How to take care of bunnies

I think we can all agree that rabbits are the cutest creatures to walk the earth.

They are fluffy, have big personalities, are super easy to maintain, and are generally very social animals.

Making the decision to adopt a rabbit is a no brainer. Learning how to take care of bunnies takes a little more time.

So let’s jump right in!

How to take care of bunnies: housing

Right off the bat, you will want to decide if you plan of raising your rabbit indoors or outdoors. I’ve noticed people feel very strongly one way or another, but in my experience it’s not so black and white.

Rabbits are easily adaptable to their environment. Living outside they can acclimate to the weather. Personally my rabbits have always lived outside since the time they were born.

Outdoor housing

If you choose to house your rabbit outside, you’ll first want to acquire a hutch. Depending on where your live or how protected your yard is, you’ll want to make sure that your hutch is strong and sturdy and off the ground. Don’t leave your rabbits in a playpen yard. This leaves them at high risk for attacks from predators or escaping by digging themselves under the fence. Housing is such an important factor is learning how to take care of bunnies.

Although bunnies will acclimate to the seasonal temperatures, it’s important that you provide them with adequate shelter and resources. Rabbits like to have an additional nesting box or platform to jump on. They need shade and limited direct sunlight and thick bedding and wind protection in the winter months.

Indoor housing

Indoor housing is pretty simple. You’ll want to pick out an indoor wire cage that is the appropriate square footage for your rabbit’s body size. Many people choose to house their bunny in a separate room and litter train their indoor bunny.

Did you know that it’s easy to train rabbits? Check out my article on training your bunny here.

How to train your rabbit

Regardless of how you choose to house your bunny, it’s important to remember that your rabbits cage is not meant to be it’s home 100% of the time. Your rabbit needs to be able to run and stretch his legs. Build him a play run, take him for a walk on a harness, or allow your bunny to hop around the house as much as possible .

Feeding your pet rabbit

This is always a popular question when it comes to how to take care of bunnies.

Although feeding your rabbit is rather simple, it’s important to feed them a well rounded diet to maintain health and a proper weight.

Rabbits are herbivores and largely eat Timothy hay and a hay based pellet.

Pellets are a good base to a domesticated bunnies diet, however, having Timothy hay available is so important!

One thing that surprises people is that rabbits have a full set of teeth, 28 to be exact.

On top of that, their teeth continue to grow throughout their life. They need to chew and grind their teeth to keep their dental health in check. Hence providing them with loose hay is crucial.

Fruits and vegetables are also wonderful dietary additives that should be provided whenever possible.

Everyone knows that rabbits loves carrots, but things like apples and carrots have a lot of sugar and should only be given as a treat to maintain a healthy weight and blood sugar.

Vegetables like kale and lettuce and brasica leaves are all yummy foods for bunnies.

Out in the yard you can easily forage for clover, dandelions flowers and leaves, and fresh grass.

If you have fruit trees, picking branches is a great treat for a bunny. Not only does it help grind their teeth but provides them with fiber.

The key to most things is everything in moderation. Bunnies have sensitive little tummies and should always have fresh water available.

Pro tip: when introducing a new food, start with a small portion all by itself. That way if your bunny has any negative reaction you know not to feed it to hum again.

Supplies for your rabbit

Hutch or heavy duty wire cage

Play yard fencing or A frame

Nesting box or platform for inside enclosure

Feeder

Water bottle

White pine shavings for bedding

Timothy hay

Timothy hay rabbit food pellets

Litter box (Indoor)

Nail clippers

Comb for grooming

Toys

Leash/harness (totally optional)

What rabbits need emotionally

Like I mentioned earlier, rabbits are incredible social creatures. They crave human interaction. My bunnies stretch themselves against their hutch door when I come by wanting to be held.

It gets me every time and they always get their way

If left alone and ignored a bunny can easily become depressed and harm themselves out of boredom. Either commit to being your rabbits companion or get them a bunny friend (spay and neuter)

Rabbit health check

Another aspect of how to care for bunnies is making sure they are in tip top health. Because rabbits are prey animals they are extremely well at hiding sickness and discomfort.

This is why it’s so important to be diligent about checking over your rabbits health frequently.

When I get my rabbits out everyday, I like to quickly check over a few things.

First I check their eyes. I check to see if there is any irritation, drainage, or cloudiness.

Next I check their ears. I check for any mite damage, blockages, or rashes.

Next I check their fur. I gently blow to separate the fur to see down the hair shaft. You’ll want to be on the lookout for dandruff, fleas, and fur mites along with generally matting and cleanliness.

On top of that, quickly check the length of their nails. You only want the nails to be slightly longer than the nail bed. If allowed to get too long the nail bed will extend making it more difficult to cut your bunny’s nails short.

Lastly, check their backside. Make sure that their vents are clear, that there is no swelling and that the fur surrounding the areas is brushed and clean.

This seems long but it should only take a minute or two to check all these things out thoroughly. This little routine has saved me from a lot of headache and has helped me catch little things early on.

Grooming tips and tricks

Depending on what breed of rabbit you get you’ll need mostly the same materials.

For nail care I actually like to pick up tiny clippers for cats. I feel like in all the years of me buying clippers for my rabbits the ones made for cats have always been the smallest.

When choosing a grooming comb, I like to get my hands on a small metal fine tooth comb. Regardless of what fur type your rabbit has, a metal comb is generally gentle and easy to manage. Stay away from any slick or wired brush. These are too hard on the bunnies skin.