Cardboard, rubber or a ball: which chew object lasts longest for a rabbit?
Published by Planète Pets · managing editor: Clément Lacaille · how our guides are written
A chew toy shredded to bits within two days feels like a bad purchase. Gomes da Silva, Stange, Pegorara, Sotomaior, Weber, Borges and Costa objectively compared the durability of six enrichment objects across forty-two adult rabbits split into seven groups, over twenty-eight days, in a study published in 2021 in World Rabbit Science (see the study). Our other equipment guides sit in the rabbit accessories section.
Cardboard goes fast, rubber holds up
Cardboard objects — perforated pieces, cat-scratcher fragments with and without catnip, an articulated cardboard fish — showed destruction rates reaching up to 40% over the period, against under 30% for the fillable teether and the solid rubber ball. In other words, a cardboard object that shreds fast isn't a manufacturing flaw: it's simply how that material behaves against an adult rabbit's teeth.
What draws the most interaction isn't what lasts longest
Notably, the most durable object wasn't the one that held the most attention: the fillable teether, stuffed with hay, generated the most interaction behaviours — biting and sniffing — of all objects tested. Normal behaviours such as locomotion, rearing and stretching were unaffected by any of the treatments, a sign that these objects add to a rabbit's repertoire without disrupting it. To balance lifespan against real engagement, rotating between destructible and fillable objects remains the soundest approach, as covered in our article on whether toy subscription boxes are worth it; to offset the cost of fast-disappearing cardboard, our guide to second-hand rabbit supplies offers other ways to save.
- 42 adult rabbits, 7 groups, 6 object types tested over 28 days.
- Up to 40% destruction for cardboard objects.
- Under 30% destruction for the fillable teether and the rubber ball.
- More interaction with the fillable teether than with any other object tested.
A piece of cardboard that doesn't survive the week isn't therefore a poor choice — just one to restock more often, best kept for times when you can keep an eye on the replacement pace.
Frequently asked questions
Is a cardboard toy shredded within days a bad product?
Not necessarily. The study shows cardboard objects naturally break down faster than rubber in an adult rabbit, up to 40% over 28 days.
Should I favour rubber to save money?
For durability, yes. But the object that drew the most interest in this study was neither the cardboard pieces nor the solid rubber ball, but the hay-stuffed fillable teether.
Do these objects disrupt a rabbit's normal behaviour?
No: behaviours such as locomotion, rearing and stretching stayed unchanged regardless of the object offered, a sign of good tolerance.
An accessory from our shop for this use: Natural loofah chew carrot for rabbits and rodents, 20 cm (€17.90) · the whole shop
This guide is part of Planète Pets’s Rabbits universe. Our advice is general in nature: for any health concern, your veterinarian remains the only reference.
