Caring For Rabbits
Habitat
Housing
Your rabbit will need specific items to live safely in your home. Indoor rabbits prefer to have their personal space, just like humans. They do not need a large area. Free roaming is still necessary for a rabbit to get exercise and stay fit. They do need a space to call their home.
Oxbow has a great guide to learn how to free roam your bunny.
Floor coverings are important. A rabbit needs traction to hop. It is essential to have rugs around your home and in the pen if you have tile or wood flooring. Rabbits can develop splayed legs if they cannot get a grip with their paws. Types of appropriate flooring include:
- garage flooring tiles
- low-pile carpet
- nonslip pieces of linoleum
- rubber flooring
Enclosures:
- The House Rabbit Society states that a rabbits enclosure should be AT LEAST 4-6 times the size of your rabbit while stretched out. This generally equates to at least 8 square feet of enclosure space.
- Additonally this must be combined with at least at least 24 square feet of exercise space for at least 5 hours per day for them to run and play.
- Using levels is a great way to give your bunny extra space, if your living space is limited.
- Pinterest finds of great enclosure ideas for your bunny:
Home is where your bunny is! This enclosure is a great example of using an x-pen. It is a
smaller sized enclosure that uses up the space very nicely with all the necessities a bunny
needs.
A nice comfy large enclosure built out of wire storage cubes! These are great to use when
you want to make a custom sized enclosure for your rabbit(s).
Another version of an enclosure made out of wire storage cubes. Nice soft flooring and
plenty of space to stretch out.
Two x-pens are better than one! Joining two x-pens together is a great way to create a
bigger space for your bun.
Custom made enclosures can be a creative and aesthetically pleasing way to give your bunny
a nice space to live.
Decorating your buns enclosure is a wonderful way to make their home look beautiful inside
your home.
Free roaming your bunny is a great option once your bun is litter trained. Just be sure to
bunny proof the spaces they are allowed in. Watch our Bunnies Do What?!? Like Spicy Hay video!
X-pen Living:
X-pens or configurable pet panels are great alternatives to cages, as they come in a variety of heights and are configurable as rectangles, squares and unique layouts. They also provide a bit more space than a cage. They are easy to clean and portable! Read more about X-pen living!
Videos of Bunny Life:
Our 2021 Virtual Bunny Cafe highlighted some great habitat ideas for bunnies and why bunnies need so much space to play!
Require lots of room
Field & Track experts
The Scary Outdoors
Often we are asked why we do not permit our rabbits to be kept outdoors. House rabbits are precisely that—house rabbits. They are not wild and are not bred to be outdoor pets. House rabbits are susceptible to botflies, fleas, ticks, fly-strike, scabies, ear mites, and many other issues.
Can I Walk My Rabbit on a Leash - Mary Cotter and Amy Sedaris (rabbit.org)
We advocate indoor bunnies ONLY! We do not support housing a bunny outdoors even in a hutch, run or a screened-in back porch. Read Hazards to Outdoor Buns. We cannot emphasize enough the importance of keeping a house rabbit indoors. They cannot withstand the Florida heat. They cannot protect themselves from predators, and we have many. Wild animals in Florida are in every neighborhood and backyard. Keep your rabbit safe—INDOORS.
Outdoors rabbits are exposed to predators, parasites, viruses and extreme temperatures that are typical of outdoor living. Rabbits are very social creatures, and keeping them outdoors will cause depression and loneliness. Keeping your rabbit indoors not only keeps them clean and safe, but it also allows them to form a bond and become part of the family.
Ideally, we'd like to see every bunny be a free roam bunny (like a dog or cat), but not everyone has the capablities to allow for this with small children, other pets, limited space, etc. Below are some guidelines to follow and some suggestions on how to provide your rabbit a healthy living environment.