Bunny Housing Guide
A quick guide to choosing the right bunny housing to suit you and your family while providing comfort and stimulation for your bunny.
(originally written to advise people who are interested in Bosworth Bunnies)
(originally written to advise people who are interested in Bosworth Bunnies)
Did you know… the idea of keeping rabbits in a hutch first came about from the Victorians who used the hutches to house the rabbits they were soon to eat! Grim, but true. Hutches were never meant to be long term homes for rabbits but it seemed to have stuck.
Bunnies require a minimum amount of space to live happily and thrive. It may come as a surprise, but the majority of hutches sold on pet shop floors and online are actually far too small. A rabbit should not be locked up in their hutch 24/7, regardless of hutch size. Rabbit's who are isolated and/or kept in small housing will eventually exhibit unwanted behaviours due to frustration which is very often misunderstood and mistaken for a "naughty" aggressive/destructive rabbit who is then neglected or rehomed. This is all totally avoidable by following the below advice.
Firstly, An Important Message...
This article is not meant to shame anyone but is about re-educating us all (including myself) on our perceptions of pets and raising the standards for them. When advising "bunny-parents-to-be" about the minimum housing sizes their pet will require, I always try to avoid giving a flat out minimum hutch size because it really gives the wrong impression; rabbits + hutch + food/carrots = job done. Nope. Any one who may be as old as I am will remember a time where no thought was given to a pets mental wellbeing; it was not until I was approaching my teens when tiny cages and high sugary animal feeds started to be questioned by pet owners. I remember my best friends dad building her rats the biggest cage I had ever seen in my life. My best friend wanted more for her rats (I followed her lead) but literally no pet shops had thought that way yet. While times have no doubt changed, unfortunately there is a still long way to go. Pet shops/online retailers while now providing quality pet items will unfortunately forever sell hutches/cages that are too small while there is money to be made from them (they say the consumer has a right to choice which is more important than a living animals rights apparently). So, breeders like me speak for those without a voice in an attempt to end the unintentional suffering caused to pets.
(I have actually re-written this article since experiencing the extreme isolation brought about by the pandemic in 2020).
(I have actually re-written this article since experiencing the extreme isolation brought about by the pandemic in 2020).
Minimum Space Requirements
Firstly, regardless of the rabbit accomodation you chose, your rabbit should have an absolute minimum of 6ft x 2ft x 2ft area. This is the case for one or two rabbits. Levels do not count, your rabbit needs a minimum hopping length of 6ft. More than two will need more space of course. You can not buy a small cage (like a dog cage) and justify doing so by saying "the rabbit will have the run of the house". Nope. I hear this a lot and it is not good enough, the rabbit needs this private minimum 6ft area to feel safe, secure and call his/her own.
I always say to people try to buy the biggest you can afford, there is never an area that will be too big for an adult rabbit/s. If you are on a budget you will be amazed at what you can find with some time spent on the task (e.g. finding a cheap second hand shed for instance). From personal experience, I can not stress this enough, how you really do not want to buy a hutch/cage which is any smaller than 5.5ft x 2ft x 2ft. As a breeder, if I have ever put bunnies in cages smaller than this it makes me feel very uncomfortable. Those who follow me on instagram will know I have huge hutches for my bunnies and they have hours on the grass playing everyday (many actually free roam if I can trust them to go back into their hutch when its time hehe).
Another valuable piece of advise; ALWAYS CHECK THE DIMENSIONS before buying! This is very important when buying online. CAUTION: websites use the same pictures for DIFFERENT hutches; check the dimensions for everyone you look at! When people call me for advice they are more often than not about to buy a 4ft hutch (unbelievably they are the most popular sold, for breeders too, so sad). Please don't. The benefits of buying large rabbit accommodation far outweigh the initial higher cost.
I always say to people try to buy the biggest you can afford, there is never an area that will be too big for an adult rabbit/s. If you are on a budget you will be amazed at what you can find with some time spent on the task (e.g. finding a cheap second hand shed for instance). From personal experience, I can not stress this enough, how you really do not want to buy a hutch/cage which is any smaller than 5.5ft x 2ft x 2ft. As a breeder, if I have ever put bunnies in cages smaller than this it makes me feel very uncomfortable. Those who follow me on instagram will know I have huge hutches for my bunnies and they have hours on the grass playing everyday (many actually free roam if I can trust them to go back into their hutch when its time hehe).
Another valuable piece of advise; ALWAYS CHECK THE DIMENSIONS before buying! This is very important when buying online. CAUTION: websites use the same pictures for DIFFERENT hutches; check the dimensions for everyone you look at! When people call me for advice they are more often than not about to buy a 4ft hutch (unbelievably they are the most popular sold, for breeders too, so sad). Please don't. The benefits of buying large rabbit accommodation far outweigh the initial higher cost.
The Golden Rules (from the RSPCA)
I really like the RSPCA's rabbit advice and agree with everything I have read so far (which is rare for me ha) so I would like to share a few of their "Golden Rules" here (I'm sure they wont mind in the name of rabbit welfare), mixed in with some of my own advice from experience;
- Rabbit housing can NEVER be TOO BIG!
- Bunnies love to run lose in your garden (providing it is secure & safe from predators!). This is when you will get the most from your bunnies. They will be bunny hoping all over the place and it is a delight to see.
- bunny must be able to stand on hind legs and stretch upwards fully.
- must comprise of an exercise area, and sleeping area (so as to shelter from the wind and rain properly)
- well ventilated, dry and draft free.
- having a litter tray will make it much easier to keep bunnys living area clean.
- The RSPCA recommend the following dimensions for rabbits living areas...
Rabbit Housing Ideas:
When you think outside the box (or hutch) rabbit housing gets very interesting and lots of fun for children to get involved in too. When you are not considering hutch type housing then it is much easier to hit the minimum housing requirements and beyond. I have great relationships with those people who have rehomed my bunnies and they often send me amazing new ideas of ways to keep their bunnies, which I love to share on my instagram. I will add those images to this page now too, some are my own and the rest are just a collection of my favourite ideas....
Rabbit Sheds
A shed which has been converted for rabbits to live in, in my opinion, is the best way to keep bunnies! It needs to be escape proof, secure from predators and rabbit safe. A lot of people add levels too which bunnies LOVE! You really get value for money and your rabbits will be thankful for the great space.
Here are a few of my favourite set ups to give you an idea…
Here are a few of my favourite set ups to give you an idea…
Indoor Housing Ideas
Remember the same minimum requirements of living space apply to indoor bunnies. regardless of them having free roam time in the home, they still need a minimum amount of space which is just theirs.
Here are a few of my favourite ideas...
Here are a few of my favourite ideas...
Above All... Please Think Logically
When it comes to my own baby bunnies and their new forever homes, I always ask to see the rabbits housing. I can't stress how frustrating (and how very common) it is when I am sent a picture of what can only be described as a hamster cage. This is not acceptable. I hope together we can change the future for pet bunnies and help each other to do so by sharing our knowledge and ideas. I vet homes very strictly (even more strict than rescues) and I feel this is my duty to those I have brought into the world, but I do not judge those who come to me requiring housing advice, I just help them to see why a rabbit will need more space.