Cheap DIY toys to keep chins busy?

[aprinceton]

Hi,
I was wondering if you would all be willing to share some toys you've made for your chins. Mine seem a little bored out of cage during playtime (they keep trying to escape the play area :hmm. I currently have a lava block, hay basket, pvc pipe to crawl through, and a wooden house out of cage and chew sticks, a hammock, a house, chew sticks, and a couple tunnels in cage.
I have no money to spend on them right now (that's all gone into the vet bills...) so I'm looking for cheap DIY stuff that will keep them busy. I have access to cardboard, fleece, and blackberry, blueberry, and grape sticks.
They really like chewing on cardboard and eating it so I don't like to use too much of that.
Even stuff that isn't toys that will entertain them or at least cause them to be interested and explore for a while would be fantastic.
Thanks so much!

 

[Kokorobosoi]

So I guess cardboard boxes are out of the question since they eat it... Hmmm... Can you drill small holes in the sticks, string them up and hang them?i use a metal skewer looking thing that was originally meant to hold fruit or veggies for a bird. But maybe you have something similar in your kitchen? Just make sure it isn't sharp. Nibbles also had lots of fun the one day stealing my hand held sweeper and pan that I clean her cage with. She grabs it and hops backwards trying to hide it from me. Lol. I saw some wooden blocks (for kids) in target on clearance for 3.00 for maybe 20 of them? I'd look for something like that drill holes and use with the sticks.

Basically, think outside the box. I look at everything in the "can this be fun for <insert animal here> mentality". Or I surf the websites that sell chin supplies (pretty sure there is a link to a few places somewhere around but I can't remember right now if I'm allowed to post them here) but I look at them, and try to mimic them myself. Luckily hubby works outside and whenever he encounters a safe tree he makes sure to trim me off a few dozen branches! (This is only safe if you know the tree hasn't been sprayed)

If you can relax the cardboard rules, there are TONS of fun stuff to do with boxes and carpet rolls from Home Depot!

Hope something here helps!