Care FAQ

Can rabbits use an exercise wheel?

No, exercise wheels are not a good idea for rabbits for several reasons:

• Rabbits do not run like a rodent -- they hop. Their strides are much longer than a hamster or other rodent that typically uses these type of wheels.
• Rabbits generally do not enjoy running indefinitely in straight lines. They tend to zig zag wildly for happy binkies back and forth, and rabbits often find foraging, chewing, and digging toys to be more mentally stimulating.
• Rabbit bones are relatively fragile. Falling off or getting stuck can easily result in serious or even fatal injuries.

If you would like to encourage your rabbit to exercise more, try using a puzzle ball for cats or a foraging mat to feed their daily pellets. See Toys for more rabbit-appropriate toys.

How much space should I give my rabbit?

Although pet stores market cages and hutches specifically for rabbits, these cages and hutches are far too small to comfortably house rabbits and should be avoided entirely unless you plan to leave the cage/hutch open at all times, allowing the rabbit access to a larger exercise pen or free roam area. From the Educated Rabbit’s article, “Rabbit Cages and Other Terrible Ideas”:

The minimum enclosure for 1-2 rabbits (about 5-6 lbs) is a 4x4[ft] exercise pen. This is big enough for a litter box, toys and food dishes. The rabbits are able to stand up, stretch out and hop around. Note: If you have one of the giant breeds, I would suggest you give them free range, a room of their own or, at the very minimum, a 10x6[ft] exercise pen (or bigger). The more room you give a rabbit, the happier they will be. Important! Despite an exercise pen, rabbits still need to have exercise outside of their pen, as well. They need approximately 4-5 hours of play time a day, so that may be the whole room instead of just a part of it or perhaps a room and a hallway, etc. Whatever you decide the play area should be, you will need to bunny-proof your home to protect both your belongings and the rabbit.

The Ohio House Rabbit Rescue provides the following guidelines:

Our housing requirements are a minimum 4 ft x 4 ft of indoor space in a location where the bunny is part of the family, can receive regular attention, and continue to be socialized. The bunny should also get out of the 4 ft x 4 ft space for regular exercise. We do not permit small cages, outdoor hutches, or wire bottom cages. Many of our adopted bunnies live in free roam homes, or have an entire room for themselves. This is great for the bunnies! However, we do advise “Bunny-proofing” your home or room by protecting exposed wires and cords with products such as Critter Cord or Split Wire Loom Tubing. This will keep your bunny and electronics safe!

Please note that rabbits of larger size (such as giant breeds) will need more than the standard 16 square foot (4’x4’) minimum home-base enclosure. Regardless of size or number of rabbits, the more area of living space you can provide, the better.

The San Diego House Rabbit Society provides their minimum living space requirements here and here. Rocky Mountain House Rabbit Rescue provides their requirements here.

If you do not have enough floor space to give your rabbits much more than the recommended minimum area, you can also build vertically with multiple story gridded NIC condo pens. It is important to note that minimum housing requirements should be met from the area of ground floor alone if adapting a multi-tiered housing approach. Minimum housing requirements cannot be met by adding the areas of several flooring levels together. Remember, if you have a young bunny, be prepared to provide large enough housing as they grow.

Exercise with the room to run freely is paramount to a rabbit's physical and mental health. Rabbits are recommended to have a minimum of 4 hours of exercise daily. Rabbits will become obese and may develop muscular, cardiovascular, and skeletal issues from a prolonged sedentary lifestyle. Possible medical issues include sore hocks (ulcerative pododermatitis), osteoporosis, urine sludging, and spinal fractures.

If you must temporarily make do with substandard housing, just make sure that your rabbit receives plenty of exercise time every day to stretch out their legs. Please note that this should only be a temporary situation and that rehoming your rabbits is heavily encouraged if you are unable to provide them with appropriate housing long-term.

Remember that surviving is not thriving.

Please see our Housing and Exercise articles for more tips and details.

What is the optimal environmental temperature range for a rabbit?

The ideal temperature range for rabbits is 55-72°F (12-23°C).

As a result, during cold days in the winter and hot days in the summer, it is important to monitor your rabbits to insure comfort and health. However, rabbits can adapt to temperatures outside of this range with appropriate environmental conditioning and proper shelter.

Please see the articles Hot weather concerns and Cold weather concerns for more tips and details.

Can a rabbit wear a collar like a cat or dog?

Main article: Walking a rabbit

"This sweet little bunny was brought into us yesterday as a stray after being found on Balista Street in Riverton. He had a collar stuck around his teeth and jaw and required sedation for removal and treatment. He has recovered well and we are now trying to locate his owner. - Pictures and text used with direct permission from Riverton Rossmoyne Veterinary Hospital

February 17, 2017: Update.

February 24, 2017: Final update, after 4 weeks of treatment Buttons is doing great and was adopted by a vet nurses, Stacey and her family at RRBH.

No, rabbits should never wear a collar. A rabbit can break their own neck or strangle themselves when the collar catches on something or they try to get the collar off. The rabbit may also get their jaw or paws stuck in the collar trying to remove it and injure themselves.

Additionally, the fur around a rabbit's neck is very thin and rabbit skin is very delicate. Extensive use of a collar can end up with irritated skin from friction, a symptom common with the use of E-collars for injuries.

Researchers that used radio collars (both cable and strap types) on rabbits suspected deaths could have been attributed to neck abrasions and other injuries from said collars found on trapped rabbits, and they observed that there were many accidents with legs or jaws becoming caught under cable-type collars especially.

The following are a few stories about rabbits injured by a collar:

• Riverton Rossmoyne Veterinary Hospital. (2017). Buttons story. (Graphic)

If you are worried about identifying your rabbit in the case that they escape, please consider microchipping your rabbit. This will allow shelters and veterinarians to identify your rabbit without risking injury with a neck collar.

If you would like to take your rabbit outside for walking, please use a harness. See Walking a rabbit for more details.

Even breakaway and quick-release collars are not recommended as they often require over 5 pounds of force to remove, according to their patent documentation. Rabbit owners have reported that rabbits can still get their jaws and limbs stuck underneath trying to remove it.

• u/DepartureBorn3425 (2020). Comment on r/rabbits post
• Jennifer Gallagher. (2019). Comment on House Rabbit Society group post

What should I do if my rabbit breaks a nail?

If the rabbit's toe is still bleeding, apply pressure until the bleeding stops. If the nail is hanging, trim the loose end off if possible. Then, clean the area with some diluted Betadine, plain Neosporin, or other disinfectant. Keep your rabbit's area clean while the nail heals. If there are any signs of infection or limping behavior after a few days, please see a rabbit-savvy vet as soon as possible.

Please check the rest of your rabbit's nails to make sure that they are not too long and trim them if needed.

Why does my rabbit smell?

How to Get Rid of Your Rabbit's Odor

Do Rabbits Smell? Tips to reduce the smell!

If your litter box smells, that is generally a sign that you should be changing your litter box more frequently. A proper litter box should not give off any significant ammonia odor. Anecdotally, paper-based litters will require cleaning most often, while the wood-based litters can last for 3+ days before requiring a change.

A larger-sized litter box and putting a thicker layer of litter down during setup can also help reduce the amount of changes a litter box may need.

How do I know when to euthanize my rabbit?

The following are a few resources to help with making this hard decision:

• Journeys Home Pet Euthanasia. Quality of Life Scale© Calculator
• Lap of Love Veterinary Hospice. Lap of Love Pet Quality-of-Life Scale [PDF]
• Disabled Rabbits. (2019). Quality of Life
• Tara Parker-Pope. (2019). Knowing the Right Time to Say Goodbye to a Pet
• Bill Velasquez with the New Mexico House Rabbit Society (and HRS Podcasts) interviews Christie Taylor (House Rabbit Society Nationally Licensed Educator) on the subject of "End of Life Care." It's a three part HRS podcast conducted between May 12 thru June 14, 2018. @Podbean or index and with notes @RRI.
• Marinell Harriman. (1992) Quality of Life

Howcast. (2013). How to Know When to Euthanize a Rabbit

How can rabbits be temporarily marked for identification?

When working with large-scale rescues or litters of similarly colored rabbits, it can be important to be able to distinguish individual rabbits from each other. Temporary identification marks can be made with the following:

• Aqueous dyes like food-coloring or stamp ink refills.
• Permanent dyes, but they will fade as the animal molts.
• Sprays designed for sheep last about five to six weeks.
• Felt tip pens can be used on the inside and outside of ear and on the back. These markings will need to renewed weekly. Rabbits may develop dermatitis in reaction to chemicals in the ink with prolonged use.
• Xylene-free markers last about three weeks and are non-toxic.
• Colored wax can be used on the ear tips.
• Fur clipping can be used for short-term marking — rapid growth of fur means these markings last a few weeks.