Are you looking for a Cardboard toy to give your rabbit something to chew and stop them getting bored?
We have reviewed the most popular types of Cardboard chew tubes, Boxes and Pop up Tents and Tunnels as well as Cardboard Cardboard castles and tell you their good and bad points.
We tested them with our rabbits to share their reactions as well as rating them for Value for money, Mess and Noise nuisance.
We explain how these toys can help control unwanted behaviour and how they provide entertainment to keep your rabbit healthy and happy.
Don’t waste money on a toy that may end up being discarded, take a look at our round up below so you can choose the best cardboard toy for your rabbit.
1 Cardboard chew tube
Fun: Enjoyable
Cost: Great value
Mess: Easy to clean
From 6.00
Buy it on Amazon
Great for bunnies that like to run around, shred paper and play in hideaways. Young bunnies will especially like this.
Find out more
2 Cardboard house / castles
Fun: A bit boring
Cost: Great value
Mess: Very tidy
Noise: Annoying
From 30.00
Buy it on Amazon
Way more styleish then a cardboard box.
Find out more
3 Cardboard box
Fun: Irrisistable!
Cost: Very expensive
Mess: A bit untidy
Noise: Distracting
This is a must have toy just keep an eye on how much they are eating
Find out more
1Cardboard chew tube
From 6.00
Buy it on Amazon
Most bunnies homes have had a Cardboard chew tube at one point or another as they are relatively inexpensive and come in attractive colors and designs. You can leave them out for your bunny to play in and they will soon discover they can strip the layers of paper off and customizing it to their own needs. They come in a variety of sizes so make sure you choose one that's big enough for your bun to hop through comfortably if they are a larger bread. These toys can take up quite a lot of space so may not be suitably in a small environment where they may restrict your bunnies movement.
Our bunnies verdict
We got one of these when we brought home a baby bunny and it became a part of his routine hopping through it and he really like it, however when he got older he mostly discarded it as a tunnel and used it as a giant chew . We did try out alternatives such as Alfalfa coated tubes, but they don't seem to prove any more attractive than the basic cardboard ones and created an awful lot more mess.
Overall
Great for bunnies that like to run around, shred paper and play in hideaways. Young bunnies will especially like this.
Key features
- A great toy that you bunny will enjoy stripping they layers of paper off and using as a hideaway
- We would avoid ones covered in grass as they don't seem any more interesting and make quire a mess
Fun: Enjoyable
Cost: Great value
Mess: Easy to clean
2Cardboard house / castles
From 30.00
Buy it on Amazon
If you had to choose between all the chew toys here that will keep your bunny busy then a cardboard castles is the winner. Your bunny can spend hours customising it how they want by stripping ribbons of paper off it and chewing away at it to customise the entrances. The additional shelter it provides in a room will also help you bunny feel more secure and happy. Its best to avoid products with heavy print on them as eating the ink is not great and simple Cardboard house / castles are the best as your bunny will be more interested in a shape then its decoration anyway.
Our bunnies verdict
We would not be without some sort of cardboard box for our bunny to play in and have had some bunnies that have become so attached to the dens the dens they have built over time that when they eventually fall apart and we take them away have become quite upset with us, at least until a new one has arrived. You can obviously use any box that is suitable however we prefer these as we don't have to muck about removing tape or worrying about where they have been stored and they obvious look a lot better. Lastly its worth noting that box munching can be noisy so you may want to keep this out of a bedroom or you may be kept up all night.
Overall
Way more styleish then a cardboard box.
Key features
- A cheap hideaway toy that can be recycled
- A nice big toy that you can get delivered
Fun: A bit boring
Cost: Great value
Mess: Very tidy
Noise: Annoying
3Cardboard box
Cardboard boxo recommend a toy that will keep your endlessly entertained then a cardboard box would be at the top of the list. They not only provide shelter helping your bunny feel more secure and happy they will enjoy shredding the paper off and customising it just how they like it. We recommend buying a new box as this will avoid boxes with print on them which are not great for rabbits to eat.
Our bunnies verdict
We would not be without a cardboard box for our bunny to play in and have had some bunnies that have become so attached to there hideouts that its they have become noticeably upset when they have eventually fallen apart. Box munching can be a noisy business so we had to move this toy out of out bedroom at night.
Overall
This is a must have toy just keep an eye on how much they are eating
Fun: Irrisistable!
Cost: Very expensive
Mess: A bit untidy
Noise: Distracting
4Cardboard scratch toy
Cardboard scratch toycratch toys are mostly sold for cats however they can make a great toy for bunnies as well. They usually come in packs and can be left out for your bunny to play with however as with all cardboard toys its important to make sure they don't eat to mush as this can be bad for their tummies.
Our bunnies verdict
Our rabbits love wearing out their teeth cardboard so this treat was an instant success. We also found that you could hide treats in it which let them exercise foraging behaviour.
Overall
A simple yet fun toy
Fun: Very exciting
Cost: A bit pricy
Mess: A bit untidy
Noise: quiet
We know how important it is to your pet rabbit's health and happiness to have lots of toys to play with, we also know how expensive keeping your rabbit in toys can be. This is why cardboard toys are so good as they are cheap and in most cases free! Cardboard boxes and castles make great shelters. Your rabbit will love customising to suit their own needs. Chewing cardboard can also offer a source of fibre and help wear down their teeth. They also can act as a great distraction from unwanted behaviour such as chewing carpet, baseboards and wallpaper and wooden furniture.
When it comes to choosing the right cardboard toys for your furry friend you really are spoiled for choice however, there are some old favourites that every bunny patient keeps to hand as they have proven to be invaluable to keep your rabbit's teeth in good condition and stop them getting bored.
Toilet roll tubes can be lots of fun to nibble on and toss about and nearly always to hand. Cardboard boxes and Castles can become a much loved hideout for your rabbit that will enjoy customising into the perfect hideout.
In this guide we review the most popular types of cardboard toys, many of which are free and try to give you an idea of what to expect from the toy and your bunnies reaction to it. We discuss their pros and cons to help you choose the best toy for your rabbit.
We focus on toys benefits to your bunnies health and happy
Cardboard toys have many benefits to your rabbits health and this is at the center of our reviews.We consider how good they will be in providing Fiber to help your bunnies tummy, how helpful they are in wearing down your rabbit teeth and the positive and negative behaviour they could cause when you introduce them.
We examine what each toy is made from and guide you on how good the materials are for your rabbit to digest. We would not review toys that are glued together or constructed from materials we consider harmful.
Every rabbit is different and we understand they will treat the toys in different ways. Some rabbits will over indulge when eating a toy which may be a problem if they eat too much, other rabbits may simply ignore the toy. In this guide we help you understand how quickly they can be consumed and whether this may be a problem.
We show you the rabbit proofing benefits of how these toys help stop destructive behaviour
In this guide we also show you the many ways each toy can be used to help you rabbit proof your home, this is after all our specialist subject.
Some toys can be good at providing the digestive fibre you rabbit may be seeking out by chewing your baseboards, wallpaper and wooden furniture. Others can help satisfy your rabbits instinctive need to tailor their environment and can be good at stopping your rabbit tugging up your carpet or chewing under your bed or behind your sofa. Others can simply be used as a way of protecting areas of your home that are a focus of this unwanted behaviour.
In this guide we match the rabbit proofing problem with the toy so you can make sure you are providing a safe and acceptable alternative that will satisfy your rabbits instinctive needs and avoid expensive repairs to your home.
How we tested each rabbit toy
We have been house rabbit owners for over 20 years and have tested out all of these toys here at Bunnyproof HQ with our own bunnies, they didn’t seem to mind too much. We share their reactions and tell you how these toys performed over time.
We know every rabbit is different so we have gathered lots of advice from our rabbit proofing facebook group which has over 50K members at the time this article was written. This has helped us to discover what toys seem to be a success and what toys have caused unexpected problems.
How we rated them for Value for money, Fun Mess and Noise
To help you compare each toy we have given them a rating on three criteria, Value for money, fun and mess.
Value for money - How expensive they are compared to how long they will last
Fun - How much time your rabbit will spend with the toy compared to its other toys
Mess - How much mess may spread about and how hard it is to clean up
Noise - How much of a nuisance this toy may become especially if left out during the night
We are independent and are not running a business
We created these reviews to help other like minded rabbit owners with help and advice. We are not affiliated with any other companies or organisations. We would not promote a product for any reason other than we feel it is a suitable choice based on our own experience and the experience of the members of our bunny proofing facebook group.
