Rabbit Toys: Food Ball
Scamp takes a lot of entertaining and a rabbit food ball (sold by Rosewood Pets and various other companies) is one of his top toys. Unlike some other rabbit toys that get played with a bit and then ignored this has kept his attention. Though, that may have something to do with the food I keep filling it with.
It’s a very simple toy; a wire ball with a chain to hang it up and a bell on the bottom. One side has a section of wire missing so it’s easy to fill with goodies. It’s too small to hold enough hay to be useful, but it is perfect for stuffing with veggies.
The wire restricts access so that food has to be nibbled as the ball swings and you can adjust the height to make the activity more easy or difficult as required. If your rabbit is really clever, hang the ball up high so it’s only just in reach or only in reach when stood on a box.
Making rabbits work hard for food is great enrichment. It stops them getting bored and eating your wallpaper instead, and it also encourages them to be active, stretching and jumping to get what they want.
In this photo I’d wrapped Scamp’s veg up in paper before putting it in the food ball to make him work extra hard. As you can see, shredding the paper to get the treat is giving him a good work out.
Tags: rabbit-products, rabbit-toys
Howdy ..
Scamp is a dandy, and a lucky bunn as well!!!!
Love the food ball. We also make our own refillable hay tubes. Things shouldn’t be too easy to healthy active rabbits! I’ve been thinking of doing some proofing like your Perspex, I guess that would be like Plexiglass on this side of the world. Thanks for visiting The Qi Papers. And yes, there are a lot of rabbits blogging!
I have just read your feed back on this ball and think it is another great idea, I shall keep an eye out for one of these. Frodo is really good at working things out, he sounds a lot like Scamp, so with any luck he will get lots of enjoyment out of it too. (The cardboard balls where a big hit, though he does cheat and takes them to his water bowl to soak which makes it easier for him to get in to 😉 looking forward to your next bunny blog x
Awesome idea….but my bunny wouldn’t do it, ahah, i tried i very simple one….an old cat call (the small kind with a bell inside), put his fav food inside…nosed it a bit, and lost interest…any ideas to get him active to work for his food?
The key is to take the tastiest bits from his meals as they are the bits he’ll be most inclined to work for. Start with something really easy eg just wrapping it in a piece of paper or hiding it in a pile of hay and work up to more difficult things gradually as gets the hang of it.