As the UK celebrates Rabbit Awareness Week (RAW, 26 to 30 June), research from vet charity PDSA has revealed that there has been a rise in house rabbits – making them more popular than outdoor rabbits for the first time ever.
The 2023 PDSA Animal Wellbeing (PAW) Report revealed there has been a shift in pet ownership, with a large number of ‘new’ pet owners (38% of all owners)*. As well as this new wave of ownership, there has also been an increase in rabbits who live inside their owners homes rather than outdoors in a hutch.
The Report found that over half of the rabbit population (51%, 560,000 rabbits) now live predominantly inside their owner’s home, a higher proportion than in August 2020, when just 39% of rabbits did so.
Whether living inside or out, rabbits need to have the space to display their natural behaviour – stretching, jumping, running and digging. If they are indoors, a dedicated bunny area or ‘rabbit room’ is important to ensure they have their own space, should they want to have some human-free time.
It appears bunnies are becoming more indoor pets, like dogs and cats. Although, sadly, there is still an estimated 250,000 rabbits who do not have the space to exhibit normal behaviours. The Report found that 22% of all rabbits live in inadequate housing (small hutches with minimal or no run space). The proportion of rabbits living in unsuitable housing was similar for both indoor (10%) and outdoor (12%) living environments.
How to create the perfect home for your bunnies
Outdoor bunnies
- Small hutches or cages don’t allow for rabbits to exhibit their natural behaviours, making them unsuitable accommodation. Whilst rabbits are thought of as ‘small pets’, they do require a good amount of room to live a happy and healthy life. Their home needs to be at the very least 3m x 2m x 1m/10 ft x 6 ft x 3ft, though this is a minimum, so the bigger the better.
- Inside your rabbit’s accommodation should be a shelter, where they will relax, sleep, eat and drink, as well as hay, food and water bowls, a litter tray and a digging tray. Don’t forget plenty of toys and places to hide! You can even make your own rabbit toys.
- They also need a large exercise area that they can use at all times – such as a run, secure area in your garden, or space in your home. Large enough for your rabbits to sprint, fully stretch out and stand up without their ears touching the top. This usually works out as at least around 3m x 2m x 1m/10ft x 6ft x 3ft (depending on the size of your rabbit), but we recommend providing much more than this.
- Outdoor space – all bunnies need regular access to the outdoors so they get enough daylight and vitamin D, as well as the opportunity to spend time grazing.
Indoor bunnies
- Non-slip flooring is best so your rabbits don’t injure themselves while hopping about.
- Ensure house cleaners and sprays are pet friendly, and kept out of the way along with medicines and any other poisonous substances.
- Rabbits can jump very high and squeeze through quite narrow spaces. Some of them also like to climb up on furniture. Take this into account when putting things “out of reach”.
- Bunny-proof – it is very natural for a rabbit to chew and they are likely to chew furniture, skirting boards and door frames that they have access to. If this is a problem then the best way to avoid it is by keeping your rabbits in areas where they can’t get at these things unsupervised and use plastic guards to protect the area. Also protect any cables or wires, and keep house plants out of paws reach.
For more information on keeping your rabbits happy and healthy, head to PDSA’s website.
