their nails safely, one must cut off the top nail part without cutting the quick tissue inside otherwise it can cause bleeding.
I looked at how wild rabbits keep their nails short and found out that they use their nails to dig a lot. They dig to make burrows, dig up tubers and other vegetables or grass, even from under a thick layer of snow. This wears down their nails enough that they never grow too long.
Here is how you can adapt a wild rabbit’s nail wearing routine to your pet rabbits and keep your rabbit’s nails short without cutting.
- Using a nail file.
- Giving them a rough mat to dig and scratch on
- Providing lots of space for them to run around
- Letting them dig in the yard
- Making sure they walk on hard surfaces
Read on to learn about these steps and how they work in more detail.
Using A Nail File
This one is an obvious choice, any old nail file that you use on your own nails will work wonders on your bunny’s nails as well. Rabbit’s nails are made of the same stuff as us.
Just sit your bunny down on your lap and file away, if you find that they are trying to get away then wrap them around in a towel and make a bunny burrito.
File down all of their nails one by one from front paws to the back.
Although this method does take a bit of time compared to the traditional nail clippers, it is much safer and causes no pain or anxiety to your rabbit.
P.S. Always keep some treats at hand when you are filing your rabbit’s nails, this will hold your rabbit’s attention and prevent them from trying to get away.
What Is The Best Nail File For Rabbits?
Any simple nail file will do the job as long as it files fast and smoothly, remember we are still dealing with a rabbit all to eager to run away.
Here is the on that I use and it worked wonders on my rabbits
Giving Them A Rough Mat To Dig And Scratch On
Filing their nails down is one thing but in order to keep your rabbit’s nails short without cutting, you need to make sure that their nails wear down naturally.
One of the best ways to achieve this would be by giving them a rough mat to dig and scratch on.
As you might know, rabbits love to dig, this digging often caused problems for their owners if the rabbit is living indoors. They often dig up the carpet or the sofa but this behavior is natural.
They just want to release so energy and wear down their nails.
An easy way to turn this behavior is to give them a rough mat which they can dig or chew on. That way their destructive behavior is turned into a game which can be really entertaining to watch.
For your bunny, this will definitely be the most fun way if you have been wondering How To Keep A Rabbit’s Nails Short Without Cutting?
What Is Best Rabbit Mat For Digging & Chewing?
When it comes to rabbit mats that are safe and healthy for rabbits to dig on, the Oxbow Timothy Mat is definitely the best. It has multiple sizes according to your bunny and is made out of 100% Timothy hay.
Providing Lots Of Space For Them To Run Around
Rabbits have forward facing nails similar to dogs, that mean unlike cats they cannot retract their nails while running. Rabbit nails help them get enough grip in any kind of surface.
That’s why rabbits which like to run around a lot wear down their nails quite easily.
An easy way to promote running around in your rabbit is by providing with lots of space to move around. Rabbits living in a cage or a hutch hardly has any space to move around.
Let them free roam in the house during the day if your house is bunny proofed. You can also keep more than one rabbit, which also increases the activity level in rabbits. They are always happier living with a friend.
And finally, take some time out to interact with your rabbit everyday and bring enrichment into their lives.
Placing tasty treats around the house can stimulate your rabbit to move around and its a great way to add more exercise. Learn more about the best rabbit treat on What Can Rabbits Eat? Rabbit Food Guide
Letting Them Dig In The Yard
Now this one might be a bit controversial, the best way to keep rabbit’s nails short without cutting them would be allow them to dig in your back yard.
Rabbits are natural diggers, in the wild they live in complex multi leveled burrows. This means that they are digging through soil, gravel, roots and snow. All this digging wears down their nails and keeps them short.
An easy way to replicate this with domestic rabbits is to let them dig in your yard in a controlled manner.
Just make sure that you supervise them while they are out. Rabbits have been known to jump over fences.
Making Sure They Walk On Hard Surfaces
Rabbit nails are forward facing, that means they keep scraping the floor when they walk or run. Thats why you may see your bunny struggling to maintain a grip on on a polished floor.
Although we want to give our rabbits the best comfort, having a hard and rough surface is quite beneficial when it comes to keeping their nails worn down.
The best surfaces for rabbits to be walking around would be concrete floors or wood floors that are unpolished. If your house has polished floors or carpet then you can try to place large piece of untreated ply wood in the bunny’s play area.
This may look harsh at first, it is quite comfortable for rabbits as they can move around better on harder surfaces. Plus they won’t have to go through the trauma of getting their nails clipped as often. That’s an easy trick on How To Keep A Rabbit’s Nails Short Without Cutting?
Conclusion
The key take away here is this, although we not able able to completely get rid of the rabbit nail clippers just yet. Using the methods above you can significantly reduce how often you have to get your bunny’s nails trimmed.
This means less problems for you or your bunny in the long run. Cutting rabbit nails can be a hard skill to acquire so if you ever need it then its best to have your vet do it for you in the meanwhile.
If you decide to try clipping your rabbit’s nails instead you can try learning a bit more on How To Cut A Rabbit’s Claws
10 DIY Rabbit Toys Made From Household Items
Rabbits are really active pets that have lots of energy to jump and hop around all day long. If this energy is not directed into safe play then it can often lead to destructive behavior. A bored rabbit can lead to lots of problems for its owners like digging and tearing of carpets or sofas.
The best way to manage this is by providing your rabbit with lots of enrichment in their lives. This could include lots of space to play, a rabbit friend who they can play with and rabbit toys.
Rabbit toys don’t always need to be store bought or expensive. You can even use common household items that are natural, cheap and re-purpose them as rabbit toys.
Here are 10 DIY Rabbit Toys Made From Household Items.
1. Rabbit Toys From Cardboard Boxes
Cardboard boxes are the fantasy domain for all small animals. Curious creatures like bunny rabbits love to play and hop around cardboard boxes. It gives them hours of entertainment.
Remember rabbits naturally live in burrows, they love hidden places where they feel safe. Cardboard boxes are perfect for that reason. Just pitch a box up and let your bunny have at it.
Are Cardboard Boxes Safe For Pet Rabbits?
Rabbits love to chew so you may find that with time your rabbit may start biting or chewing the cardboard box. According to the House Rabbit Society most cardboard’s should be alright for rabbits to chew or ingest in small amounts.
Just make sure it is no ink or plastic on it. Also remove any glue or staples as these may hurt the bunny.
Cardboard Rabbit Toy Ideas
There are many cool cardboard rabbit toys that you can DIY make at home with just the cardboard boxes around your house.
A simple cardboard maze made out of cut pieces of a cardboard box glued together. Any rabbit will have a great time going through or just chewing on it.
You can also try out an alternative that you can get from amazon.com. It is a cupcake made from rabbit safe cardboard. How cool is that! Overall cardboard rabbit toys are some of the best and cost effective DIY Rabbit Toys Made From Household Items.
2. Rabbit Toys From Toilet Paper Rolls
Believe it or not, toilet paper rolls can make excellent toys for rabbits. Rabbits love to roll & toss these around and have a blast. Their size and shape make them and excellent toy for rabbits.
Toilet rolls can be used in many DIY toys and will surely keep your bunnies entertained for hours to come.
Are toilet paper rolls Safe For Pet Rabbits?
Again, because toilet paper rolls are made out of cardboard or some derivative of it. So it should be safe for rabbits to play with or chew on. Make sure there is no glue or plastic on it.
Toilet Paper Roll Rabbit Toy Ideas
Toilet Paper Rolls are incredibly versatile. They can be easily turned into many cool DIY Toilet Paper Rabbit Toys. Here are a couple of examples
Here is simple hay feeder that you can make out of toilet paper rolls. Just grab a pair of scissors and cut a few notches and stuff it with hay. Your bunnies are going to have an awesome time digging and tossing this around to get the hay.
If your bunny like to hop around then this jumping hurdle made out of toiled paper rolls can be an great option for your pet. Just poke a few holes and stick in some twigs or old chopsticks/skewers.
3. Rabbit Toys From Sticks & Twigs
Well all things considered, stick & twigs are the most natural rabbit toy option available. These things are perfect because they are mostly unprocessed unlike some other household objects like paper or cardboard which is processed in a factory.
Another advantage of using sticks and twigs as rabbit toys is that they are quite durable. As you may know, rabbit teeth keep growing throughout their life and pet rabbits just like wild rabbits need to chew on stuff to keep their teeth worn down.
Offering hard toys which bunnies can chew on makes sure that they dont start chewing down your furniture and that why they are one of the best DIY Rabbit Toys Made From Household Items.
Which wood types are safe for rabbit stick toys?
Rabbits have front teeth that keep growing throughout their lives because they have to chew through so much grass or small plants in their natural habitat. They often chew on the twigs of larger trees as well.
There are some of the type of woods that are safe for rabbits to chew on
- Apple
- Birch
- Ash
- Juniper
- Hawthorn
- Hazel
- Maple
- Willow
and then there are some woods that rabbits should not chew or play with. These are usually the ones that have a high Phenol content. We can detect this by their fresh aromatic fragrance. Some examples are
- Ceder
- Eucalyptus
- Pine
- Yew
- Holly
- Cherry
Plywood or Composite Wood can be really harmful for rabbits so make sure your rabbit is not chewing on these. These kinds of products are made with toxic chemicals that can be deadly for bunny rabbit.
Sticks & Twigs Rabbit Toy Ideas
You can improvise some really cool rabbit toys from just some sticks you may find around the yard. Here is an example where you just poke some holes in a toilet paper roll and ‘stick some sticks’ in to get a mini tree of sorts
If you live in an urban where you may not be able to get suitable sticks for rabbit toys or if you are unsure about the kind of wood available in your area then you can just buy some rabbit safe apple wood sticks which are organic and pesticide free.
These sticks are specifically produced keeping rabbit health in mind and can be given to pet rabbits to play with. Check them out on on amazon.com
4. Rabbit Toys From Old Cloths
We all have tons of old cloths in our closets that we do not use anymore. After a while these end up in the trash but did you know that your rabbits can play them?
Old cloths are ideal as rabbit toys because they are safe and easily accessible to all of us.
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Rabbits love to dig and chew on fabric. They get tons of fun just roughing and straightening old sheets. They are provably the cheapest to make DIY Rabbit Toys Made From Household Items.
Are Old Cloths Safe For Rabbit To Play With?
In most cases old cloths should be perfectly safe for rabbits to play with. There is no harm in rabbits digging or biting old cloths.
Not only does this stimulate their natural behavior to dig and make burrows underground, it also helps them to release pent up stress.
Just make sure to remove any hard bits that may hurt your bunny like buttons or hooks etc.
Old Cloths Rabbit Toy Ideas
Although rabbits can have fun with just digging up old cloths as they are, it may be more fun for both you and your rabbits if you try out some rabbit toy ideas made from old cloths. Here is an example of cloth strips tied up and turned into an excellent rabbit chew toy.
Just some old cloth bits stuffed into a sock can also make an amazing toy for your bunny to play around with. One of the easiest and cheapest DIY Rabbit Toys Made From Household Items
5. Rabbit Toys From Popsicle Sticks
Popsicle sticks or ice cream sticks are another common household item that can be used as a DIY rabbit toy.
You can collect these after you have eaten the popsicles or just get new ones from the grocery store. These are quite easy to get a hold of.
Popsicle sticks can be great rabbit toys because they are light but durable enough for rabbits to chew on.
Are Popsicle Sticks Safe For Rabbits To Play With?
Since popsicle sticks are designed to go along with ice cream they are usually made from safe food grade wood.
All you need to do is make sure there is no color or stain on it that is not food safe.Remember most things that are safe of us should also be safe for rabbits.
Popsicle Stick Rabbit Toy Ideas
Not only are Popsicle sticks great rabbit toys as is, you can make great diy rabbit toys from them. Here is one one of them
with very little work these sticks can be turned into cool rabbit toys and you can have a lot of fun playing along with your pet. Another one which looks really neat is this one which looks like mini trees
6. Rabbit Toys From Ropes
Similar to old cloths, ropes can also be used as rabbit toys. Rabbits love to tug and drag around ropes. You can join in the play by dragging the rope and let your bunny chase around.
Ropes are quite versatile if you want to get in diy rabbit toy making. Ropes or strings are included in a lot of rabbit toys.
Are Ropes Safe For Rabbits To Play With?
Now this is we have to be a bit careful. Some ropes are made with materials like jute, cotton or coconut fibers which are safe for rabbits to play with. But most modern ropes are made out of synthetic mateirals which may harm your rabbit.
So make sure you go for ropes with natural and organic material. You can also try making ropes out of cloth bits.
Rope Rabbit Toy Ideas
There are a ton of cool rabbit toys that you can make out of ropes. You can use them to tie things together or drag things around. Bunny rabbits love this. Here are a couple of examples
Just stuff a couple of toilet rolls with hay and hang it up and there you go. Your bunny will love to exercise while getting their hay. Another great example is just a simple ball of twine. Roll it around and play with your bunny
If you have a bit more time at hand and would like to get into some crafting then give this one a try by haging small pieces of rabbit safe wood on a rope.
Not only do these make excellent DIY Rabbit Toys Made From Household Items, they also make very cool decorative pieces in your bunny’s play area.
7. Rabbit Toys From Cloths Clips
Cloths pins are another common household item that can be turned into a cheap and fun rabbit toy.
In their natural habitat rabbits roam around all day in search of food. This is a lot of exercise and helps to keep rabbits fit and healthy.
House rabbits seldom get this kind of exercise and tend to get obese is their diet is not very well controlled and adjusted along with their age.
Cloths clips can be used to hang their food around your house and letting your bunny work a little by finding as well as getting to the food.
Are Cloths Clips Safe For Rabbits To Play With?
Well that depends, cloths clips have parts that are made out of metal wires so it may not be safe for rabbit to chew on directly.
That why I recommend only hang food from cloths clip and hang it in a place where the rabbit cannot get the cloths clips directly.
Only use wooden cloths clips, metal or plastic ones may be too dangerous to play with as they may contain sharp edges.
Cloths Clip Rabbit Toy Ideas
This one is quite simple. All you need is some green leafy vegetables and your cloths clips
Hang up your vegetables around the house like this and let your bunny find them. Trust me rabbits love this, it feels quite natural to them instead of eating from a plate or bowl. It simulates foraging and promotes exercise. Good for the bunny & you.
8. Rabbit Toys From Hay
Rabbits are food motivated animals. This means that they get excited when they are given food. This is why rabbit toys made out of hay can be really good for playing with pet rabbits.
Hay is an essential part of a pet rabbit’s diet. Hay should be the major bulk of your rabbit’s diet as it is low in calories but high in fiber which helps to keep a rabbit’s delicate digestive system working well.
That is why hay should always be available at every rabbit owner’s house. It is the safest DIY Rabbit Toy Made From Household Items
Hay Rabbit Toy Ideas
Hay can be incorporated into rabbit toys in a bunch of different and interesting ways. Since rabbits love to chew on hay throughout the day you can stuff hay in toilet rolls and place them around the house.
You can also try just stuffing hay into a cardboard box and that will be fun for your rabbit too. When it comes to rabbit toys it does not need to be as flashy as you think. Simple things that rabbits enjoy like hay are the best.
If you see that your rabbit really loves pulling out hay out of toys then you can think about getting one of these
Simply fill the ball up with hay and watch your rabbit pull it out chowing it down. Check it out on Amazon.com
9. Rabbit Toys From Old Stuffed Toys
Everybody has a few stuffed animals tucked away somewhere in your house. From when you were a child or after your kids have grown up. Well those can be great toys for your pets now.
Rabbits love to play with stuffed toys, they bite it and carry it around. It all looks awesome.
So consider giving your bunny a couple of small stuffed toys to play with and enjoy watching them play.
Are Stuffed Toys Safe For Rabbits To Play With?
Rabbits love to bite and chew their toys, that is why it is recommended that you only give them toys made from natural materials like cotton.
These days a lot of stuffed toys are made of synthetic fibers which are not good for rabbits to chew on or consume.
Some good types of soft toys that are organic and safe for rabbits are
10. Rabbit Toys From Paper
Lastly paper, this one is quite useful when it comes to rabbit toys. Paper is made out of cellulose, this is a type of fiber which Rabbits love to tear apart and play with.
Usually you will find most rabbits enamored with a newspaper or some old baking paper. Some rabbits love to chew on paper because it helps them to wear down their teeth.
Is Paper Safe For Rabbits To Play With?
Yes, as long as it does not contain any harmful chemicals. Baking paper or unbleached papers are the best. Tearing and chewing the paper is fine but you have to make sure that your bunny does not ingest this paper.
If a rabbit eats too much paper then it may suffer from stomach aches or intestinal blockage which may be serious.
So make sure that your bunny has access to paper only when supervised by you.
Paper Rabbit Toy Ideas
In my opinion old phone books or dictionaries are the best when it comes to tearing up. If you are looking to make it into a ball then use wax free baking paper or newspapers that use soy ink.
A paper ball like this takes very little time, just smush up a sheet of paper and you have a cheap and DIY rabbit toy.
You can toss it around and have a blast with your rabbit.
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Conclusion
So as you can see these are the 10 DIY Rabbit Toys Made From Household Items. These can easily be made with things around your house and are wonderful when you want to spend time with your rabbit.
Here are a couple more articles that you may want to check out
If you liked this post then make sure to share it with your friends and if you have any more DIY rabbit toy ides then leave them in the comments below.
How Long Do Pet Rabbits Live? Rabbit’s Average Lifespan?
Pet Rabbits Are Excellent House Pets That Can Live For Over A Decade. When Treated With Love & Care They Thrive. Find Out More About Rabbit Lifespan Inside!
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