Advice needed for safe diy toys/accessories

[Gypsy Love]

Unfortunately I live in a town where we have limited options for pet supply stores, and I can't really afford shipping for things bought online at the moment. However, I am incredibly crafty and thrifty and have decided I am going to make lots of toys and things for little "Beensy" my red rehab. I purchased LOTS of fleece for making things- and then my sewing machine died. Would it be safe to use a nontoxic white school glue or hot glue between layers of fleece where she can't directly chew it? She actually has never been one to chew fabric anyway. Can I also use felt?. I would also like to make some sort of activity tree for her. Somewhere between a cat tree and a parrot activity center. Would it be safe to use the big sonotubes and wooden dowels that are available at hardware stores?
Can I use any sort of small wooden objects for toys? Like alphabet blocks, COLOURED popsicle sticks, wooden beads etc? What about the tiny wooden chests and mini birdhouses you can usually get at the dollarstore, the ones kids are supposed to decorate but are just plain wood? Is it safe to use wide elastic for hanging things? Can I use small synthetic pompoms(not small enough to be swallowed)? THANK YOU :thankyou to anyone who took the time to read through all of this. Please offer any advice you have! :Squirrel :Squirrel

[Rexie]

as far as wood goes I myself do not buy anything from the stores because most all if it has been produced in China and I do not trust in that. at your local hardware store you can purchase un treated yellow or white pine wood products to make your own safe chew toys. I myself do not use things like the pompoms I am paranoid about choking. I get the cardboard toilet paper rolls and stuff treats in them and use paper towels to hide them in the tubes. great entertainment and shredding time in them.

[SammysMom]

I love 2x2 untreated pine to cut onto blocks and still a hole through. Dollar Tree sells plush flowers and stars that are wire stems. They are over a foot long and great to hand upside down from tops of cages. Every one of them loves the darned things! Once they wear out, I use the wire stem to string blocks on and hang.

[Gypsy Love]

Unfortunately I don't have access to much but a drill right now. My dad broke his foot which means he can't go finding his tools for me. I can't even find a hand saw to cut blocks from a 2x2. I was hoping to find things that could be screwed or strung together. I may try to source some dowel that's come from somewhere a little more local. Do you think hot glue or white glue would be okay for attaching fabric to itself? She wouldn't be able to get to it easily and she doesn't seem to have any interest in chewing fabric. Has anyone ever included feathers? I have a bunch of pheasant, partridge and turkey feathers that haven't been treated with any chemicals, and I've had them for years so I think it unlikely they would be carrying any sort of parasites. Are most of the toys for rodents sold in pet stores suitable? Like the wood chews, loofah looking material, willow balls, cotton ropes etc?

[lennysmom]

I'm not sure that feathers would be the best idea - I would be a little concerned that they might get choked on pieces of feather or stick themselves with the little sharp ends. I have found that sometimes the homemade toys just from stuff lying around works great. My babies have always loved tissue boxes. They love pulling out the tissues or even playing with the empty box and I hide things inside it for them. Also, just a few maple or oak stick pieces are a favorite too. I usually always pull mine off the tree though and not off the ground to avoid rot and raccoon pee, which is toxic for squirrels to ingest. When I can't get to a pet store, I just get creative with their toys.:)

[cava]

https://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?56303-Toy-ideas-for-a-caged-squirrel&highlight=enrichment

https://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?57900-Cage-Enrichment-Toys&highlight=enrichment

[lucygail]

I had kindof made a makeshift nest box for my squirrel and she ended up liking it to play AND sleep in... It was just a cardboard box with the flaps folded over one another to keep it closed, but with maybe a 2-3 inch hole on the side for her (she later chewed more entrances). I filled it with sewing scraps and would put little chewing blocks and treats for her to find in it. She liked to dig and bury all sorts of stuff in there.

[Floppysquirrel04]

Well the thing about glue is usually hot glue is a no no unless it is in small amounts in toys, and it's non toxic. White glue (I've tried it, trust me) doesn't dry on fabric very well. Even if you manage it, it's not strong enough to hold a squirrel safely. Can you maybe learn how to hand sew? It's time consuming but not difficult if you know how. I hope your dad's foot gets better soon! How old is your baby and what type of cage is she in? Also, for the felt are you doing those little tree things with felt leaves? Supervise her with a little bit of felt and make sure she doesn't eat it. It would be real bad if she swallowed a chunk of felt. Or instead of that, can you just take a big branch and screw some smaller branches to it? She'd probably love that if you had different kinds of sticks like birch and oak and stuff.

[gunpackingrandma]

I also have a red. His favorite play toy is a empty two liter bottle. I cut a hole 3/4 from the top, then tied a piece of fleece around the screw top and hung from the top of the cage. Also, filled the bottle with shredded paper. He absolutely loves it and is very inexpensive to make....

[Mamatree]

I’d have to do some searching for specifics but I know I’ve seen TONS of no-sew crafts involving fleece in the past so you might be able to find some cool options. Try craftgawker, they’re a treasure trove.

[Mamatree]

I’m thinking if you change the styrofoam ball out for a tennis ball this could be a great toy!
http://whileshenaps.com/2012/07/no-sew-fleece-octopus.html

[Floppysquirrel04]

Or a ping pong ball or wiffle ball. Tennis ball might be a bit dangerous :l

[Floppysquirrel04]

Or a ping pong ball or wiffle ball. Tennis ball might be a bit dangerous :l

[Mamatree]

Good idea!!

[Diggie's Friend]

One our my girl's favorite toys was an empty paper towel cardboard tube we put into a tube sock and knotted. When it got too dirty or full of holes, we would just toss it, and make another using the spare sock. Keep in mind that a squirrel may take time to warm up to a new toy; moreover a scent issue. It took on average about 2 weeks for this to happen each time we introduced a new rolly soft toy; then all of a sudden the toy was grabbed rolled with over and over again.

2nd toy is an all cotton undyed rope we got from a pet horse supply store. For this we made a small hole in the top of the cage wire to thread in the rope, knotting it above the wire to secure it, and at the bottom of the rope double, leaving it long enought to lie on the floor. Then we pull the top to give it movement and watched the fun as they jump up to grab, drop, and roll doing the fighty bitey!

[island rehabber]

I don't know about other squirrels but my NR, Owena, absolutely adores bells. Toys with bells, hangy things with bells, you name it. Her favorite toys were these strawberries on a bungee cord with bells inside, but those are no longer available, so she has gotten used to plenty of other ringy toys as well. I'm sure you can make some with extra Christmas bells you have in the attic :grin3

Remember that squirrels are more destructive than two-year-olds, so anything you make is TEMPORARY at best! Don't spend too much time or money on them.