Rabbit Housing Series: The Rabbit House

The second installment in the housing series describes ideas for the rabbit's actual cage/pen set-up. 

Cages sold at pet stores for rabbits tend to be very small except for the tiniest of rabbits, therefore invest instead in a large dog crate, or better yet, a puppy exercise pen. The pens allow more freedom, are easier to clean, and easier to manipulate, move, and store. They are versatile in the spaces they can fit, too.

When setting up the rabbit’s living area, feel free to get creative. However, certain rules should be followed to ensure the safety and needs of the animal are met.

First, the floor of the living quarters should be solid, that is, not wire-bottomed. Rabbits can develop “sore hocks” (ulcerative pododermatitis) from standing on wire all day. The bottoms of rabbit feet are covered in fur only and can get traumatized from uneven surfaces. Some breeds are more predisposed to this than others (for instance, the Rex breeds). For messier rabbits, I like to line the bottom of the pen with a vinyl floor protector (like this one, available from Walmart).  Most rabbits appreciate having a soft carpet to lie on as well.

The cage or pen needs to be large enough so that the rabbit can comfortably hop around and stand up on her hind legs without hitting her head. The bigger, the better.

The rabbit’s house should include a large litterbox and bowls for food and water. I also recommend having an assortment of toys such as tunnels, cardboard boxes, cardboard rolls stuffed with hay, hay twists, stuffed animals, and a hidey box. 

A prime example of a rabbit house. The pen door is easily opened to allow the rabbits to run around and explore.

Rabbit Housing Series: Housing Possibilities

The first of three installments in the Housing Series deals with variations in housing possibilities.

I’m often asked about the best way to house rabbits. Of course, indoor housing is a must. But once inside, should a rabbit be caged? Penned? Allowed free-range?

While many bunny owners allow their rabbits to live in a free-range environment 24/7, this decision should be influenced by a variety of factors. First, consider the available space: is there an entire room that can be closed off and completely rabbit-proofed? If not, then keeping your rabbits penned up while you're gone may be a safer option.

Consider also the naughtiness level of the rabbit in question. Some rabbits are less inclined to chew and dig, and these guys are prime candidates for a free-range situation. In others, these behaviors are deeply ingrained and keeping them in some sort of containing structure (dog crate, pen) while they are unsupervised is highly recommended. As long as you allow your rabbits several hours of out-of-cage time daily, using a pen or large dog crate is perfectly acceptable.

Naughtiness Level: High

Picking the area of the house to place the pen should be thoroughly planned out. It’s important that your rabbit be kept in a relatively high-traffic area of the house, such as the living room. This keeps the animal from becoming isolated and bored, and also makes giving the rabbit out-of-pen time easier. You should not have to pick up and carry your rabbit to a room where he or she can lounge—the constant chasing around and picking up is not conducive to a harmonious relationship.

It is much easier to keep the pen in an area of the house where you spend the most amount of time, and simply open the pen and let your rabbit out when you're home. When it’s time to pen her up, train her to hop to her pen for a treat. This is much lower stress, and with rabbits, the lower the stress, the better for everyone.

Stay tuned for the second installment in the Housing Series, in which we will explore setting up the perfect rabbit pen!

Question from the Audience: Location, location, location

A question from Nancy F. in Boston, MA:

Q: I have two male Newfoundland Dwarf rabbits I adopted at the end of this past summer (Douglas and Andrew are their names). Currently they stay in their 'pen' in the basement.
Here is my issue: when I get home from work I like to bring them upstairs in their carrier and I have a heck of a time getting them to go into said carrier to bring them to the upper floor where they basically have the run of the place (they are litter box trained). Andrew generally seems to be more amenable to going upstairs, but Douglas will squeak and hide and run away when I try to get him to go in so I don't force him (I don't want to upset him). This usually means Andrew gets playtime upstairs and Douglas doesn't. On the occasions when I can actually get them up to the first floor they run and jump and hide and generally have a wonderful time.

I don't try to pick them up b/c they clearly don't like it but I talk to them and pet them whenever I can. How can I 'corral' (if you will) my rabbits in to the carrier more easily? Sometimes it can take up to an hour to return them to the basement and if it's been a long day I can't always afford to invest that much chasing time.

A: I have a suggestion regarding your situation, and I think this one minor change will actually make a huge difference. You say you keep the rabbit cage in the basement; if you kept the rabbit's cage in your living room, the situation would improve drastically. This way Douglas and Andrew would be able to come out of their cage easily and comfortably whenever you opened the cage door. This would save you a ton of time and stress too-- instead of corralling them into carriers (I can only imagine how long that would take!), all you'd have to do is open the cage door and let them out. Since this is easier on you, I'm sure the bunnies would get more time out of their cages as well.

You're right that most rabbits don't like to be picked up, but they also don't like to be confined in carriers and carried about for similar reasons--it is scary! They experience a full range of stress every time they have to go in and out of their carriers, and this stress would be easy to cut out by keeping their cage upstairs. Furthermore, since they are currently unable to see/access their cage (an area of safety) from the living room, they could be experiencing stress from this as well.

If their cage is upstairs in your living room, then you'll no longer have to corral them back into carriers when you want to get them back in their cages; it's much easier to coax a rabbit into a cage than a carrier. Try calling Douglas and Andrew's names and offering them a treat once they've gone inside.

You'll be surprised how much you enjoy having them up there and interacting with you more; they'll become more socialized and you'll also have an easier go of allowing them their out-of-cage run around time.

***UPDATE from Nancy 2/18/2010***
I wanted to give you an update and thank you for your very sound advice. Douglas and Andrew moved into our back hall in a large dog crate last week. They have supervised reign of our kitchen when we’re home and they seem so very happy with the new set up. I can’t tell you how much fun it is for me to sit on the floor and have my coffee with them in the morning. So, thanks very much for your suggestion of moving them upstairs, we’re all a lot happier (Douglas hardly squeaks at me anymore – just a tiny bit if he doesn’t want his cheeks rubbed or he’s scared). Now on to training them to go into their cage upon command!