Housing Rabbits Safely

The healthiest space for a pet rabbit is one that fits the needs of both the rabbit’s physical and emotional health as well as the rabbit guardian’s lifestyle. Setting up spaces that fit the needs of both the humans and pets is the key to having a happy, hoppy household.

Ideal Setup For A Rabbit

Location: Shared rooms such as living rooms, kitchens, studies, family rooms, or teenager to adult bedrooms. This supports confidence building, emotional support, and bonding with the rabbit and their human family. For those with more space, a dedicated rabbit room may be ideal, however, it’s important to ensure the rabbit gets enough interaction with other pets and with their rabbit guardians to prevent loneliness.

Space: Bigger is best. A rabbit’s sleeping/leisure space area should be 4x the size of the rabbit and large scale access for 4 or more hours of cardiovascular play. A 4’x4’ puppy exercise pen set up with access to free roam time is an ideal size setup for most. A cage is not a home though it can be a quiet resting space for the rabbit to retire to. Any provided cage should be 3-4x the stretch out length of the rabbit. The cage is not a rabbit’s living space but rather more like a bedroom for resting. The smaller the “rest space” the more time needed outside of it for play.

Necessary Essentials: Blanket or other cushioned flooring, water bowls (they drink more and are easier to clean daily to prevent bacterial build up), food bowl, litter box, hay feeder (if hay is not in litter box), aplace to hide, and toys.

Play (physical and cognitive exercises): Rabbits need at least 4 or more hours of cardiovascular play each day. This includes running, jumping, zooming, climbing and digging. Raising the heart rate strengthens the heart, respiratory, and muscular systems, aiding the rabbit in overall health and longevity. Play things such as human baby toys, cardboard/paper/wood based toys, and all natural hay/grass toys promote these forms of play and keep the rabbit mentally and emotionally stimulated.

Example Housing Setups

Free Roam Setup

Exercise Pen Setup

Condo Setup

Ideal Setup For Humans

Allergies: One of the number one reasons for rehoming rabbits is allergies though most people who have allergies in regards to rabbits, likely are not allergic to the rabbit, but to the timothy hay! Rule out common allergy triggers such as pollen or dust from the hay and dust bunnies created built up rabbit’s hair. If allergic to hay, consider swapping to a lower allergy hay such as Orchard grass or low dust hay.

The following are tips for minimizing allergic reactions for households with rabbits:

  • Minimize direct contact (touching the rabbit then touching your face)

  • Restrict your rabbit’s territory (use baby gates or exercise pens)

  • Clean frequently (reduce clutter to deter dust/hay particles from building up, dusting/vacuuming frequently)

  • Store hay in garage/closet/outdoor patio or balcony/unfrequented

  • House the rabbit in a well ventilated room (ideally one with 1-2 windows to create airflow)

  • Air Purifier (HEPA is best) and runs continuously. Be sure to change out the filters regularly

  • Daily brushing (preferably outside) and wipe with damp cloth

Spatial Configurations: For those with limited space or with space constraints, consider creating a rabbit condo! However, remember that this configuration should not be the rabbit’s entire play area but rather a space to rest or be safe in when their guardians are not home and supervising.

Bunny Proofing: Rabbits are naturally curious and active! Many activities that are considered “destructive” are actually natural ways that rabbits provide themselves with entertainment and healthy play. Rabbit Proofing comes down to 3 main goals: Preventing destruction of your property, protecting your rabbit from harm, providing safe and fun chewing and digging alternatives.

  • Prevention by diversion: Provide rabbit with lots of forms of entertainment including access to baskets, books, boxes, magazines, sticks, grass mats, phone books, paper advertisements, and more for digging and chewing

  • Secure all electrical cables up and out of reach or rabbit. Cover all exposed cables with cable protectors if they are not able to be moved. Cable covers can be made from plastic tubing for fish tanks or pools and can be found at aquarium or hardware stores

  • Remove all house plants from the rabbit’s range of motion

  • Block access to under furniture such as beds, couches, and behind bookcases

  • Cover baseboards and edges of wood furniture with plastic (plexiglass/acrylic) sheets or wood bumpers (strips of untreated barriers) to block baseboard access.

  • Protect carpet/flooring by laying a sheet of vinyl flooring below the blanket of the pen

  • Cover tops of couches/chairs with chair mats or seagrass rugs

  • Positive reinforcement training and limiting rabbit’s room accessibility

Example furniture coverage

Example cord coverage

Example floor coverage

Want to get a bunny excited and active? Try rearranging their furniture. When a rabbit feels secure, they are naturally curious. Occasionally moving things around, in their homebase and play space, keeps them on their toes.