Housing FAQ
Main article: Housing
How do I stop my rabbit from jumping out of their enclosure?
There are a few ways to easily prevent rabbits from jumping out of their pens:
- Make the fencing taller. Most rabbits will easily jump out of fences 24"-30" high unless they are naturally not jumpers. Exercise pens and stacked wire cube panels over 36" tall prevent most rabbits from escaping. Exercise pens are sold up to 48" tall.
- Add a covering on top of the pen. You can purchase metal wire tops for the standard exercise pens in a square formation. Otherwise, you can also clip a fitted full-size sheet over the top for a cheap alternative.
- Use an enclosed cage instead. While most commercial cages are much too small for the average rabbit, extra large wire dog crates with multiple levels installed can be an appropriate size. See the main wiki page for details.
- Make sure there are no boxes or other furniture inside or outside of the enclosure or walls that can help your rabbit escape. Some rabbits are very smart and will use the height of items next to the fence both inside and outside to help them jump over fences. Some rabbits are also very agile and can use the walls to parkour and leap over the top.
- Add more enrichment toys. Bored rabbits will look to constantly escape. Check out our Toys article for more ideas. Feeding pellets in a treat ball or giving hay cubes are an easy way to entertain bunnies in their enclosure.
- Give them more space. If the rabbits are sufficiently happy with the running area available to them 24/7, they are less likely to try and escape their fenced areas. Rabbits that do not have enough exercise are more prone to trying to get out.
Are there any rabbit-safe paints that I can use around my pet rabbit?
Generally, water-based VOC-free paints that are safe to use around birds can be appropriate to use around rabbits.
In the US, you can find ECOS paints. In the UK, you can find Cuprinol.
If you would like to re-finish a metal pen or cage instead, Rustoleum enamel paints are theoretically safe, as described in this blog post. Please note that the cages should be given at least 2 weeks to fully cure after paint application.