Rabbit Care: Enrichment and Housing – 2025 Vet Guide by Dr Duncan Houston 🐇🏠

By Dr Duncan Houston, BVSc

Introduction

Rabbits are often seen as easy, low-maintenance pets—but their natural instincts demand more than a small cage and pellet food. In this 2025 veterinarian’s guide, I’ll walk you through best practices for housing, exercise, enrichment, handling, and overall rabbit well-being. Let’s ensure your bunny lives a full, happy life. 🌟

1. Why Cage-Only Living Isn’t Enough

Rabbits evolved to hop, forage, jump, and explore wide-open spaces. Keeping them confined to a cage can severely impact their physical and mental health. Key concerns include:

• Obesity: Little movement plus high-calorie pellets = extra pounds.
• Pododermatitis: Foot inflammation from standing on hard or unclean surfaces.
• Poor bone density: Lack of exercise weakens skeletal structure, risking fractures.
• Muscle atrophy: Heart and muscles degrade without activity.
• GI & urinary issues: Physical inactivity leads to digestive slow-downs and urinary problems.
• Behavioral disorders: Lethargy, bar-chewing, aggression, over-grooming, or cage destruction are common symptoms.

2. Designing the Ideal Cage

Use the cage as a secure base—not a permanent prison. Follow these guidelines:

• Size & height: Must allow full stretches and jumping; rabbit must stand upright without hitting the roof.
• Material: Durable metal with a solid, padded floor—no wire grids.
• Padding: Use foam mats covered with fleece blankets—absorbent and soft.
• Ventilation: Place in cool, airy rooms (60–70 °F). Basements need a dehumidifier and air circulation.
• Temperature safety: Heat above 85 °F can be life-threatening. Use frozen water bottles or fans when air-conditioning isn't available.

Outdoor cages are an option only with enclosed shelter and full predator protection (dogs, raccoons, hawks). Provide straw/hay bedding in colder weather and ensure water doesn’t freeze.

3. Daily Exercise Space

Fresh air or indoor safe zones are critical. A few hours a day outside the cage helps:

• Maintain weight and muscle tone.
• Support bone health and heart function.
• Reduce risk of digestive and urinary disorders.
• Provide mental stimulation and reduce destructive behaviors.

Exercise Pen Tips:

• Use 3–4-foot-high metal x‑pens.
• Block hazards like cords and furniture.
• Include toys, hideouts, and tunnels.
• Supervise at all times—outdoor use risks predators or escapes.

4. Bunny-Proofing Your Home

If allowed to roam free indoors, make the space safe:

• Cover or elevate cords.
• Remove toxic plants and chemicals.
• Protect furniture from chewing damage.
• Close off unsafe areas like stairs or balconies.
• Provide litter trays, padded floors, and exits to hideaways.

5. Litter Box & Hygiene

Rabbits can be trained to use a litter box much like cats:

1. Start in a small area with one low-sided box lined with paper-based litter and hay.
2. Place droppings in the box to encourage use.
3. Frequently change soiled hay and litter.
4. For larger areas, provide one more box per rabbit and use floor protection under trays.

Healthy litter: Use paper or pine pellets—not corncob, clay, or wood shavings—to avoid toxicity or impaction.

6. Resting & Hiding Spots

Rabbits need safe dens to retreat:

• Provide hay-stuffed baskets or cardboard boxes with an entrance hole.
• Ensure hiding spots are stable and easy to access.
• Place dens in cage and exercise areas to offer comfort zones.

No wire flooring—always offer padded surfaces like fleece or baby blankets. Avoid carpet scraps due to hygiene issues and blockage risks.

7. Enrichment & Play

Mental stimulation is just as important as physical activity:

• Give untreated branches (apple, willow), wooden chew toys, or wicker baskets.
• Provide cardboard rolls, boxes, shredded paper, or small balls for hiding and foraging games.
• Try child-safe stacking toys or puzzle feeders.
• Hide healthy treats in toys or hay to encourage natural foraging behavior.

Rotate toys regularly to maintain novelty and engagement.

8. Handling & Restraint

Handling with care is essential to prevent injury:

• Always support the hindquarters—never lift by ears.
• Move close to the ground—rabbits can kick and injure their spine.
• Learn “burrito” wrap technique for safe restraint, taught by vets.
• Practice calm and short sessions to build trust and reduce stress.

9. Daily Health Monitoring

Check on your bunny every day:

• Inspect feet, fur, eyes, ears, nose, and teeth.
• Check droppings and urine for signs of illness.
• Ensure fresh water and clean bedding.
• Plan yearly veterinary exams and more if signs of illness appear.

10. Common Issues & Solutions

• Obesity: Balanced diet + daily exercise.
• Foot sores: Proper flooring + cage hygiene.
• Behavioral problems: More enrichment + exercise + social time.
• GI stasis: High fiber, vet care if reduced appetite or droppings.
• Spinal injury: Safe handling only—no drops or unsupported holding.
• Stress behavior: Quiet bond-building and desensitization to guests.

11. 2025 Vet Tips for Enriched Rabbit Care

• Cage is base—exercise pen is essential.
• Invest in quality x‑pens and safe toys.
• Bunny-proof before allowing free roam.
• Commit daily to play, handling, and monitoring.
• Offer plenty of treated hideaways and chew-safe zones.
• Use vet-approved litter—avoid potentially harmful materials.
• Consult Ask A Vet or your rabbit-savvy veterinarian for tailored help.

12. Sample Daily Routine

• Morning: Fresh hay, water, pellet ration, time in exercise pen.
• Midday: Enrichment—chew toys, cardboard puzzles, hide & seek.
• Afternoon: Litter and cage cleaning, handling session ("burrito") for grooming.
• Evening: More free-roam or outdoor exercise in pen with supervision.
• Night: Cozy cage retreat with hay basket and hiding spot.

13. When to Seek Veterinary Help

• Limping, sore feet, or reluctance to move.
• Changes in droppings or appetite.
• Hair loss around hiding areas or cage rubbing.
• Signs of stress: hiding, aggression, teeth grinding.
• Handling resistance or physical discomfort during contact.

Conclusion

Caring for a rabbit goes far beyond cage confinement. With the right housing, exercise, enrichment, and handling, they thrive—physically and emotionally. In 2025, my goal as a veterinarian is to empower you create an enriched rabbit‑friendly world where every bunny can flourish. 🐾❤️

Support from Ask A Vet

Need help tailoring enrichment, housing, or handling tips for your bunny? Visit AskAVet.com and download the Ask A Vet app for on-demand, personalized veterinary guidance. We’re here to support you and your rabbit every hop of the way! 🐰📱

Disclaimer

This guide is general advice and not a substitute for a veterinary examination. Always consult a veterinarian if you have concerns about your rabbit’s health or safety.