DIY Enrichment

Enriching your companion animal’s home environment does not need to be costly. You can create stimulating puzzles and entertaining toys with a few items from around your home and a little imagination!

The provision of regular opportunities for enrichment encourages your companion animal to express natural behaviour driven by positive emotional experiences, such as exploration and play. Enrichment may also reduce destructive behaviours associated with frustration, boredom or stress. The best enrichment activities will empower your companion animal to embrace their natural, species-specific behaviours.

"You can create stimulating puzzles and entertaining toys with a few items from around your home and a little imagination."

To follow are some DIY projects that will help you meet the physical, behavioural and cognitive needs of your companion animal.

Puzzle Board
This is our take on the Cat Activity Fun Board. There are multiple different components to the board, which will require your small companion animal to work strategically to retrieve treats. This is also an excellent way to slow feeding.

The Puzzle Board encourages strategic thinking to retrieve treats!

Frayed Wheel
The Frayed Wheel makes unpredictable movements when rolled, which is very appealing for our feline friends! Along with providing mental stimulation, this toy encourages cats to engage in physical activity as they bat and kick it about. The wheel can also be stuffed with hay or leafy greens for rabbits and guinea pigs!

Pyramid Activity

There are multiple options for enrichment with the Pyramid Activity! The pyramid can be positioned upright (as pictured) or placed on its side for cats to use their paws to reach in and dig food rewards out of the tubes. This activity provides the opportunity for your feline friend to practice problem-solving, strengthen their dexterity, and train their sense of smell. You could also make your own cat wand toy with a wooden dowel and some fabric or yarn secured to one end and move the wand between different tubes to engage your cat's natural hunting instinct.

From left to right: Puzzle Board, Frayed Wheel, Pyramid Activity.

Interactive Hay Feeder
An excellent boredom-buster and a great way to encourage hay feeding, the Interactive Hay Feeder will keep rabbits busy while they swing and toss the roll around to dig out the hay. You could also hide a few treats inside the hay to entice fussy eaters!

Ball
Our feline friends love to bat things around! This simple ball is lightweight and a great way to stimulate your cat’s natural hunting drive and encourage physical activity. You can also use the ball as a treat-dispenser by hiding food rewards inside!

Hanging Hay Feeder

Another great boredom-buster, the Hanging Hay Feeder will engage your rabbit’s natural foraging skills as they reach to retrieve the hay. In our example, we have used seagrass rope, but you can also use natural twine for hanging the Hay Feeder. To make the activity especially enticing, you can add rabbit-safe twigs (e.g. apple or nashi sticks) or a few treats inside the hay!

From left to right: Interactive Hay Feeder, Ball, and Hanging Hay Feeder.

Muffin Tin Challenge

This is a simple yet fantastic challenge for our canine friends. Place kibble or food rewards into the muffin tin and then conceal them using a tennis ball or similar. They will need to utilise their natural inquisition to uncover the food treats! As your dog gets better at this challenge, only bait a few of the cups with food but continue to cover all cups with balls to practice problem-solving and strengthen their sense of smell. This challenge will also slow down speedy eaters!

Muffin Tin Challenge

Foraging Line

Hanging fresh leafy vegetables and herbs from a line of seagrass or natural twine encourages rabbits and guinea pigs to express natural behaviours that they would typically exhibit when foraging. Stretching and reaching for leafy greens will make feeding a more stimulating activity, drawing on their naturally inquisitive nature, while also slowing feeding!

Foraging Line

These are just a few ideas for inspiration – the possibilities are endless! Creating your own enrichment activities enables you to tailor the activity to your companion animal’s size and personality. Remember that no toy is truly indestructible, so it’s important to always supervise your companion animals and throw away any toys that are damaged.

Happy DIY-ing!

Enriched Animals

DIY Enrichment

"You can create stimulating puzzles and entertaining toys with a few items from around your home and a little imagination."

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