homehousing: providing your rabbit with a good home
Although the traditional view of rabbits living in hutches, in the garden, is still most commonly held, more people are discovering that rabbits can live in the home. In our opinion neither is wrong, there are plus and minuses for both options. If your home is quiet and safe (rabbit proofed) and you accept that an occasional item may get nibbled, a house rabbit can be a great addition to your home. Otherwise, a rabbit will be far happier with a mate, in a large, well built, sheltered hutch, with a securely attached run.
if your rabbit is to live indoors
With house rabbits a hutch isn't essential. If you have a large bunny, a 6ft hutch probably isn't very practical. Your rabbit does need to sleep somewhere though, and a large cage, or even a dog bed, would be fine.
- You should keep your rabbit in a quite part of the house.
- It should be somewhere you spend a lot of time.
- It must not be near a radiator or open fireplace.
- There should be plenty of natural light, but avoid strong sunlight.
- There must not be any draughts.
- Artificial lighting should be kept to a minimum.
- It should be an area free of strong smells.
- You will need to rabbit proof your house! (see rabbit proofing)
if your rabbit is to live outside
You should look to buy a high quality, well built rabbit hutch. Yes this will cost a bit more, but not only will this provide a more comfortable home, especially during the winter and lessen the likelyhood of your bunny becoming ill, but it should last a lot longer and actually save you money.
Rabbits come alive at dawn and dusk, which are usually the times people would lock them up for the night. A hutch with a run, securely attached, will allow a rabbit the freedom to exercise at will, not when is convenient for us.
- The rabbit hutch should be kept off the ground.
- You should position the hutch so that your rabbit is sheltered from strong winds and direct sunlight.
- It should have secure lockable doors, to keep predators out, not your bunny in.
- It should have a sloping, overhanging roof to keep the rain away.
- You should use a suitable, waterproof, hutch covering, especially during extreme weather conditions. Tarpaulin, attached to the hutch, or weighted with bricks works well.
your rabbit's hutch can never be too big!
the minimum recommended size for a rabbit hutch is (6ft x 2ft x 2ft)
If your rabbit hutch is smaller than this it really needs to have a large run, securely attached, allowing freedom to exercise.
The hutch should be large enough for your rabbit to stand on its hind legs. If you are getting a baby rabbit, you should check what size it will grow to.
Although many pet shops still sell hutches that are too small, and too flimsy to offer rabbits proper protection, either from the cold or predators, such as foxes. There are increasingly more that do supply fairly large, well built, hutches. For the larger rabbits you could hire a carpenter to build you a suitable hutch. It is also possible to find larger hutches via the internet.
The floor of the hutch and sleeping compartment should be lined with hay to keep your rabbit warm and dry and help prevent them getting sore hocks (back feet). Using hay also ensures your bunny always has something nutritious to nibble on. Until your rabbit is fully toilet trained you may need to line the hutch with newspaper beneath the hay, you must not use pine or cedar chips/shavings, as these can harm your rabbit. (see safe litter materials)
