Pimp my tube! 

Shredding/boredom breaker toys are vital for small rodents well-being and birds too. It is a natural behaviour which is designed to keep their teeth/beaks worn down. This is why some new owners often say things like 'my budgie destroys all the toys i buy him.' There are simple easy ways of keeping your pet occupied and saving money too!

Cardboard tubes are a big hit, they can be stuffed with hay, bedding, veg, treats, paper, just about anything you want and that is suitable for your pet. 

Here is a homemade toy that is similar to the store bought sisal toys. This is ideal for chinchillas, degus, gerbils, mice and birds. I wouldn't recommend using sisal rope if it is for hamsters as it may get stuck in their cheek pouches. 

 1. To make it you will need a cardboard tube and sisal rope. I used a small tube for the one shown. I then tied the sisal at one end and starting wrapping it around the tube.

2. To stop the rope coming of the edges (which is does as your winding it around the tube!)  i cut all the way around it with scissors then press the edges up. This also gives it a nicer look.

 3. It will look like this once your done pressing the edges up and your furry will enjoy chewing it too.

4. Once you have finished winding the sisal rope around the tube and secured the end. Start cutting pieces of sisal rope and thread it through the tube. You can now add treats in the middle or hay, you could also use cardboard or paper if you would prefer. I added rolled up parcel paper as my gerbils love to shred this.

 5. Once its all thread through and packed in the middle to make the toy last that bit longer, it should look like this.

 6. Start twisting each rope piece to unravel the sisal slightly, this will make it more attractive to your pet too.

Once your finished you can give it to your fuzzy and watch them demolish it! They cost hardly anything and can be given daily. They are ideal for chewers and will save cage toys you maybe don't want them to chew on so much.