Cardboard

A message from our Specialist Veterinary Adviser, Richard Saunders

We are aware of lots of comments regarding cardboard at the moment.

Cardboard toilet and paper towel roll inners can be very useful as an enrichment tool. Many, many rabbit owners use boxes filled with hay and with holes cut inside, or toilet roll inners stuffed with hay, etc., without problem, and have done for years because we didn’t have the vast array of toys to choose from that we have now. Cardboard boxes filled with bedding are useful for extra insulation in the winter. Cardboard boxes with two holes cut in them are useful as bolt holes for the rabbits to feel safe.

Obviously, as rabbit owners, if you see your rabbits eating a lot of cardboard rather than just enjoying destroying it, then remove any cardboard items and consider seeking veterinary advice.

As a Specialist Vet, I see rabbits eating both appropriate and inappropriate fibrous and indigestible materials when they have GI problems, and this may be a sign of such issues. As with “hairballs”, it’s often that the fur, hair, cardboard, etc, is in the gut in large amounts BECAUSE the GI tract is moving slowly, not causing the problem. What I am saying here is that when the rabbit starts to become ill, they often eat things that are not appropriate, and the cardboard or hairball is in the gut because of the gut slowdown and is not the cause of it. Of course, there are certainly rabbits out there (as with dogs, etc.) who definitely eat things to excess, inappropriately, and in such cases, in any species, it’s sensible to prevent a problem by not allowing access to the material in question.

So let your rabbits enjoy their cardboard toys, but as with any toy, be sensible and monitor them. There are lots of things that you can give your rabbits to actually chew and eat that are safe, such as apple branches, willow branches, hazel branches and forage trays.

Glues, tape, string, staples and other fixing and joining materials are also areas of concern. Our position is as follows:

• Staples or any other metal fixings, especially sharp ones, should never be used in any area that a rabbit can possibly access. This means, in reality, any part of a structure, given the rabbit’s abilities to find things they shouldn’t. Such items, if swallowed, can perforate the gut
• Tape, string and other linear fixing materials should not be used anywhere that a rabbit can access them. Such long, thin items, if swallowed, can block the gut and cause it to “cinch”, like a drawstring closes a bag, compressing the gut and sometimes cutting through the gut in multiple areas like a cheese wire.
• Glues should only be used in the smallest amounts possible and should be non-toxic and water soluble. Resin-based glues should not be used at all.

Richard Saunders
BSc (Hons) BVSc FRSB CBiol DZooMed (Mammalian) DipECZM(ZHM) MRCVS; RCVS Specialist in Zoo and Wildlife Medicine (Mammalian); European Specialist in Zoological Medicine (ZHM); RWAF Veterinary Specialist Adviser