Cat trees for bunnies

[BerryMochi]

Hi! My bunny loves to climb things. I built a huge xpen for her when she was a baby because she had to be kept inside at night but she's completely free roam now and only naps inside or at the top of it during the day. I want to get rid of it and move some things around so there's more space and I've been thinking of getting her a small cat tree so she still has something to climbs. I found one that's perfect but it has scratching posts. There's some other ones but they all have either scratching posts or mats and I'm not sure if they're safe for bunnies. Here's a photo for reference:

 

[JBun]

That looks like it might work, if it's not taller than the photo shows. A tall one without sturdy steps up, would be a risk for a rabbit to use, as rabbits aren't agile like cats and could get injured. And it doesn't have thick carpet strands that might be an ingestion risk for a bun that's a chewer. The scratching post looks like natural fibers, which should be ok. But do look it over carefully with the mindset of things getting chewed by your bun, to determine if it all seems safe.

 

[jeff38002]

Based off of the cat furniture we've had, the rope is most likely either jute or sisal - both are supposed to be fine for rabbits to chew on. I would however be VERY careful about the staples, nails and screws on the entire thing all being set in tightly - usually just a screwdriver or hammer can get that fixed just fine. I'd also quickly check each metal fastener often for the first few days to be sure they stay tight, and then periodically even after that. I shudder to think what an ingested staple could do to a bun.

 

[overhear]

I've thought about those, but I do worry that the grass-like fiber could be treated or fumigated with something that's unhealthy for bunnies.

It's very hard to know since those products aren't regulated in the same way as baby toys or food are.

 

[BerryMochi]

That looks like it might work, if it's not taller than the photo shows. A tall one without sturdy steps up, would be a risk for a rabbit to use, as rabbits aren't agile like cats and could get injured. And it doesn't have thick carpet strands that might be an ingestion risk for a bun that's a chewer. The scratching post looks like natural fibers, which should be ok. But do look it over carefully with the mindset of things getting chewed by your bun, to determine if it all seems safe.

It's not too tall and seems pretty sturdy. I saw some reviews with pretty heavy cats using it with no movement or tilting. The scratching post rope is still my biggest concern, she isn't much a chewer but she likes to surprise me, she ate a bunch of rubber on my dumbells once.

Based off of the cat furniture we've had, the rope is most likely either jute or sisal - both are supposed to be fine for rabbits to chew on. I would however be VERY careful about the staples, nails and screws on the entire thing all being set in tightly - usually just a screwdriver or hammer can get that fixed just fine. I'd also quickly check each metal fastener often for the first few days to be sure they stay tight, and then periodically even after that. I shudder to think what an ingested staple could do to a bun.

Jesus, I didn't even know there could be staples. That's a scary thought. From what I've seen it requires self assembly and it mainly uses screws but I'll make sure. I might check if theres a way to remove the rope easily and cover it with a blanket just in case she ends up liking it too much.

Thank you all for the tips! I'll see how it goes, hopefully she ends up liking it.

 

[jeff38002]

the staples hold the carpet down, they're usually very tightly pounded in but I'd still run my hand (CAREFULLY so you don't get cut) over every square inch on every side. Keep in mind they don't expect cats to chew on the furniture like a lot of buns would so they probably aren't too careful about making it bunny proof. If the carpet smells "new", I'd also suggest letting it off-gas for a couple days with a fan blowing on it. It's amazing how much carpet can off-gas with good air flow in just a couple days.