Habitat & Diet for a Rabbit

Habitat

Rabbits should not be outside, in hutches, in “rabbit cages” from pet stores, or any wire bottom cage. All of these are not acceptable housing for rabbits and are common misconceptions due to false advertising. On hutches or cages at stores, they have a picture of a rabbit on the item and people assume that it is appropriate for a rabbit to live in. However, in reality, it is way too small for a rabbit. A rabbit must live indoors and you can either free roam your rabbit or get an x-pen, otherwise known as puppy pens, to enclose your rabbit when they are not exercising or when you are gone. It might be scary at first to trust your rabbit to be in your house, free roaming, but it is worth the risk. If you choose to free roam, you and your rabbit will have a very close bond when interacting with each other in the same environment. Both an x-pen and free roaming are two very appropriate options for your rabbit to live in. Your rabbit should also not be in any area near a possible predator, such as a dog, for its safety. In addition, bunny proofing your home is very important. Make sure anything that is easily accessible to them is not harmful, and if it is make sure that it is put away/taken care of. For example, cords for electronics are a hazard and you should get cord protectors to wrap your cords in, for both your rabbit’s safety and your own purposes. You do not want your rabbit bitting into the cords for many reasons: The electric current in the cords can kill your rabbit, cause them to have digestive issues, and you obviously do not want chewed up cords. At the end of the day, keeping these out of the way is best!

Good Habitat:

Bad Habitats:

Free roaming does not mean your rabbit has to have access to your whole living area. You can certainly close off doors and give them a primary space to be in. If you do not choose for them to free roam without an enclosure, you can use an x-pen/ puppy pen for your rabbit. However, your rabbit does need exercise outside the pen, so you should let them have access to your living space when you are home and during the day. Either way, you are giving them the right options in terms of their habitat, whether it is having an x-pen or free roaming your rabbit.

Diet

Pellets: Daily

  • 1/4 of a cup for a rabbit between 6-10 pounds

  • 1/8 of a cup for a rabbit below 6 pounds

Leafy Greens: Daily

  • 1 cup of greens/ 2 pounds of your rabbit’s weight

Fresh Water: Unlimited

  • Your rabbit should always have access to fresh and clean drinking water

  • Your rabbit should be drinking out of a water bowl and not a water bottle or nozzle unless they have drinking problems

Grass Hay: Unlimited

  • Your rabbit should always have access to a high quality grass based hay- primarily timothy hay, because it helps their digestive system

  • Other types of hay can be offered as a special occasion/ treat

  • This hay can be directly placed in their litter box or can be put in a hay feeder attached right above their litter box

    • This re-enforces litter habits by eating and going to the bathroom in the same place

Treats: Sparingly

  • 1-2 tablespoons of treats a day can be given to your rabbit

  • You have to be careful not to feed your rabbit too many treats, because they have sensitive digestive systems