More Cardboard Tube Toys (Part 2)
The first toilet roll rabbit toys went down well i.e. Scamp had fun destroying them. So, I thought we’d have a go at the cardboard balls that Schuette suggested. Scamp loves his treat ball and destroying things so they look like the perfect toy for him.
First thing you do is chop the toilet roll tube (or kitchen roll) into slices about a centimetre (half an inch) across to make hoops.
I found each toilet roll made about 6/7 hoops and that was about right to make one ball.
Once you have your sections you push one over another, then another over those two, overlapping them at different angles to cover the gaps until you have a ball. At some point before the gaps get too small (usually the 2-3 hoop mark) you pop in something tasty. I started with pellets but found they fell out as soon as Scamp made a little hole so moved on to pieces of carrot and cabbage leaf.
Once you’ve got all the hoops added they should look something like this:
Finally you add a rabbit and it ends up looking like confetti!
Here’s a video of him enjoy them too. Thank you very much for the idea! We’ll be trying hay stuffed tubes next .. I think I’ll wait until just before cleaning time because I can see Scamp getting hay everywhere!
Tags: homemade-toys, rabbit-enrichment, rabbit-toys, Scamp, treat-ball
Thanks for more ideas. Bella and Buttons loved the last one, and it was funny watching them try to get their tongues into the treats , before they realised they would have to shred it!!!
[…] for you bunnies. Now i could type out the instructions for you but you might as well hop over to The Rabbit House and follow their instructions and watch the […]
This is really great! My bunny loves them, I even wove some Timothy hay into the sides! Is it bad for them to eat so much cardboard?
Hi Nicole, it isn’t very harmful.
These treat balls are a great boredom buster. My Netherland dwarf lop “Frodo” loves to toss them in the air, roll them about and he actually manages to hold them. Thankyou for a great idea. A big thankyou from Frodo too!
I’m glad Frodo is enjoying them so much – thanks for letting me know!
Just thought you would find it interesting to know Frodo latest trick with these balls is to carry them over to his water bowl (we found he liked the bowl better then the bottle) and drop them in for a few seconds, so that they softened, then he could get to his treats a lot easier….hmmm master mind in the making me thinks ;o)
Thanks for ideas Penny is really happy now!!
i love that idea of toys lol i never thought of that i make ( with nontoxic ink) a bunch of paper ina ball them you put an elastic band away most rabbits just go for the treat in side but if you see them going at the elestic band take it away imediatly
Thanks for taking the time to comment 🙂 I’d suggest rather than a elastic band, try some sisal or other natural fibre string. They can be so quick at nibbling sometimes it’s best to keep avoid things like rubber bands.
Oh ya thats a great idea!!!! how is scamp doing? how old is he? i just love it when i see rabbits at a great home!! i have 2 bnnies and i have had them since they were 2 months old and they will be 2 years old june first!
Thanks 🙂 Scamp’s doing great, he’s just turned five! I hope your bunnies enjoy the toy ideas.
are you sure scamp is a rabbit? he looks like a hare? his very cute!
He does doesn’t he! He’s definitely a rabbit though, when I got him (I hand-reared him) his eyes were still closed, where as baby hares are born with their eyes open!
We can’t wait to go try this for our mini-lop!
WOW these treat balls are AMAZING! I gave one to my bunny, and at first he wasn’t very interested, and just went on running around the room. Then, after a few minutes, he got interested, and he rolled them around for a while, gnawed the rings, then somehow got them all out of place and got his celery and lettuce treat! He is really HAPPY now, thanks so much for the idea!
the white ball by his box…is that an egg?
Lol, no, that would end up messy! It’s just a hard solid plastic ball for him to nudge about.
Great toys, but is that a wild rabbit? It sure does look like one :/
Hi Leah, yes it is, well spotted, there is a bit more about Scamp here: http://www.therabbithouse.com/blog/2010/04/25/scamps-birthday-baby-pics/
Heyy, this is a great ideaa!:) i have a query though…i have two three month old bunnies….planning on making this toy as well as thentunnels…but if they eat it, is it dangerous?
Most rabbits shred rather than ingesting so it’s not a problem, a little nibble won’t hurt as it’s just plant fibre and will pass through without a problem. You might need to be a bit more cautious if your rabbit attempts to eat the whole thing rather than shred though.
mine worked really well. the rabbits have the biggest run and hutch we could find on the internet and we have to achully go into it to give them there food. i`ve treid all the ideas when they come inside for a run around and a cuddle in my dining room and they seem to love every one of the toys. i think there achully better then the ones you can buy in the shop.
I’m glad your bunnies are enjoying them. I find the homemade toys get much more use than the shop brought ones, plus it’s much less expensive if they just take one sniff and then completely ignore them!
These ideas are amazing! I’ve just retired a rabbit from my college and he’s used to being outdoors so I wanted to make sure he had lots to keep him occupied. The ball idea is so quick and easy and so much more stimulating for him than being hand fed his vegetables! Can’t wait to try the others!
Hello 🙂 I was wondering what breed scamp was? I was thinking he was a Belgian hair, or a san Juan? Thanx!
Hiya 🙂 Scamp is a european wild rabbit that I hand reared. He’s what all the different rabbit breeds we have today originally developed from.
Wow, yours are much more destructive with his toys, hehe. My 2 mini lops just keep rolling them round and round with their noses hoping the treats will fall out, and they can really burn energy just chasing them around the room.
I tried this today and my Nahla loved it! She is such a smart little bunny. She figured out how to retrieve the treat I had in the ball twice. Thx for sharing!!
I’m glad your bunny enjoyed it. I love watching them figure out new toys 🙂