| Housing for your rabbit | |
Rabbits can be kept outside or indoors
They make good house pets, being easily litter trained. The decision as to where the rabbit is to be kept will affect the type of Cage or Hutch required for the rabbit.
Dutch need Medium-large hutches;
- Ideal outside 4ft x2ft x2ft click here
- Ideal inside a Rabbit 100 click here
Hutch Size Guidelines
The minimum size for a hutch is 4' (120cm). In addition, a larger area is needed for exercise. It is essential that your rabbit have the room to stretch in all directions. A rabbit hutch that's too small can affect your rabbit’s health - causing spine problems, muscle wastage and obesity.
 |  |  |
I would like to
acknowledge Tasmin's art skills from the rabbit house
for the diagrames above.
The rabbit hutch should be long enough for the rabbit to take at least 3-4 hops without bumping its nose on the end. Rabbit Hutch Height
Rabbits stand up on their back legs to check their environment is safe. The rabbit hutch should be tall enough to allow your rabbit to do this without being hunched over or folding its ears against the roof.
So What Hutch?
 Rabbit Hutch with Enclosure -123cm |  The Rabbit Hutch Palace-4ft-6ft |  The Big Rabbit Hutch & Run Combo Range-4ft-6ft |
A relaxed rabbit will fully stretch out when resting. The rabbit hutch should be wide enough to allow you rabbit to lie with its legs stretched. This allows for plenty of room to turn around in the hutch too.
It is important to buy the correct size cage for your chosen breed, the exact size will depend upon the breed that you choose, but remember the rabbit will need room to stretch out and to stand up on its back legs should it feel the urge. A Netherland Dwarf will not need the size cage that a French Lop will need .
Most reputable pet shops sell good quality hutches ideal for the pet rabbit in the garden. As rabbits can have a long life span, make sure you buy one which is sturdy, secure (from animals trying to get in as well as the rabbit trying to escape) and waterproof. There are many different styles of hutch, from a free standing hutch which opens at waist height and is easily accessible for getting the rabbit in and out. At this height the rabbit can watch what is happenning and is out of the view of cats, dogs and foxes which may pass through the garden, to a hutch with run under, if these are sited on grass then you must make sure that your pet is put in the hutch section of a night to protect it from Mr Fox. It is also a good idea to cover the cage of a night. Never stand a hutch directly on the ground as it will quickly become damp and cold so short legs of 220mm at least are a necessity. Remember that the hutch needs to be solid and water proof. When making the decisions about your hutch, bear in mind the following:
Make sure it is out of any draughts
Make sure the rain can't blow in
Make sure it is out of direct sunlight
Never paint the inside of your hutch with a lead based paint
Most hutches have a sleeping compartment so that the rabbit can get in and out of the cold and wet. However, a polythene cover suspended from the roof is advisable in bad weather. This allows air to circulate but at the same time stops the bedding getting wet. It is important that there should be air circulating freely in the hutch at all times to stop the build up of bacteria so make sure that the polythene "hangs" rather than "clings". Some hutches have tailored made covers, that not only look good but protect your pet.
If you are buying a second hand hutch - be careful. Always ask why the hutch is being sold. If the previous occupant passed away, bacteria can still be present despite thorough cleaning. If the previous occupant died of VHD, do NOT buy as no cleaning substances can kill the dormant stages of this virus. If you put a baby rabbit in the hutch, it is likely to catch the virus and die. I do not guarantee baby rabbits that are housed in second hand cages.
House Rabbits.
Rabbits, in general are very clean animals - in the wild they only use certain places to relive themselves and don't soil inside their warrens. Pet bunnies also tend to toilet in just one or a few places, and are easy to house train. It is important to have the right type of cage when having a bunny live indoors.
The Plastic based ones with a wire top I feel are the best, being easy to keep clean and allowing the rabbit to see what is going on, you can use a dog crate, but I find these messy indoors. Again depending on the breed of rabbit, these cages range in size. In your Rabbits inside cage you can place a corner litter tray for toilet training your pet.
It is important to fill your rabbits litter tray with an absorbent, non-toxic litter. Most bunnies will try and chew their litter or will ingest some during grooming. If the litter is not absorbent then the rabbit is at risk of urine burn caused by splash back of the urine. Avoid softwood and clumping clay litters that can be harmful to your rabbit. As most rabbits enjoy rolling and digging in their litter trays use a soft litter if you bunny is prone to sore hocks or spends a lot of time in the tray.
Litter training your pet bunny
Some rabbits litter train themselves, however most need a little encouragement from their owners. Rabbits usually learn to urinate in a litter tray but will still scatter a few faeces around. This is normal rabbit behaviour and the droppings are easy to pick up. Rabbits can be litter trained from as soon as you take them home. Neutering is very important if your bunny lives in the house. When a rabbit is growing they can becomes very restless and territorial marking with urine and droppings. Even litter trained rabbits will start urinating outside their trays and this may happen every spring if they have not been neutered. Neutering will make your bunny more reliably trained and also reduce or prevent spraying. More information in General care.
Garden Runs.
Many people often like to have a run for the rabbits as well and similar rules apply on where to site the run, providing shade is very important on a hot sunny day, rabbits can suffer with heat exhaustion which can be fatal if not delt with quickly. A warm dry area should also be provided for windy wet days. However, here the question of security is paramount as rabbits will dig and, if left unattended in a run, your rabbit will quickly escape. Have a permanent run which is sunk into the earth or to have a run with a mesh or wooden base so that the rabbit cannot dig its way out. Also make sure with a run that cats and dogs cannot knock it over to get at the rabbit. Only let a rabbit free in the garden if you are 100% positive there is no escape - remember, rabbits can squeeze through small holes and gnaw them bigger as well as dig under fences - and you can't stay with it the entire time, just in case!!
To view a range of large wooden and metal runs. Please click here Back to top.
The Bedding your Rabbit will need:
Your rabbit's hutch will be its home so make sure it is really comfortable. For bedding, wood shavings are ideal as they are clean and absorbent. Sometimes straw and hay on top of the shavings helps with insulation. Dusty or old hay or straw can cause irritation to the eyes and nose, so check it before you buy. Good hay should always smell sweet, not musty. When bedded with hay or straw the rabbit will probably eat some with its food but don't worry, this is natural "roughage" and will help with teeth wear. I use a combination of a layer of wood shaving with a good layer of my lovely Lavender straw on the top. The rabbits are given a handfull of my sweet smelling meadow hay twice a week to chew or play with, my female bunnies that are due to have babies have a thick layer of hay in their nest box. If you house your pet outside, in the cold months you must provide pleanty of hay for them to snuggle in.
Cleaning out your pet. 
Rabbits should have their bedding changed completely once a week. Rabbits like to use one or more corners as a toilet area so you will need to clean corners out more frequently, perhaps every third day. Also the hutch should be scrubbed thoroughly with a good disinfectants once a month but make sure your rabbit has somewhere else to go whilst it dries. Rabbits can be trained to use a litter tray and this will cut down on the amount of bedding that you are using.
Dee Millen Rabbit Accessories........When only the best will do!
| In aid of the rabbits up keep, i have launched an internet shop, full of useful and unusual rabbit and small animal stuff, including Cages, Runs, food, bedding, toys,and all accessories. This can be viewed at The photos are us on tour at the Bradford Small Livestock Show held at the Yorkshire events center, Jan 09. |  |
 | |
To view online shop click on link.