The rabbits need a place they will call their own. That place/home needs certain items that will make rabbits feel safe, happy, and entertained.
Rabbits should have proper habitat large enough to allow them to be active. Items like a litter box, food and water dishes, and hay are necessary. Also, don’t forget to provide some digging boxes as rabbits like to dig and explore. Remember to put some chewing toys as rabbits need to chew on something constantly due to their teeth that never stop growing. A cozy bed with a soft blanket is not mandatory but it will allow your rabbit to sleep like a baby.
Table of Contents
Litter Box
Rabbits can be litter trained ( you may even adopt an already trained bunny) so you need to place a litter box inside their habitat. Rabbits usually use the corner to go to the bathroom so you should put the litter box in the corner. If you have more rabbits, it would be perfect that each one has its own litter box if possible.
The interesting thing is that your rabbit will decide in which corner he wants to go to the bathroom so you can put a box in any corner as that would be temporary and then your bunny will simply show you in which corner you should put the box for good. Depends on the flooring material you put, maybe it is a good idea to put some mat or rug to prevent gliding.
Naturally, you should put litter in the litter box. The main purpose of litter is to soak the urine or poop and try to eliminate bad smells. Another interesting thing about rabbits is that they like to eat and poop at the same time so it is very important where you will put the next extremely important thing for rabbits – HAY.
Hay
Hay is a source of fibers which is crucial for rabbits so most rabbit’s parents decide to put the hay inside of the litter box, just on to the top of the litter. If you do that, you will spend much more hay as some of it will be full of poop and only a part of it eaten. Another alternative is not to mix litter and hay. You can take a hayrack, put hay in it and place it just above the litter box.
Food And Water Dishes
Hay is a very important part of the rabbit’s diet but your pet will need other food as well. Because of that, he will also need food and water bowls/dishes. Provide some good, heavy ceramic bowls and avoid light plastic and metal dishes that will be easy to tip over. Also, don’t use water bottles as rabbits drink less water from it than from the bowl so they can become dehydrated. Also, bacteria can develop on the walls of the bottle so it is not such a good idea to use it.
It is recommended to put food and water bowls on the opposite corner from the litter box. If they are placed next to each other some poop and hay may end up in the water which can be quite messy.
Some rabbit’s parents don’t have food bowls at all. They are feeding their pets with pellets but not by putting them in the bowl but on the floor. They find this a more natural way of feeding the bunnies so if you share their opinion do the same, it is completely up to you and whatever you decide won’t be a mistake.
Hiding Place /House
As rabbits are prey animals they need to hide in order to feel safe. No matter they are not in any danger inside of your home but still they need a hiding place. Every time when they are scared ( which can be caused by some loud noise) they need to hide somewhere.
If they don’t have such a place, they can become aggressive, eager to bite. This behavior is often misunderstood by the rabbit’s parents who simply think that their rabbits are too aggressive by their nature which is not true. They are just scared and try to protect themselves.
You don’t have to spend some big money on some fancy hiding houses. The hiding spot can be a simple cardboard box. You just need to make two exits, hols as rabbits don’t like to feel trapped so one hole/exit is not enough.
Also, measure the height of that hiding box as rabbits can easily climb on the top of it and jump over the fence ( in case you use X-pen). You need to have at least 3 Ft between the top of the box and fence otherwise your pet can easily escape. Of course, you can solve this situation by putting some cover ( you can buy the cover for X-pen but they are rather expensive). A cheaper option is some sheet that can be helpful in this case.
Digging Box, Chewing Toys
Rabbits like to dig. So to prevent them to dig in your carpet or some other things you don’t want to see destroyed provide some digging material ( shredded paper, child-friendly sand). You can put some old newspapers, wooden toys. These things are also important as they need to chew on something in order to cut their teeth that are constantly growing.
When it comes to toys, it is recommended to provide 3 different toys ( different cardboard boxes, tubes, old magazines, newspapers, wooden chew toys, baby toys such as baby chains or keys for teeth or stacking cups ) every couple of days, then to hide them and bring another three. After a couple of days, you can rotate them.
A Rabbit’s Bed
You can also provide a bed for your rabbit. It doesn’t have to be an expensive option. You can use a wire paper tray, put on some soft old blanket and your bunny will sleep like a baby.
Of course, the bed is not the necessary item in the rabbit’s habitat, especially if your bunny is still not litter trained but if it is and you would like him to have some nice and cozy place for sleep then just go for it.
