- Rabbits are a long-term commitment and need far more than a cage, food bowl and a few toys.
- The right housing, companionship, diet and enrichment all play an important role in keeping rabbits healthy and happy.
- Before bringing rabbits home, it’s important to understand the space, daily care and veterinary support they’ll need.
- This guide covers the real essentials, what to avoid, and what rabbit ownership is likely to cost.
Rabbits are often mistaken for quiet, low-maintenance starter pets. The reality is that they need far more than a little time and a food bowl. Before bringing your first bunny home, it’s important to figure out what rabbits need for their wellbeing.
Don’t worry about buying every toy on the market. Instead, start by creating the kind of environment your rabbits need to thrive and express their natural behaviours.
Before You Bring Your Rabbit Home
Taking the time to build a healthy environment for rabbits helps prevent stress and ensures a smooth transition.
Rabbits are a long-term commitment
Ignoring the reality that healthy domestic bunnies can live for over ten years is a common mistake. If you're looking for cuddly lap pets or animals to keep in outdoor enclosures, rabbits aren’t an excellent choice. Rabbits need daily care, companionship, plenty of space, and a long-term commitment to their wellbeing, including the cost of ongoing care and veterinary treatment.
Why rabbits need company
Bunnies are social creatures. They prefer to live with one or more bun-mates.
First, it’s important to note that rabbits need to be safely introduced and fully bonded before they can be left together unsupervised. Once bonded, they often rest together, groom one another, and offer comfort and reassurance, helping each other feel safe and relaxed.
Isolating a rabbit can cause boredom, which can progress to chronic stress and lead to over-grooming that can cause baldness. They may also exhibit destructive behaviours including inappropriate chewing of items such as furniture, carpet, and baseboards.
Creating a Safe, Comfortable Home
Not all rabbits are the same. You need to consider the British climate, their individual needs and the environment they’re used to before deciding whether to keep them indoors or outdoors. Their safety and wellbeing should always come first.
A busy environment may prove stressful for some rabbits, especially if they aren’t used to household noise, people, or other pets. Consider their previous experiences and provide a quiet, secure space with hiding places so they can settle in at their own pace.
Safety
Rabbits are natural chewers, so keep electrical wires out of reach or securely protected. You should also block off dangerous areas around the hot plates, ovens, and freezers. Houseplants need to be non-toxic.
If you’re considering keeping your rabbit outdoors, a converted shed can provide a spacious home, provided it’s large enough for them to run and hop around comfortably. It must be predator-proof, well-ventilated and properly insulated to help retain warmth in winter and reduce heat build-up in summer, with shade to prevent direct sunlight from overheating it.
Pros and cons of indoor living
Weighing the perks and downsides gives you an idea of what to expect when caring for your rabbits indoors.
What You Need: Investing in your Rabbit’s Welfare
It's easy for bunny parents to be drawn to marketing gimmicks, pet products that look appealing but offer little benefit to your rabbits. The true essentials support their long-term health and well-being, allowing them to express natural behaviours such as running, digging, foraging, and chewing.
Living areas and exercise space
Many traditional enclosures restrict hopping, stretching, and binkying, which can lead to severe health and behavioural concerns like muscle atrophy and loneliness. Providing ample room is non-negotiable, as it helps keep your furry friends physically active and mentally stimulated.
The Rabbit Welfare Association & Fund recommends a minimum area of 3 m x 2 m x 1 m high, continuously available for two average-sized rabbits. Non-slip surfaces like safe rugs and naturally woven materials are a great option for slick surfaces to prevent slipping.
Provide a cosy hideaway where your rabbits can rest, along with daily time outside their enclosure in a safe, rabbit-proofed space to explore, hop, and stretch their legs.
Hay
Fresh, dust-free grass hay should make up 80% of rabbits’ daily diet and serves as their main source of fibre. Continuous hay intake helps grind down molars, helping prevent the formation of dental spurs. Hay also provides the fibre they need to keep their digestive systems moving.
1st Cutting Timothy Hay is typically higher in fibre and less calorie-dense than later cuts, making it a useful option for rabbits that need help to manage their weight.
2nd Cutting Timothy Hay offers a balance of fibre, protein, and fat suited to healthy adult rabbits.
3rd Cutting Timothy Hay is generally softer, leafier, and higher in protein and fat, which may help rabbits that need to gain weight.
Orchard Hay and sweet-smelling Oat Hay are also great hay options, depending on what’s preferred by your pet. For pet parents who are sensitive to timothy hay, orchard hay may be a more comfortable alternative, offering a similar nutritional profile to 2nd cut timothy hay.
Gourmet Hay should be offered separately as a treat.
Fresh water
Fresh, clean water should always be available to your rabbits. It helps keep their digestive systems working properly and supports the removal of excess calcium through their urine.
A heavy ceramic bowl allows your rabbits to drink in a natural position and is less likely to tip over. If you use a water bottle, we recommend providing a bowl of fresh water alongside it, as bottle spouts can become blocked or make it harder for rabbits to drink enough water. Keep both clean and refresh the water daily.
High-quality pellets
Hay should make up most of your rabbits’ diet, with a small, measured portion of high-quality Pellets supplementing it with additional vitamins and minerals. Growing rabbits benefit from alfalfa-based pellets formulated to support their development, while Timothy-based pellets are generally suitable for healthy adults. Follow your chosen product’s age and feeding guidelines, transitioning gradually to adult pellets as your rabbit matures, and always provide unlimited grass hay.
If your rabbit is underweight or overweight, your vet can help identify the cause and recommend a suitable feeding plan.
Fresh leafy greens and dried herbs
Fresh leafy greens and herbs, such as romaine lettuce, celery leaves, mint, and coriander provide extra moisture, vitamins, and variety. Kale can also be offered in moderation as part of a varied mix. Offer a selection each day, rotating the types regularly, and introduce new foods gradually in small amounts to reduce the risk of digestive upset. Always wash fresh greens before feeding.
Choose darker leafy lettuces over iceberg, which offers little nutritional value. Keep poisonous plants, including bluebells, tulips, and foxgloves, well out of your rabbits’ reach.
For extra variety, sprinkle a little dried forage, such as Blue Cornflower or Dried Red Clover over their hay to encourage natural foraging behaviour. Feed small amounts in line with the product’s feeding guidance, keeping unlimited hay at the heart of the diet.
Litter tray and suitable toilet area
Provide roomy litter trays in the areas your rabbits naturally choose to use as a toilet, while keeping their sleeping area clean and dry. Unscented, non-clumping paper-based litter or heat-treated wood-pellet litter are common litter choices for rabbits.
Rabbits often eat while toileting, so place fresh hay at one end of the tray or in an easily accessible hay rack above it. Remove wet litter, droppings and soiled hay daily, replenish with fresh hay, and wash the trays regularly to keep the area clean and reduce odours.
Hiding places
Your bunnies should have a safe place they can run to whenever they're startled. Hideout Castles, Seagrass or Willow Tunnel are great options for hidey-homes. Offer several hideouts throughout their space so every rabbit can retreat comfortably.
Litter/Bedding
You’ll want your tiny roommates’ bedding to be absorbent, low-dust, and safe if ingested. Some options include Aspen Shavings, Marigold White Paper Bedding, and Pine Pellet Bedding. You can also try a Mixed Bedding Pack, which combines aspen with paper, which offers both odour control and hypoallergenic qualities.
Safe chews and toys
Boredom triggers destructive behaviours like chewing furniture and digging at carpets out of frustration. Channel your furry companions' natural instincts into constructive outlets by providing plenty of enrichment toys and safe chewables.
Rotating these items regularly keeps their minds occupied and satisfies their constant drive to chew and explore.
- Chews: Choose items that are all-natural and specifically made for rabbits. Some great examples are Pinecones, Honeysuckle and Hay Candy Canes, Apple Wood Sticks, Ball Trios, and Timothy Hay Rolls.
- Toys: Hide small portions of hay inside Wooden Drawer Puzzles or Digging Platforms to trigger natural scavenging and digging behaviours. If you aren't sure what your rabbits like, you can start with a 4-Toy Sampler.
Steer clear of items that contain harmful treatment and chemicals, glues, brittle or thin plastics; they can upset your rabbits’ stomachs.
Transport carriers
A sturdy, hard-shelled transport carrier lined with a towel or nonslip mat keeps your little ones safe during car travel to the clinic. Choose a well-ventilated, top-loading carrier for easy, low-stress access.
Grooming supplies
Grooming tools help manage seasonal shedding and prevent dangerous hairball blockages, which are especially common in long-haired breeds. A specialised tool like the Hairbuster Comb effectively removes mats from thick fur and controls heavy shedding during the moulting season.
Trim your rabbit's nails regularly with pet-safe clippers to avoid painful snags and joint strain.
What You Don't Need
The pet industry frequently markets products like small, cramped cages that fail to meet a rabbit's basic needs. There are ways to strip away these commercial distractions and ensure you spend on the right essentials.
Prioritise long-term, spacious housing that meets your rabbits’ needs as they grow, rather than commercial cramped enclosures. The Rabbit Welfare Association & Fund (RWAF) recommends that the total living space for two average-sized rabbits should be at least 3m x 2m by 1m high, combining sleeping quarters and an exercise run.
The larger the space you can safely provide, the better it will be for your buns.
Unsuitable plastic toys
Soft or brittle plastic toys can break into sharp pieces, potentially causing injury or blockages if swallowed. Swapping them for all-natural woven rabbit toys like Seagrass Hearts and Braided Mobiles can help protect your companions while keeping them busy.
Check all toys regularly and remove any that are damaged.
Elaborate feeding gadgets
Rabbits do not need elaborate feeding gadgets to enjoy mealtimes. Suitable puzzle feeders can provide extra enrichment, but avoid designs with openings that could trap limbs or parts they can chew off. Hay should always be freely available and easy to reach.
Scattering fresh Timothy Hay Cubes or handfuls of safe herbs like Nettle around their enclosure or within some hay encourages natural scavenging behaviours. For variety, you can also offer a Herb Discovery Set.
Treat-Heavy Diets to Avoid
Avoid sugary drops, yoghurt-coated snacks and “rabbit treats” made with molasses. These treats can add excessive sugar, starch, or fat to your rabbits’ diet, contributing to weight gain and digestive upset. When treats are given in excess, rabbits miss out on the fibre needed to support healthy digestion and wear down their continuously growing teeth.
Products marketed specifically for rabbits that don't address their needs
The pet market is full of commercial items labelled with fancy words like "Deluxe," "Premium," “Rabbit Mansion,” "Palace," or "Bunny Villa" that do not support rabbits’ overall health and wellbeing. These items may contribute to health problems in your rabbits. Here's what to skip, including healthier alternatives:
- Scented sprays and chemical cleaners: Scented hutch sprays severely irritate a rabbit's sensitive respiratory tract. Instead, both indoor and outdoor enclosures will stay fresh when cleaned simply with plain water and white vinegar. A Pestavert Spray can be a useful addition for protection against mites and ticks.
- Optional health support: Multi-Vitamin Health Support and Calming Support are more suitable alternatives to vitamin drops and other similar items, though they aren't substitutes for high-quality hay, fresh water, and vet checks.
- Premium housing: Buying an expensive cage labelled as a "luxury palace" doesn't mean much if the floor space is tiny. Spacious housing matters far more than corporate buzzwords.
- Decorative miniature clothing: Directing your hard-earned funds toward essentials such as high-quality floral bedding, including Rose White Paper Bedding and the Bunny Starter Pack will always keep your pets far healthier and happier than novelty items ever could.
Rabbit Welfare Expectation in the UK
Raising rabbits here in Britain means taking into account everything from our changing weather to finding a rabbit-savvy vet. Caring for your rabbits means supporting both their physical and emotional well-being every day.
Weather and temperature considerations
The unpredictable British climate can bring freezing winter frosts, damp conditions, and severe summer heatwaves, which can pose health risks. Your pet's housing requires different preparations, depending on the weather.
Rabbits need protection from extreme temperatures, with around 10–20°C recommended as an ideal range. Unlike wild bunnies with thick fur and underground warrens, their domestic counterparts require a dry, draught-free, well-insulated shelter to avoid sudden changes in temperature.
Outdoor housing considerations
One of the best things you can do for your rabbit is provide a large enough safe space to express their natural behaviours. If necessary to house your bunnies outside of the home, a large outdoor enclosure, like a garden shed that’s protected from extreme temperature changes, is an option.
Make sure the shed is secure against predators, with reinforced doors, secure mesh over openings and protection against digging around the entire perimeter. Check regularly for damage, gaps or signs of digging, and repair any weak points promptly.
Preventative care and finding a rabbit-savvy vet
Bunnies often mask pain and illness, but there are often subtle warning signs. Find an exotic veterinarian you can call on before an emergency occurs. You can start your search by:
- Checking the RWAF directory for a list of approved rabbit veterinarians.
- Locating a local clinic that employs rabbit-savvy veterinarians.
You don’t want to wait until your little one is seriously ill before reaching out to a vet. Serious conditions such as GI stasis can become life-threatening quickly. Watch out for sudden changes in their appearance and behaviour, including weight loss and lack of appetite.
Vaccinations and routine healthcare
Routine healthcare remains a priority for every UK rabbit parent committed to long-term rabbit health. This often requires keeping up to date with recommended vaccinations.
Neutering
Neutering both male and female rabbits is highly recommended to prevent unwanted litters and support their health and companionship. It can reduce hormone-driven aggression, making successful bonding easier, including between same-sex rabbits.
In females, spaying also prevents womb infection and uterine cancer when the womb is removed. Neutering helps, but rabbits still need careful introductions to form a safe, lasting bond.
Travel and holiday care
When travelling or planning a family holiday, arrange care with a rabbit-experienced pet sitter or reputable rabbit boarding service well in advance, especially during busy seasons.
Rescue/adoption options
Adopting gives rabbits in need a loving home and helps rescues make space for others. If you’re ready to welcome rabbits into your family, consider a reputable rabbit rescue. Many offer advice on care and help with finding a suitable companion for an existing rabbit.
Rabbits need compatible rabbit companionship, so many rescues rehome them in bonded pairs or as a companion for a rabbit you already have. Before introducing unfamiliar rabbits, both should be health-checked, neutered and up to date with vaccinations. Remember, bonding unfamiliar buns is absolutely necessary and will take time and patience.
What Your First Month Will Actually Cost
Caring for rabbits is a long-term commitment that includes ongoing spending on food, suitable housing, enrichment, and veterinary care. Before bringing a bunny home, make sure you can meet these needs and plan for unexpected expenses.
Getting the essentials ready
Prepare a spacious, secure living area with room to run, hop, stretch, and stand upright. Include hideouts, heavy water bowls, litter trays, suitable litter, and comfortable resting areas. Have unlimited fresh hay, appropriate food, and safe enrichment ready, and rabbit-proof any spaces they will explore.
Register with a rabbit-experienced vet and check each rabbit’s vaccination and neutering history. Rescue rabbits may already be vaccinated and neutered; otherwise, your vet can advise on suitable timing. Keep their existing diet consistent while they settle in, introduce any changes gradually, and monitor their appetite, droppings, and behaviour each day.
Monthly costs
Monthly costs recur. The expenses can vary depending on the number of rabbits, their size, and individual needs. Food is usually the main expense, including an unlimited supply of Hay available at all times.
Beyond food, plan for ongoing essentials such as fresh bedding and litter, enrichment toys, and safe chews, and replace hidey-homes and other habitat items as they wear out. Routine vet visits, vaccinations, and unexpected treatment also need to be part of your budget.
Unexpected vet costs
Veterinary expenses can be unpredictable. Set aside an emergency fund for unexpected illness or injury, and consider rabbit insurance, checking the cover limits and exclusions carefully, particularly for dental conditions.
Your vet may also offer a rabbit health plan to spread the cost of routine care, such as vaccinations and check-ups, or provide discounts on selected services. These plans are different from insurance and should not be relied on to cover emergency treatment.
Conclusion: Caring For Rabbits Means Caring For What Matters
Welcoming rabbits into your home is just the beginning. Giving them a good life means meeting their needs every day.
Beyond the daily essentials, responsible care means noticing changes in their behaviour, arranging veterinary check-ups and being prepared for unexpected treatment. Focus on what supports their wellbeing when choosing products, and take time to understand their individual personalities.
Rabbits can share your life for a decade or more, and they deserve a home where they feel safe, comfortable, and free to be themselves.
Other Care Resources
- Rabbits 101: Care Resource Guide
- Everything You Need to Know About Rabbit Toys
- A Guide To Snacks & Treats For Your Rabbit
