DIY Toys
by A. A.
Bunnies without toys will turn furniture, cords, and anything they can wrap their teeth around into part of their activity center. Store-bought toys are convenient but expensive and often not mentally stimulating. Many DIY toys are easy to make with things around the house or simple items available at craft stores.
Hurdles: Why should horses be the only animals that get to jump hurdles? To make one for your bunny, you’ll need: two square dowels, two wooden squares for the base, nails, at least one round dowel, and at least two ¼ cubes. 1) Start by nailing each square dowel to one of the base cubes. 2) Then add a square to each dowel at the same height. Carve a little groove into the square to keep the round dowel in place. 3) Add round dowel and tempt bunny over the hurdle with treats. If you have a large enough space, you can make several hurdles and place them near one or more bunny tunnels to create an obstacle course.
Dig boxes: Cut an entrance or two into a cardboard box and fill the box with newspapers, magazines, junk mail, carpet swatches, old pillow cases or towels, tissue boxes (plastic removed and make sure holes are big enough so their heads don’t get stuck), shoeboxes, etc. Bunnies love to rip these things, as well as the walls of the cardboard box and it keeps the mess contained. You can also connect several boxes together to create a box tunnel. Don’t use boxes with staples and if there’s tape that can’t be removed, supervise your bunny to make sure she’s not eating it. For another idea with boxes, you’ll need an old pair of cotton socks. Cut two entrances into opposite sides of the box and poke holes in the top. Stuff hay into the socks, cut a few small holes into them and push them through the top of the box. Bunnies can go in and get the hay out of the socks. If your bunny starts eating the socks, remove this toy.
Games: Hang a plastic Slinky from a chair or table so that it swings and is within a bunny’s reach. Put hay or leafy greens inside the Slinky and let your bunny bat at the Slinky and fish out the greens. The more you loop the greens, the greater the challenge. One easy game to create is to put up a clothesline between two items in a room. Then using clothespins, attach veggies to it. Make sure the veggies can be reached by the bunny, and just watch the game begin. Another challenging game is to have bunnies find a hidden treat. Buy some untreated wooden boxes with lids or drawers and secure them to a flat board using non-toxic glue such as Elmer’s (glue a piece of felt or carpet to the board if the surface is too slippery). Fill the boxes with veggies or hay and let your bunny figure out how to get the food. This toy requires supervision if the boxes have metal clasps or hinges. For a simpler version of “find the treat” you can fill toilet paper tubes with food and hide those around your bunny’s play area.
Papier mache piñata: For this toy you’ll need balloons, flour, a bowl of water, and thin paper such as brown paper bags or packing paper. 1) Blow up balloons to the size you’d like your piñata to be. Any size will work but larger ones will take longer to make. Also, since the balloons will be removed, the color doesn’t matter. 2) Shred the paper. Try to match the scraps to the size of balloon for the best fit but they don’t need to be perfect. 3) Make the papier mache. Add a pinch of flour to the bowl of water and stir. Then place some of the paper scraps in the bowl and soak for a couple of minutes. You may need to re-stir as you work but you don’t need to add more flour. 4) Apply paper to balloons. This will be your first layer so don’t try to use up all the scraps. The scraps should be slightly overlapping, not edge to edge. Leave room around the balloon knots because that’s where the piñata will be filled after the balloons are removed. 5) Leave to dry. You can use a hairdryer to speed up the process. At most, they’ll take overnight to dry but they typically dry much sooner. Once the balloons dry, repeat steps 4 and 5 to add the second layer. Two layers should suffice but if you can add a third, your piñata will be sturdier. 6) Remove balloon. When the balloons have all their layers and are totally dry, cut the knots with scissors or puncture the balloons with something sharp. After being deflated, the balloons should come out easily. 8) Fill with treats. You can use hay or dried herbs but don’t use fresh veggies because the moisture won’t work well with the papier mache. You can hang the piñatas with sisal rope if desired or your bunny can play with them on the floor.
Some DIY projects take more time and effort than others but are worth it to have fun with your bun!