Housing Guidelines

Rabbit Housing - Why a Hutch is Not Enough - RWAF

“It’s fairly obvious to us, as humans, that environment plays a large part in the development of health problems. We sometimes overlook the even more important role it plays in the health of animals who are totally dependant on us to provide the perfect living conditions. If we are too hot or cold, we can adjust the thermostat or change our clothes, to give a simple example. If a rabbit is kept in the wrong conditions, it has to tolerate them as best it can. This can lead to very specific health problems, and in addition, the chronic stress of such an incorrect environment depresses the rabbit’s immune system, and makes it much more susceptible to a whole range of other problems. This is a particular problem in rabbits, as they have not evolved to make a great fuss about something, in case they draw a predator’s attention to themselves, and they often, as a result, suffer in silence.”
Richard Saunders BSc (Hons) BVSc MSB CBiol CertZooMed DZooMed (Mammalian) MRCVS, RCVS Specialist in Zoo and Wildlife Medicine who is RWAF’s Vet Specialist Advisor.

This video kindly shared with us by Jacqui Reynolds, beautifully illustrates why rabbits need lots of space!

Westley's World promotes the basic hutch + exercise run size guidelines as follows -

For OUTDOOR RABBITS
A 'HUTCH' / Sleeping/Snuggle box
An absolute minimum house/hutch size (for sleeping and shelter) of 1m2 - 2m2.
For example a floor area of -
* 1800mm x 600mm (approx. 1m2) or
* 1200mm x 1200mm (approx 1.4m2) or
* 1000mm x 2000mm (2m2)
with a minimum height of around 600mm

This is a Snuggle Box that is designed by Westley's World. The plans are available for you to make this or have it made for you. You can read about the project and access the plans here - The Original Westley’s World Snuggle Box.

PLUS

A RUN
An attached run (with access 24/7) of an absolute minimum 3m (L) x 2m (W) x 1m (H) for the keeping of one or two rabbits.

This 1m height measurement is for a run space that has a top on it. It is to allow for room for the rabbit to be able to stretch up without its ears hitting the top.

Please note that this is also a footprint measurement - so it is the amount of ground space available. Raised platforms are a useful addition but don’t count towards the footprint. The same applies to the upper floor of two-storey hutches.

In addition to space, a rabbit's enclosure/run/home base needs to provide shelter and security. By this we mean partial or full overhead cover in addition to a hutch of the stated minimum size above and especially in addition to the very minimal shelter afforded by commercial hutches. If overhead cover is not possible then the rabbit needs additional opportunities to shelter from the rain and the sun such open sided structures/platforms etc so that they have a choice and are not restricted to one solitary option for shelter.

Look at it this way - would you be happy and content solely having access to a room - say as big as your toilet room, for months on end when it rains non stop?

Rabbits can cope well with the cold as long as they are able to be dry and out of the wind. At the other end of the scale, during the summer they need shade - and plenty of it, to help avoid heat stroke. So this must also be taken into consideration.

So, you are aiming at having a set up that has housing of the size mentioned above and for the rabbit's run or home base to be fully sheltered and secure from predators as well.

If your housing does not meet these guidelines we would like to invite you to consider the information in this post for ways to improve living conditions for your rabbit/s.

Visit the Outdoor Setups & Outdoor Setups Showcase files for lots of ideas and inspiration.
Outdoor Rabbit Housing - RWAF

Walk In Enclosures
Either Home built or commercial, you just cannot beat a secure walk in enclosure. This means that your rabbit is sheltered and safe and you can very easily spend time inside with them no matter what the weather is doing.

Beckz Walker

Westley's World

Jacinta Allen

Janelle Tait

Sarah Baker

Tiffany McCready

Commercial Hutches can also have large, roomy and fun runs attached to them
The example below is of a run that has a commercial hutch attached to it. The run has a covered top to keep it's occupant -Curly, dry as well as roll down covers for the sides to protect against bad weather. During summer a shade sail or shade cloth could be used right over the top to reduce heat. Although Curly's run includes lots of terrific enrichment to help keep him busy and occupied, he does of course also have time out of his home base to run around and explore.

Setups are often constantly evolving …
The following is an example of the wonderful improvements that were made to a rabbits’ environment/setup once their carer realised that a hutch - or in this case a small cage, is not enough.

“The first picture is from the day I first became a bun mum... there is more wrong here, than there is right. And what you see is exactly what Animates recommended. Cage (for 2 buns), water bottle (not bowl), no litter tray because "they'll choose where to go", a food dish (Burgees thank goodness), pine shavings - not lined with newspaper either because the "ink will poison them" (so i had to buy 2 packs of their pine shavings), no house/hiding spot or they will "become wild" and 1 toy each - the toilet roll i put in there as I had just started to Google bunny enrichment, because they looked bored to tears! So glad I joined this group. Oh how things have changed! The sad thing... I wonder how many buns are condemned to this life?”

The second photo is the day time enclosure that Lisa has built for these lucky rabbits. It was put together on a budget and is a wonderful example of creative problem solving. What a difference!
The last photo is of her rabbits’ night time sleeping pen - Lisa says “Note what happened to that tiny cage we thought they were going to spend their life in..? It turned into their toilet!”

There are some fantastic commercial options …
Another top class option are the Omlet and Zippy Rabbit systems. Although pricey they are incredibly well built, are predator proof/fully secure, easy to set up, are extendable and last for ages. These are available in NZ from Appletons and we highly recommend them.
Please note - although we love the Omlet and Zippi enclosure and tunnel systems, we do not feel the Omlet house is big enough to act as stand alone housing for a rabbit(s).

Janine Wadham

Anne Buchanan

Ashley Hampton

Westley's World

Kirsten Ockleston

For INDOOR RABBITS
Indoor rabbits also need space and security and it's much easier to provide this for them if they live inside your house.

Rabbits can make great house pets - they can be litter trained just like a cat. Some house rabbits live totally free range but many have their own living accommodation for when their owner isn't there or when they need a quiet place to retreat to. The amount of time your rabbit will spend confined to its enclosure will affect the size needed. Purpose designed rabbit cages are increasingly available but these are usually far too small. An alternative is a dog crate combined with a dog pen or simply a large dog pen on its own - or you can always build your own.

Rabbits love to chew but not everything in your home is safe or desirable for your rabbit to get his teeth into so you need to be aware that protecting cables and removing hazards like poisonous plants is essential.

Rabbits need a covered area to feel safe and retreat to when frightened, so, whatever type of accommodation you choose, include a box, tunnels or something similar for your bunny to hide in. And keep in mind that a full time indoor rabbit will need access to a secure outdoor pen/exercise area for enrichment and its health – Vit. D production etc.

There are lots of options available for indoor bun setups including -

A dedicated Bedroom
Full free range in a fully rabbit proof area of the house - or the whole house!
Part of a room in a dedicated pen/area which acts as a bedroom/safe space
A dog crate combined with a dog pen
Or you can always build your own enclosure

We recommend that a minimum size for an indoor pen/bedroom would be 2m x 2m as long as the rabbit(s)have access to a rabbit proofed free roam area for a large part of the day.

Check out these fantastic indoor set ups for inspiration -