Have you ever purchased an expensive toy for your bunny only to find he prefers to play with a paper plate? Often simple things we find around the house bring more pleasure to our rabbit friends than more costly options found in pet stores or online. Toys for your rabbit do not need to be expensive or even purchased, though there are many wonderful items you can buy. If you’re counting your pennies, like many of us, these ideas can help you come up with hours of fun for your bunny with little drain on your wallet. Things you already have at home: Paper bags: Bunnies LOVE paper bags! They dash inside them and hide, chew holes in the corners and pull them around by the handles. Your Henry’s, Trader Joe’s or other paper shopping bags are perfect for this. Cardboard boxes: A simple cardboard box can become the ultimate bunny castle. Cut holes in the side so they can come and go, and place sheets of newspaper or the telephone book inside for shredding fun. They’ll jump on top to become “king of the castle” and hide underneath for an afternoon snooze. Canning jar rings make fabulous bunny rattles. Paired with a ring from your shower curtain rod, you have a clangy-bangy toy! These are a huge hit with my bunnies at home. Empty toilet paper or paper towel tubes are perfect for stuffing with fresh hay or wadded up paper towels. Bunnies will chew on them and fling them around. Empty Quaker Oats boxes (the round kind) are great tunnels for little bunnies. Cut out the bottom for tunneling fun. Straw whisk brooms (the little ones for sweeping up crumbs) are great for chewing. Just make sure they are clean and new. Old towels for bunching and re-arranging: Bunnies are natural “interior decorators” and love to smooth things out and move them around. Large rubber balls: Buns like to bump them with their noses and follow them around. It’s so fun to watch them playing “soccer” in the family room as they run the ball around. Branches from apple trees or other “seed” fruits: Avoid stone fruit trees (cherry, peach, plum and apricot) as they can be poisonous. Make sure they are free from pesticides and well-dried. Dried pine cones: They should be clean and dried over a several-month period. Junk mail catalogs for ripping and shredding (bunnies love the noise of tearing paper). All of these ideas are bunny-tested and approved! For more great ideas on how to keep your bunny busy with a variety of toys, visit San Diego House Rabbit Society at www.sandiegorabbits.org and click on “Behavior.” To find great, bunny-safe treats and toys, visit the HRS Bunny Store on Saturdays, noon to 3 p.m., at 4805 Mercury St. (corner of Ronson & Mercury), in Kearny Mesa. ~ Judith Pierce, San Diego House Rabbit Society