Gifts for the modern rabbit
November 7, 2022 7:59 PM Subscribe
What's an awesome homemade or purchasable gift I can give to someone to give to their rabbit?
It's better to give than to receive, and I love giving people things they can give to their pets -- what's more joyful than that! But this year, I suddenly have _three_ people on my list with pet rabbits.
One of them is a Flemish Giant, one of them seems to be an English Spot mix (my neighbors and I found her wandering around the woods, long story), and the third is a Lop. So, medium-sized to large rabbits.
I know they chew things. I think they like to root around in things.
I'm not averse to a tiny bit of crafting; if you know where I can get some kind of rabbit toy kit or a bunch of clean willow and some instructions, I'm in!
Extra challenge: one of the rabbits is having serious issues with her teeth, so it would be _great_ to find at least one gift idea that's not about chewing.
It's better to give than to receive, and I love giving people things they can give to their pets -- what's more joyful than that! But this year, I suddenly have _three_ people on my list with pet rabbits.
One of them is a Flemish Giant, one of them seems to be an English Spot mix (my neighbors and I found her wandering around the woods, long story), and the third is a Lop. So, medium-sized to large rabbits.
I know they chew things. I think they like to root around in things.
I'm not averse to a tiny bit of crafting; if you know where I can get some kind of rabbit toy kit or a bunch of clean willow and some instructions, I'm in!
Extra challenge: one of the rabbits is having serious issues with her teeth, so it would be _great_ to find at least one gift idea that's not about chewing.
I, also someone who loves getting peoples pets gifts, highly recommend the playhouses and cardboard mazes that Binky Bunny makes. I’ve never gotten a gift there that wasn’t well received. The easiest way to shop from them is at their website https://store.binkybunny.com
posted by lepus at 8:55 PM on November 7, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by lepus at 8:55 PM on November 7, 2022 [1 favorite]
any safe (non-treated) cardboard
posted by AlbertCalavicci at 4:03 AM on November 8, 2022
posted by AlbertCalavicci at 4:03 AM on November 8, 2022
Untreated cardboard, sans plastic tape is always a winner in my house.
Are any orchards near you organic? If so, apple twigs, branches, etc. can be a big hit.
Cardboard cat scratchers are a big hit here, too. Some are aimed at small mammal pets, and those work best for us. (sample)
We subscribed a couple years ago to Happy Bunny Club and now get a monthly box of toys, chews, dietary supplements, etc. It's overall been a big hit, with enough variation that our rabbits with somewhat different tastes will like different things. Not a cheap gift, at all, but when you weigh the time to hunt down items & buy from different vendors, it kinda events out. If you have much money to spare, you could give this as a gift, OR you could subscribe yourself and bring treats on the regular when you visit.
The tooth issue is so hard, given how much rabbits do with their mouths. If the troubled bun can deal with pellets at all, this ball may work. We have a couple of them, and one of our now passed buns loved it, just endlessly pushed it around, regardless of pellets. (I would not recommend getting any pellets to try, given the complexity of picking the "right" one to suit individual owners' feelings about rabbit nutrition.)
Another treat to consider for the bun with dental problems is dried fruit. Again, I would check with the owner to see about what, if anything, the vet has said about that vis-a-vis teeth. Ditto fresh fruit when you visit, if that's feasible--blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, and bananas have all been winners here, though watch out for carpet mess/stain issues.
posted by cupcakeninja at 5:39 AM on November 8, 2022 [1 favorite]
Are any orchards near you organic? If so, apple twigs, branches, etc. can be a big hit.
Cardboard cat scratchers are a big hit here, too. Some are aimed at small mammal pets, and those work best for us. (sample)
We subscribed a couple years ago to Happy Bunny Club and now get a monthly box of toys, chews, dietary supplements, etc. It's overall been a big hit, with enough variation that our rabbits with somewhat different tastes will like different things. Not a cheap gift, at all, but when you weigh the time to hunt down items & buy from different vendors, it kinda events out. If you have much money to spare, you could give this as a gift, OR you could subscribe yourself and bring treats on the regular when you visit.
The tooth issue is so hard, given how much rabbits do with their mouths. If the troubled bun can deal with pellets at all, this ball may work. We have a couple of them, and one of our now passed buns loved it, just endlessly pushed it around, regardless of pellets. (I would not recommend getting any pellets to try, given the complexity of picking the "right" one to suit individual owners' feelings about rabbit nutrition.)
Another treat to consider for the bun with dental problems is dried fruit. Again, I would check with the owner to see about what, if anything, the vet has said about that vis-a-vis teeth. Ditto fresh fruit when you visit, if that's feasible--blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, and bananas have all been winners here, though watch out for carpet mess/stain issues.
posted by cupcakeninja at 5:39 AM on November 8, 2022 [1 favorite]
The House Rabbit Society often has good recs for such things. They have a page of ideas for care materials that might interest you (here's a local branch, if that matters). They list Triangle area pet stores that meet their requirements, if you like "window shopping," and it appears that Phydeaux has the blend of brands I would expect for a store that does a good job catering to small pets.
Oh, one more idea for the bun with iffy teeth! Stackable toy cups for babies are beloved by one of my buns. They do require gripping with the mouth, but they're quite lightweight, and can be tossed around without hurting much of anything (including the bun, fingers crossed).
posted by cupcakeninja at 6:04 AM on November 8, 2022 [1 favorite]
Oh, one more idea for the bun with iffy teeth! Stackable toy cups for babies are beloved by one of my buns. They do require gripping with the mouth, but they're quite lightweight, and can be tossed around without hurting much of anything (including the bun, fingers crossed).
posted by cupcakeninja at 6:04 AM on November 8, 2022 [1 favorite]
Sent this to my rabbit friend and these are their suggestions!
- Toilet paper/paper towel tubes make great toys
- A paper lunch bag stuffed with hay with some hay poking out through the sides (all safe for the rabbit to chew and they can either pull the hay out through the holes or tear the bag to get in there)
- Oxbow has a lot of good rabbit toys, including flavored wood chews. They can be found elsewhere too with a variety of flavors (most common are apple, banana, and carrot)
- Treat finder, which allows you to cover the treat with a little knob and cover other holes with little knobs so the rabbit has to sniff it out and lift off the knob
- Balls of string/twine/hay designed for rabbits to nudge around and chew on
- Rabbits love to tunnel so a pop-up tunnel would be another good rabbit toy
- A bed or small blanket is a great gift too
posted by brook horse at 10:14 AM on November 9, 2022 [2 favorites]
- Toilet paper/paper towel tubes make great toys
- A paper lunch bag stuffed with hay with some hay poking out through the sides (all safe for the rabbit to chew and they can either pull the hay out through the holes or tear the bag to get in there)
- Oxbow has a lot of good rabbit toys, including flavored wood chews. They can be found elsewhere too with a variety of flavors (most common are apple, banana, and carrot)
- Treat finder, which allows you to cover the treat with a little knob and cover other holes with little knobs so the rabbit has to sniff it out and lift off the knob
- Balls of string/twine/hay designed for rabbits to nudge around and chew on
- Rabbits love to tunnel so a pop-up tunnel would be another good rabbit toy
- A bed or small blanket is a great gift too
posted by brook horse at 10:14 AM on November 9, 2022 [2 favorites]
A phone book. Not so they can make calls, but so they can stand on it and tear the pages out. It was my pet rabbit’s favorite thing. Phone Book Day was a holiday in my house.
posted by soy_renfield at 3:39 PM on November 9, 2022 [4 favorites]
posted by soy_renfield at 3:39 PM on November 9, 2022 [4 favorites]
Too late to get in on this Kickstarter, but I thought you might want to know it exists: Bink.
posted by dobbs at 7:36 AM on November 22, 2022
posted by dobbs at 7:36 AM on November 22, 2022
the Well-kept rabbit has some great treats. They also have herbal foraging blends, which might be good for the bunny with bad teeth. You can sprinkle them in their hay, or just in a bowl. I also recommend the Small Pet Select ones. Small Pet Select also has an assortment of fancy hays - I have a variety fancy hay box that I keep on hand for when my buns are feeling poorly. They will almost always eat the fancy hay!
The plastic keys on a key ring for teething babies are also a favorite with my bunnies, in addition to the stacking cups.
Oh, and dried willow wreaths - the dried leaves would be easy for them all to eat and my buns go crazy for them!
posted by needlegrrl at 5:44 PM on November 23, 2022
The plastic keys on a key ring for teething babies are also a favorite with my bunnies, in addition to the stacking cups.
Oh, and dried willow wreaths - the dried leaves would be easy for them all to eat and my buns go crazy for them!
posted by needlegrrl at 5:44 PM on November 23, 2022
« Older Is there a way to download the video file for a... | Tell me about caring for your partner... Newer »
This thread is closed to new comments.
(Full disclosure: I know nothing about rabbits other than it delights me when I know someone who has one so I can pet it, and I've watched a snow white one eat a strawberry and in the process get so covered in red that it looked like they committed a terrible vampiresque murder and then efficiently clean themselves up like it was never there. But homemade treats is what I'd recommend in this situation for nearly any animal.)
On edit: OK, I missed the part about chewing. Maybe there's a soft treat recipe somewhere?
posted by feistycakes at 8:21 PM on November 7, 2022