WhitneyHousing Pet Rabbits
June 21st 2008 20:00
When housing a pet rabbit, I guess you could say there are three methods of housing- 1)outside, 2) inside in a cage, and 3) free-roam inside. I'm going to try to break down the basics to all three housing situations so that you can figure out the best housing option for your and your pet bunny.
Outside
Although, you can house your rabbit outside, whether free-roam in an enclosed area or in an outdoor rabbit hutch, you want to be very careful of whether extremes, predators, toxins, and pesticides. It's really not reccommended that you house a rabbit outside, as there are just so many things that can go wrong when your pet is unsupervised.
More rabbits die of heat stroke than old age, so if you opt for housing your rabbit outside, make sure that you provide a cool, shaded area, especially during the warmer months.
Also, take note that female rabbits can and will dig, so if you think your pinned in area is safe, remember that females can dig out. Males will scratch at the dirt, but females will dig tunnels.
And, although, rabbits tend to stick close to home, if they are successful at digging out, and you are not there to catch this quickly, your rabbit may be dinner to a dog, hawk, owl, or another preditor.
A shaded enclosed area where the rabbit can run around outside safely when the weather is nice, wouldn't hurt the rabbit, as they really do need a decent amount of excercise.
Inside Cage
Cages are a great way to house your pet rabbit, as they keep your pet safe from harm when you cannot supervise him.
When selecting a cage, you want to take into account the size the rabbit will be. IE lop ear rabbits are larger than dwarf rabbits and require a larger cage. Remember that the bigger the cage, the better, as your rabbit will probably spend a lot of time in his cage. You want to make sure that there's enough room for a house, a littler box, and the hanging feeder mounts and water bottle. Plus, you want to make sure that there's room for your rabbit to move around comfortably. For the most part, rabbits really only need one-story cages, but my best friend's rabbit enjoys his 2-story cage.
As for the size of the cage, the bare minimum should be not smaller than 24"D x 16"-18"T x 30"W.
When considering the height, you want to make sure that you provide enough room to accomodate the height of the rabbits ears, which is why the minimum ranges from 16" to 18". Dwarf rabbits tend to be 16" tall, including ears, while their larger counterpart averages around 18" tall.
You want to purchase a sturdy cage that has a large opening.
You want to make sure that the wires are no more than 1" x 2" so that you bunny cannot get his paws stuck in between the wires.
It's best that you purchase a cage that has tall sides or add a urine guard; rabbits tend to kick their bedding and poo out of the cage, so high sides and/or a guard will help keep it all inside the cage.
Another thing you want to consider is the floor. You really don't want to purchase a cage with a solid floor. If the floor is wire, you want to cover the wire bottom with something solid.
And lastly, you want to purchase a cage that has room where you can hang a feeder and a water bottle. Keeping the food off the ground will keep pee and poo away from the food. You can purchase wall-mounted hay racks as well as pellet dispensers. Remember that the water bottle needs to stand up-right as otherwise, it may not work properly.
Free-Roam Inside
This is another housing option, if your rabbit is littler box trained. The main concerns that you want to take into acount include:
1. Other pets- consider free-roam rabbits be confined to one room, versus the entire house.
2. Electrical cords- rabbits chew, so you want to keep live wires away from your bunny.
3. Pot pouri- although it smells nice, rabbits may think it to be a treat, but it's deadly to your rabbit.
If you let your rabbit free-roam throughout your room, make sure that you leave the litter box accessable to him. You may even want to consider a medium sized cage to allow the bunny to potty in the cage.
You may want to consider a large indoor pin instead of complete free-roaming freedom.
Outside
Although, you can house your rabbit outside, whether free-roam in an enclosed area or in an outdoor rabbit hutch, you want to be very careful of whether extremes, predators, toxins, and pesticides. It's really not reccommended that you house a rabbit outside, as there are just so many things that can go wrong when your pet is unsupervised.
More rabbits die of heat stroke than old age, so if you opt for housing your rabbit outside, make sure that you provide a cool, shaded area, especially during the warmer months.
Also, take note that female rabbits can and will dig, so if you think your pinned in area is safe, remember that females can dig out. Males will scratch at the dirt, but females will dig tunnels.
And, although, rabbits tend to stick close to home, if they are successful at digging out, and you are not there to catch this quickly, your rabbit may be dinner to a dog, hawk, owl, or another preditor.
A shaded enclosed area where the rabbit can run around outside safely when the weather is nice, wouldn't hurt the rabbit, as they really do need a decent amount of excercise.
Rabbit cage using puppy pads instead of a litter box.
Inside Cage
Cages are a great way to house your pet rabbit, as they keep your pet safe from harm when you cannot supervise him.
When selecting a cage, you want to take into account the size the rabbit will be. IE lop ear rabbits are larger than dwarf rabbits and require a larger cage. Remember that the bigger the cage, the better, as your rabbit will probably spend a lot of time in his cage. You want to make sure that there's enough room for a house, a littler box, and the hanging feeder mounts and water bottle. Plus, you want to make sure that there's room for your rabbit to move around comfortably. For the most part, rabbits really only need one-story cages, but my best friend's rabbit enjoys his 2-story cage.
As for the size of the cage, the bare minimum should be not smaller than 24"D x 16"-18"T x 30"W.
When considering the height, you want to make sure that you provide enough room to accomodate the height of the rabbits ears, which is why the minimum ranges from 16" to 18". Dwarf rabbits tend to be 16" tall, including ears, while their larger counterpart averages around 18" tall.
You want to purchase a sturdy cage that has a large opening.
You want to make sure that the wires are no more than 1" x 2" so that you bunny cannot get his paws stuck in between the wires.
It's best that you purchase a cage that has tall sides or add a urine guard; rabbits tend to kick their bedding and poo out of the cage, so high sides and/or a guard will help keep it all inside the cage.
Another thing you want to consider is the floor. You really don't want to purchase a cage with a solid floor. If the floor is wire, you want to cover the wire bottom with something solid.
And lastly, you want to purchase a cage that has room where you can hang a feeder and a water bottle. Keeping the food off the ground will keep pee and poo away from the food. You can purchase wall-mounted hay racks as well as pellet dispensers. Remember that the water bottle needs to stand up-right as otherwise, it may not work properly.
Rabbit Litter Box
Free-Roam Inside
This is another housing option, if your rabbit is littler box trained. The main concerns that you want to take into acount include:
1. Other pets- consider free-roam rabbits be confined to one room, versus the entire house.
2. Electrical cords- rabbits chew, so you want to keep live wires away from your bunny.
3. Pot pouri- although it smells nice, rabbits may think it to be a treat, but it's deadly to your rabbit.
If you let your rabbit free-roam throughout your room, make sure that you leave the litter box accessable to him. You may even want to consider a medium sized cage to allow the bunny to potty in the cage.
You may want to consider a large indoor pin instead of complete free-roaming freedom.
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