If you have a bunny (or more than one!) as a pet, you will know how inquisitive, sociable and active they are. Our mini-lops Fish and Chips love zooming around, poking their noses everywhere, and chewing whatever they can find.
The flipside is that rabbits can become bored without things to prod or gnaw. So here are ten great inexpensive rabbit toys and treats for bunnies that keep ours active and happy.
1. Ancol small animal treat ball
- Long-lasting
- Entertaining
- Pretty cheap
This is my favourite gift on this list – that’s why it’s the first one.
This entertains our bunnies Fish and Chips and keeps them active pushing it around the garden with their nose and paws.
The Ancol ball is slightly larger than a tennis ball, hollow, and made out of thick yellow plastic. You can drop nuggets or other treats into the ball through a sliding panel, and then leave it slightly open.
As your rabbit pushes the ball around, a nugget or two will drop out. As your bunny learns that pushing the ball means treats, they will play with it more and more.
It’s a toy that lasts (some of the others are meant to be chewed) and entertains, and it’s not even expensive.
The only drawback we found is that the lid can be a little hard to slide.
You can buy the Ancol small animal treat ball from Amazon UK here; the closest equivalent I could find in the States comes under the Wheeky brand, available from Amazon US here.
2. Ancol rabbit play tunnel
- Long lasting
- Great fun
- Folds away
Rabbits love being able to hide and run, and this tunnel gives them a chance to do both. Our bunnies also have fun sprinting through the tunnel at pace (bunnies are fast!).
The tunnel is longer than some others also on the market (it’s just over 4 feet / 1.28cm).
It is also wider than some others (the diameter is 10in / 25cm), so if you have a larger pet rabbit like a French lop or similar they can still fit through.
The tunnel is made out of nylon, and seems quite robust. We leave ours out in the garden (and young children have played with/in it as well) and it is still fine.
The tunnel also collapses down easily if you need to put it away.
We have even put ours through the washing machine (don’t know if this is recommended or not) and it came out clean and unscathed.
We bought ours from a local pet store (Jollyes), but you can also check it out on Amazon UK or Amazon US.
3. Rosewood hay forage cube
- Our bunnies love to chew these
- But they don’t last more than a few days
All our bunnies, adore these cubes. Rabbits love to chew and they love to eat. These clever cubes allow your rabbit to do both.
The cubes are made of cardboard with hay stuck all over them, and then stuffed inside with more hay (sometimes with added marigold). Our rabbits begin by attacking the inside, eating the hay. You can then refill it.
However, our bunnies soon move onto the box itself (which is designed to be chewed and eaten). This means it’s a great treat, but don’t expect it to last for too long.
You can buy the cubes in different sizes – we usually get medium.
One thing to watch for is some people found their pet getting their head stuck in the cube. We have never had this problem, but it might be worth making sure that the size of cube is suitable for your bunny.
You can get them from Amazon UK here. It’s also available on Amazon US. We actually have buy this cube on a repeat order from Amazon.
4. Woodlands wooden playstick large
- Lets your rabbit hide or climb
- Long lasting
Climbing and hiding, climbing and hiding… Our rabbits spend a lot of time doing one or the other, and the Woodland playstick gives them both. The sticks can be bent into different shapes (some use them as ramps) but we bent ours into a tunnel. Your bunny can be safe and secure inside, or climbing on top for a better view of the world.
As it is made out of wood, it wouldn’t matter if our rabbits chewed this – but ours never have.
The playstick seems robust, and lives in our rabbits’ run all the time.
You can get similar products in many pet stores, but we got ours from Pets at Home. You can get similar wooden tunnels on Amazon UK [Trixie natural living willow bridge] and one for small or medium rabbits from Amazon US, but we haven’t tried these ourselves.
5. Happy Pet Willow Tube
- Gives your rabbit somewhere to hide if they are small
- Bunnies like to push it around and move it
- Rabbits love to chew on willow
- But it doesn’t last forever
Rabbits seem to love tunnels (at least ours do). Perhaps it’s because they are similar to warrens. Whatever the reason, ours loved playing with this tunnel made out of willow.
Our rabbits also loved chewing it. Don’t expect the tunnel to last too long – our bunnies destroyed it over a few days, but had a great time while they were doing it.
Also, even the large size is not that large. Your rabbit may love chewing it, but if your bunny is on the big size, may struggle to fit through.
You can get tubes like this from many pet stores, including Jollyes, but we got ours from Amazon UK. It’s also available from the Amazon US store.
6. Rosewood boredom breaker woodroll carrot
- Bunnies love to try to get the treat
- Gnawing on the wood is good for their teeth
- But only give occasionally – seeds should only be an occasional treat
This is another treat that kept our bunnies happy for a while. The small log has holes filled with a carrot mixture. Your rabbit can explore and excavate the log.
This is a treat – the carrot and seed mixture isn’t what a bunny’s normal diet should consist of (rabbits should be mainly eating hay – see our article on Timothy hay here to find out more).
Get this from Amazon UK.
7. Rosewood trio of fun balls
- Bunnies love to push these wooden balls around
- Rabbits also like chewing on these
- But these toys won’t last forever
Our bunnies love playing with new toys, pushing them around, sniffing them and gnawing on them. These wooden balls were another hit.
Like the willow tube, don’t expect these balls to last forever. Enthusiastic chewing means that the balls end up as smaller and smaller bits. But while they lasted, our bunnies had a great time with them.
They’re also usually cheap to buy. You can check the current price at Amazon UK, or an equivalent from Amazon US.
8. Toss and Treat Loofah
- Rabbits like to gnaw on these
- Bunnies can also toss them around their play areaf
- You can add treats to it
This is another toy that enables your rabbit to gnaw, chew and have fun. Basically, it’s a loofah tube with some holes. You can stuff the holes with treats (or shove hay into the middle of the tube). Your bunnies can play and chew to their hearts’ content.
We got ours from Pets at Home. I haven’t seen anything identical on Amazon, but you could try other pet stores for similar products. You can get loofahs safe for rabbits to chew here at Amazon US.
9. Apple and Apricot treat sticks
- Our bunnies love these
- But the treats don’t last long
- And they’re not terribly healthy for your bunny – only give occasionally
The main thing a rabbit should be eating is hay (see our article on why Timothy hay is so good for rabbits, and if you want to follow it up we also have one on which herbs are safe to give your bunny and what fruit you can give your bunny as a treat).
But every now and then, it’s nice to have a treat. So once in a while we buy these apple and apricot treat sticks for our rabbits.
Our bunnies love to chew on these (so don’t expect them to last too long).
The ingredients include wheat and oats, which shouldn’t be part of an everyday diet, but are fine on occasion (just like you shouldn’t have ice cream for every meal, but enjoy some at a party or day out).
We got ours from Pets at Home. Most pet stores will have something similar – just make sure that the package confirms that it is safe for rabbits to eat.
10. Bunnies Make it Better
OK, a confession.
This isn’t really for our bunnies, it’s for us. We have this hanging on a door near the hutch.
Because it rings true, doesn’t it? They are little bundles of furry joy.
This small but sweet sign is sold on Amazon UK and Amazon US.
Bonus – Beware of the rabbits sign
OK, I can’t count. This is number eleven, and again, it’s more for me (and visitors) than my bunnies. Are your buns feisty? Tell the world with this cute little (and cheap) sign.
Although the sign looks metallic in the picture, it’s actually plastic (thick and tough plastic). You could use cable ties to attach it to your rabbit hutch. The sign is about 4″ (10cm) wide.
You can get it from the Omlet company, who also make a fantastic range of rabbit tunnels and runs.
Conclusion
Here’s hoping you find something in this list that appeals, and that keeps your bun amused, entertained and happy!
If you like keeping your rabbit entertained, have you also thought of teaching them some tricks? Find out here how to teach your rabbit to give you a high five, or to spin around.
