Give your small furry friends a royal reward for their companionship by making them a majestic mansion to play in.
Small pets love cardboard (and fortresses). Boxes give them a place to hide and feel safe, a place to forage or dig and they can become a treasure trove of treats if you fill them with greens or nature snacks.
Enrichment is important for lots of pets. It’s emotionally beneficial, encourages their natural behaviour and keeps them from gnawing things they shouldn’t. So whether you care for a rabbit, guinea pig, hamster, rat or other small pet, we hereby challenge you to create the most captivating cardboard castle.
Now for the techy bit…
You will need:
- A cardboard box
- Scissors
- Extra cardboard
- Cardboard tubes
- Your imagination
Step 1
You should always check your pet’s toys are safe, so make sure your cardboard box doesn’t have any staples in it and remove all the sticky tape. Plain boxes are best as the chemicals used in printing can be harmful to pets. If you don’t have any around the house, you can normally pick up empty boxes from your local supermarket or convenience store – using empty toilet roll holders works a treat too.
Step 2
Take the scissors and make an opening on each side of the box. They should be just bigger than your pet. Rabbits love hidey-holes, but they’ll often not enter a small space unless they can see a clear exit on the other side. Depending on the size of your cardboard tubes, you could place them inside the openings of the box to make tunnels. If you have hamsters, toilet roll tubes will be the perfect size for this
Step 3
If you’re keen to provide luxury accommodation, line the bottom of the box with extra sheets of cardboard to encourage digging, chewing and further exploration. Small cardboard tubes make brilliant toys too, so try stuffing them with hay or healthy snacks to encourage foraging.
Step 4
If you want to create a super luxurious castle, join multiple boxes together of all different shapes and sizes, these can be added securely on top so your cuddlies can explore different levels. You can even add extra access by making ramps!
Step 5
For the piece de resistance – place a small brown paper bag on top of a twig (or gnaw stick) and poke it into the top of your castle for furry-friendly flag.
Safety Tips:
Always make sure holes and tubes aren’t so small that your pet’s head could get stuck. Tubes used for foil and cling film are usually too small so stick to toilet paper, kitchen roll and wrapping paper cardboard tubes. Make sure there is no plastic, glue, harmful chemicals or staples on your cardboard as chewing or ingesting this can be harmful.