FAQ: Toys for small pets

No, furniture and building timber is often varnished, treated, glued or pressed, as with plywood or chipboard. Only give small pets untreated wood of known origin or chews made for them.

Rabbits naturally chew and dig, so indoors they look for things to gnaw. Hide cables in protective tubing and give the rabbit more hay, cardboard boxes, a dig box and chew toys, so it has permitted alternatives.

Yes, unscented, unprinted cardboard tubes are a simple and popular toy for hamsters, mice, gerbils and other rodents. You can stuff them with hay or hide a treat inside to turn them into a foraging task.

Many rodents enjoy shredding pine cones, but collect them from a clean place away from roads and wash them. It is worth drying them well before giving them, so no insects or moisture remain, and sticky resinous cones are best avoided.

Rodents feel safer in a dim hideout, so an opaque house suits them better than a clear plastic one. It still needs enough air, though, so it should not be sealed and should have one or more openings.

The usual advice is at least one hideout per animal plus one extra, so no one has to compete. This matters especially for guinea pigs and rabbits, as a dominant animal may keep others out of the only house.

A Syrian hamster should be able to turn around comfortably inside and drag nesting material in. Houses made for dwarf hamsters are too small, and the entrance must be wide enough for it to get through easily with full cheek pouches.

A wooden, hay, fabric or ceramic house where it can hide completely and turn around suits a guinea pig. Ideally the hideout has two entrances and a roof high enough that the guinea pig does not bump its head.

Prey animals dislike hideouts with no way out, since another animal can block the only opening. Two entrances help avoid conflict when several animals live together, and make the animal feel safer.

A rabbit’s hideout should be roomy enough for it to lie stretched out inside, ideally with two exits. Many rabbits also like sitting on the roof, so a sturdy flat top is a plus.

A sturdy house of untreated wood or ceramic that it cannot chew up in a few days suits a chinchilla. Plastic and fabric houses are unsuitable, as chinchillas chew them and may swallow pieces.

A ceramic house stays cooler, so in summer it helps small pets, especially chinchillas and rabbits, avoid overheating. A wooden house is warmer and can be chewed, so many owners keep both.

Fabric houses and beds suit rats, guinea pigs and some rabbits, as long as they do not chew the fabric. They need frequent washing, and if the animal starts tearing the fabric and swallowing threads, remove it.

Place the hideout in a quieter corner of the cage, away from the door and the toilet spot. It should not be in direct sunlight or next to a radiator, and for hamsters it is best partly buried in deep bedding.

Yes, a floorless house is often even better, as the hamster can dig underneath it and the owner can check the nest and clean more easily. It should be heavy enough or wedged firmly into the bedding so the hamster cannot tip it over on itself.

Hamsters often choose their own nest site and may sleep under the bedding or in another corner. If the house is too small, too bright or in a busy spot it will be ignored, so try moving it or adding nesting material.

Hamsters have poor eyesight and do not judge heights well, so a fall from a higher level can cause injuries. Choose low, single-level houses, or ones with low levels, ramps and protective edges.

Wide willow, hay, cardboard or fabric tunnels that a rabbit can run through without its back touching the top suit rabbits. Many rabbits also like tunnels with several openings or tunnels connected to a hideout.

The tunnel should let an adult guinea pig pass through freely without getting stuck, usually at least 12–15 cm across. Larger guinea pigs, or several using it together, need wider tunnels.

Air circulates poorly in closed plastic tubes, moisture builds up and a hamster can chew them. If you use them, choose wide ones with vents, and give cardboard or wooden tunnels for chewing.