Rabbits are social animals. They love to make friends and assert dominance over the submissive bunnies. Likewise, human kids love to do that as well. They cannot enforce their control over the adults around them.
However, providing them with a stuffed animal helps them with pent-up aggressiveness and dominancy. Rabbits are like babies. If given a stuffed animal, they might act similarly, but you need to be sure if giving a stuffed animal is safe for your pet. So, do rabbits like stuffed animals?
Rabbits love a stuffed companion. Whether a teddy bear or a mouse, your pet bunny will rejoice to see a stuffed friend. Rabbits are intelligent enough to know that their animal partner is not real, but they like this fact. It helps them take control and drag it around wherever your rabbit goes. The size of the toy matters as heavier ones would be hard for your bunny to carry.
Rabbits are sensitive creatures. Picking the perfect toy for them is tricky. The toy needs to meet certain requirements to be safe for your pet bunny. Keep reading to know how to pick the best-suited toy for your precious pet.
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How to Choose The Best Stuffed Animal Toy for Your Bunny
Just like buying food for your pet rabbit, you need to do a thorough quality check before giving a stuffed animal to your furry bunny. You need to check the material, the stuffing, the strength, etc.
Here are a few to keep in mind when buying a stuffed animal toy for your precious pet bunny:
The Weight Of The Toy
Your bunny would love to take its stuffed friend anywhere it goes. A rabbit would kick its toy, snuggle with it, roll it around, push it everywhere, etc. Considering the playing style of rabbits, their toy should not be on the heavier side. Lifting heavy things can cause strain on your bunnyâs bones. Rabbits have fragile bone structures that can fracture easily.
The toy is for your bunnyâs comfort, not to add stress. A smaller plushie will be easier on your bunnyâs nerves.
The Colors Of The Stuffed Animal
Rabbits like attractive toys. These sensitive animals have high emotional intelligence and are prone to get bored quickly. When getting your precious pet bunny a stuffed animal, ensure it has vibrant colors.
A bunny will get excited if its stuffed pal has more than one color. A multicolored toy will keep your bunny occupied for more time as the bunny will take time exploring each color. Furthermore, the colors can be good for your bunnyâs anxiety.
The Material Of The Stuffed Toy
Rabbits have ever-growing teeth. As grazing animals, they love to chew and gnaw at anything they see. It helps them with trimming their teeth and ease their gums. Your bunny would love to bite its cute stuffed animal.
If the material is not tough enough, the plushie will get torn, and your furry rabbit will be exposed to the stuffing. Eating the stuffed toyâs insides will be injurious to your baby rabbitâs health. It will develop digestive issues, blockages, choking, and can be proven fatal for your precious pet.
Always check the material of the stuffed toy. It should be sturdy so the bunny cannot tear it with its large teeth. Furthermore, the toyâs material would depend on what purpose it needs to serve.
If you want a stuffed toy that will help keep your bunnyâs teeth short, you should buy something a little on the tougher side. However, if you just want a cuddle buddy for your furry friend, a soft plushie that cannot be torn easily would be perfect.
What Stuffed Animal Should You Get for Your Bunny?
Your bunny will not approve of any stuffed animal. Rabbits are prey animals, they get startled easily by big predator-looking animals. If you get your furry friend a fox-shaped stuffed animal, it will be sacred, and not play with it.
When choosing the type of animal for your furry friendâs toy, it is best if it is also a prey animal like your bunny. The stuffed toy should be submissive. Your pet would prefer an animal that a rabbit can control. The best animal to get is:
- Bird
- Mouse
- Cat
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Other Suitable Toys for Your Furry Bunny
If your pet rabbit is picky about its toys, do not worry. There are plenty of options other than stuffed animals. When it comes to buying toys for your furry baby, you only have to keep in mind durability, feasibility, and texture. The rest is pretty simple.
Here are a few options to consider as the best toys for your pet rabbit:
Paper
Paper is a great time pass for your bunny. It is easy to tear and has a crunchy feeling. Your rabbit will likely not eat the paper as it tastes weird. However, do not leave your bunny unattended when it is playing with paper. You can wrap your furry friendâs favorite treat on paper and watch it unwrap it frantically. Your bunny will thoroughly enjoy this activity.
Cardboard box
Keeping a cardboard box with holes would be a lovely treat for your bunny rabbit. Rabbits love to have places to hide. You can improvise the box and add little tubes to it with hay. It would serve as a maze or reinforcement game for your bunny.
Tunnels
Create a tunnel maze for your pet rabbit. Rabbits are intelligent creatures. They love to solve little puzzles and roam around finding solutions. It keeps their brain stimulated and calms their anxiety.
You can create tunnels with pipes, cloth, cardboard, or plastic. Ensure that the openings of the tunnels are big enough for your rabbit to move through easily.
Mirrors
A mirror is a great toy for your pet rabbit, especially if it is single. The reflection makes your bunny feel like it has a buddy. However, this curiosity will die sooner than later as your pet will figure out the trick.
When you introduce mirrors to your furry friend, make sure it is sturdy. The mirror should be fastened somewhere it cannot fall from. A falling mirror will cause your bunny to panic and injure itself.
Toys To Throw And Fetch
Your bunny would love to throw things and get them. It is a great way of exercising for your furry friend. You can use straws, wicker, balls, or small toys in the shapes of birds. Your bunny will spend all day throwing and fetching these little guys. Keep in mind that none of these contain any swallowable components and create a choking hazard for your bunny.
Digging Place
Being a grazing animal, your furry bunny will love the feeling of grounding under its paws. Fill a little box with child-friendly sand, or get a flower pot filled with earth for your furry friend. It will josh around and dig its heart out as it pleases.
Territory Marking
Rabbits love to mark their territory by excreting chin fluid, and urine or leaving droppings. It is their way of claiming different corners of their home. Leave a box, toys, or mats around your rabbitâs home where it can spray or drop its claim as it wants.
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Avoid Certain Materials While Getting Your Rabbit A Toy
Rabbits have strong teeth and sensitive noses and ears. While getting them a toy, you need to consider all your rabbitâs sensitivities. You should avoid the following materials:
- Avoid fabric, soft rubber, metal, plastic toys, and other breakable materials.
- Steer clear of aromatic woods such as cedar and pine.
- Do not get wood from pitted fruited trees like plum, peach, apricot, cherry, avocado, etc.
- Avoid painted, stained, glued, and chemical-induced toys.
- Do not use objects that have decorative elements attached to them as they can be a choking hazard.
Final Word
Your pet rabbit will stay happier with a companion. A stuffed animal would be a lovely gift for your precious pet. Being social animals, rabbits love to play with other animals. A cute little birdie, mouse, or cat will be the perfect playtime partner for your furry friend.
Beware of the materials used in the stuffed toys. It should be safe and hazard-free for your rabbit. Do not leave your furry bunny unsupervised when it is playing with its new stuffed animal.
You should be within reach in case it tears the toy and chews on the stuffing. Take away the toy immediately and clean your bunnyâs mouth. No matter how much your bunny loves its stuffed toy, your rabbitâs safety comes first.
