Toys for a Small Bun

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thatkiidsean

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Hey guys,

Recently I finished setting up the pen for my bun (pics to come up soon!), and when I showed my breeder the pen, she loved it! BUT, she pointed out that the bun she's giving me can't play with anything else but timothy hay toys. This has puzzled me. For toys, I bought wood chews, baby links, a plastic tunnel, a tennis ball, a slinky, and a stuffed animal. The only timothy hay-related toy I have is a timothy hay mat. Should I trust the breeder and only give it timothy hay toys, and did I buy all these for nothing? Or should I stick to my gut and my research and hope that the bunny will enjoy everything I got him?

Also, I hear various opinions on this subject, but would a phone book be considered a good toy (with the front and back covers ripped off)?

:juggle
 
Actually, I might as well post the enclosure here in case you guys would like to take a look at it and give me your opinions! Here's a top view of it:

IMG_6538.jpg
 
Firstly, I noticed that you are using a plastic playard (I have the same one). One thing you will want to worry about with that is your rabbit chewing out. I have had a rabbit chew through a baby gate before. It is hard plastic, this I know, but this is rabbits we're talking about. Definitely don't get rid of your setup on that basis, but do keep it in mind. Also keep in mind that your rabbit might be able to jump out of that by the time he's an adult, especially if you have something he can jump onto inside the cage, like that box in the corner. (Mine could probably jump out of it and he's not even 3 months old yet.)

Truthfully, the only toy I'd take out is the slinky. Your rabbit will probably only want to chew it up, and you definitely don't want him accidentally swallowing a chunk. Stick to soft plastic.

My only other suggestions? Try putting those wooden pieces on a bunny kabob! Put down puppy pads (actually, the underpads from the health and beauty department of Walmart work better; they're cheaper and larger) instead of blankets/rugs until you know your rabbit knows where to pee. I can almost guarantee that blanket will get peed on right away. Might as well have something disposable down so you're not doing a load of laundry right away. You might also want to wait to give him the grass mat for the same reason.

I would ask the breeder why he/she suggests only using toys made out of timothy. I have never heard of that, but maybe your breeder is overly cautious. In any case, I'D be asking why, out of simple curiosity.

In response to your last question, I would give my rabbit a clean notebook instead of a phone book or newspaper.
 
I agree with Almi that your breeder might just be overly cautious. I have given my rabbits all those things, including phone books, and they are alive and well. I have three rabbits and they prefer different things so you will have to see what your rabbit's personality is and what they like. I have one who chews and eats plastic so I can't give him anything plastic because I'm afraid it could cause an intestinal blockage. I just give him wood and cardboard toys, which I don't think are as dangerous if he ingests some. My other two bunnies are fine with plastic and just play, not chew.
 
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P.S.
Now that I think about it, I wonder if the breeder knows that your rabbit is a chewer and thinks that the Timothy toys are the safest for him/her? Maybe you should ask why she is recommending that.
 
Thank you for the advice! I will definitely take out the slinky and watch for its chewing habits, especially on the pen. Is there a certain age I should be on the lookout for how much it chews? It will be 9 weeks old when I get it, and honestly I don't expect a young bun to chew its way out, but I guess I'll have to see for myself.

With a clean notebook, would I have to worry about the metal spiral? Would I have to take the cover off as well?
 
I disagree on the soft plastic thing. In my opinion soft plastics are the one to avoid because they can be chewed into bits and consumed, hard plastic tends not to submit to bunny teeth so easily. However, I would remove the slinky, only because of a fear of entanglement. A lot of bunnies love them as toys, but for me, supervised play only.

I might take out the tennis ball, I've heard the fibers can be pulled off and ingested, which is not good. Otherwise, I love the set up :)

As a tip, next time you cut holes in the cardboard box for bunny, make them smaller, they make them big enough in good time ;)
 
Would the tunnel be a good toy to have, even though it's plastic? The tunnel was made for large pets like bunnies to play in, but I don't want it to cause intestinal blockage.

I will remove the tennis ball, but plan to give it to the rabbit as a toy when supervised.
 
Plastic may not e the best idea. Every time I put something plastic in a bun cage, I end up taking it out a few days later because they chew it.

You don't really need to buy a bunch of toys to make your bun happy. It's great that you did. If he chews through all of yours though, you could just plop in a couple of large wood blocks and a tape-free cardboard box. Sometimes I loosely crumple up a ton of newspaper and put it inside. They love t, but it only lasts for about three hours.
 
I disagree on the soft plastic thing. In my opinion soft plastics are the one to avoid because they can be chewed into bits and consumed, hard plastic tends not to submit to bunny teeth so easily.

I suppose it depends on the size and shape of the item in question. However, the way I see it, hard plastic can break/shatter into sharp little shards, and soft plastic can be whittled down into tiny, innocuous pieces. When a single shard is swallowed, the chances of it [fatally] wreaking havoc on your rabbit's soft insides is fairly high. If a few small pieces of shaved soft plastic are swallowed, there is a good chance it will go through the rabbit with no problems, as long as your rabbit does not have a pica problem (and is eating large amounts of it). So generally, I think soft plastic is safer than hard plastic. Obviously, if you have a bunny that chews either, your only option is no plastic. I just wanted to clarify.
 

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