Simple steps to keeping house rabbits indoors.
Keeping your rabbits indoors is the best way to make sure your bunnies are staying safe, happy, and healthy. But it’s not always an easy transition if you’ve never had rabbits before, or if you’re used to keeping your rabbits outside. Today, I’m going over all the basics on getting set up to keep indoor rabbits!
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Introduction to Keeping Indoor Rabbits
If you have never kept rabbits before, or only ever kept them outside, then you might be unfamiliar with house rabbits – or rabbits kept indoors.
I personally always recommend keeping rabbits indoors. Housing your bunnies inside enables you to control their environment to make sure they are safe and healthy. You don’t have to worry about extreme weather, predators, or pests and bugs bothering your pets. You also don’t have to worry as much about diseases like RHDV. Your bunnies will also tend to get more attention when kept inside since that’s where you’ll be!
It also can be much cheaper to keep your bunnies inside than putting together an outdoor enclosure that is both secure and the proper size for rabbits. Let’s talk more about the logistics of keeping your rabbits inside.
READ MORE >> Rabbit Beginner’s Guide
Basics to Keeping Rabbits Indoors
Keeping your rabbits indoors doesn’t mean sticking them in a small cage and leaving them there. Rabbits need a lot of space and need daily playtime to stay happy and healthy!
To keep your rabbits indoors, you want them to have a “home base” area, along with an area that is safe for them to have time out to play. You actually can even free roam your rabbits and let them roam about your house full time – kind of like cats! Rabbits are very smart and are easily litter trained, which makes keeping them inside really easy. You don’t have to worry about constantly cleaning up bathroom messes!
Many people set up an enclosure for their house rabbits to stay in when they’re not home and at night, and have a safe play area available to their rabbits to let them out into when they’re home. This setup works well because it ensures your bunny is getting plenty of exercise and space to roam, but you don’t have to worry as much about your bunny getting into things it shouldn’t.
Setting Up an Indoor Rabbit Enclosure
When setting up an indoor rabbit enclosure, the number one thing to consider is the space you can provide your rabbits. Rabbits do need a lot of space, so it’s important to make sure you give them what they need.
For your rabbit’s main “home base” area, you want to make sure the space is large enough to include everything your rabbit needs while still giving your bunny space to relax and hop around a bit. The general rule of thumb for a rabbit enclosure is it should be large enough for your rabbit to take 3-4 hops across and has space for your bunny to lay flat out. If you have multiple bunnies you want to take that into consideration as well.
Some of my favorite enclosures are x-pens for dogs, extra large dog crates, and c&c cages. You also can use a high baby gate to block off access to one room and let your rabbit have a full-time roam of that room. I also really like this hutch from Aivituvin – see our full review here!
Once you’ve decided the best way to set up their “home base” enclosure area, they’ll just need the usual rabbit basics -unlimited hay, fresh water, a small amount of healthy rabbit pellets, fresh veggies every day, and a comfortable place to hide and snooze.
How to Rabbit Proof Your Space
Whether you choose to free roam your rabbits or just give them playtime outside their pen, you’ll need to make sure the area is bunny-proofed. This involves making sure the area is safe and free of any hazards or destroyable items in your bunny’s area.
Bunnies can be destructive little creatures, so you want to keep that in mind when getting an area ready for them. Make sure to pick up anything on the floor that you don’t want them to chew. Cover cords with plastic tubing, and block off any areas you don’t want them to have access to.
Something else that is important to keep in mind is that rabbits can jump up to 3 feet high! This can make it a bit tricky to bunny proof sometimes if you have a very adventurous bun. Storage grids work well to block off areas you don’t want bunny to have access to.
Final Thoughts on Keeping Indoor Rabbits
Keeping indoor rabbits is incredibly rewarding as you’ll get to spend more time with your rabbits and can rest easy knowing they are safe and happy. If you make sure to provide them with enough space and give them plenty of playtime they will be the happiest bunnies around!
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