What has to be in the house first, what can wait, and what not to buy at all.
Before you spend anything
The single biggest mistake with rabbits happens before you buy anything: getting one. Rabbits are a social species and a lone rabbit is a welfare problem, not a saving.
Before they arrive
A pair, not oneNeutered and bonded. Two rabbits are barely more work than one and enormously better off. A solitary rabbit is a bored, often depressed animal.
A space measured in feet, not inchesMost cages sold as rabbit cages are too small to be legal housing in several countries. A dog exercise pen, a spare room or a shed with a run is closer to right.
Unlimited grass hayNot a hay bag, a pile of it. Hay should be about 85% of what they eat, and it is what keeps their teeth and gut working.
A litter box for the corner they chooseRabbits pick a corner and then use it. Put the tray where they already go, not where you want them to go.
A hide eachTwo rabbits need two boxes, or the one that gets pushed out has nowhere to go.
A vet who treats rabbitsFind them before you need them. Not every practice does, and rabbits go downhill in hours rather than days.
The first 48 hours
Leave them in a small area at firstA bonded pair still needs to work out a new room.
Check they are eating and pooingA rabbit that has not eaten for 12 hours is an emergency, not a wait-and-see.
Do not pick them upSit on the floor and let them come to you. Being lifted is what a predator does.
The first week
Rabbit-proof the wiresNot most of them. All of them. They will find the one you missed.
Introduce fresh greens slowlyOne new thing every couple of days, so you can tell what disagreed with them.
Book the vaccinationsMyxomatosis and RHD, including RHD2. These are the diseases that kill pet rabbits.
Weigh themWeekly, on kitchen scales. Weight loss shows up long before anything else does.
Can wait a month
A bigger permanent setupOnce you have seen how they use the space.
ToysCardboard boxes and untreated willow first. See what they actually engage with before buying.
Grooming gearDepends entirely on the coat. A long-haired rabbit needs daily work; a short-haired one needs almost none.
Do not buy this
Muesli-style rabbit foodThey pick out the sugary bits and leave the fiber. Plain pellets, a tablespoon or two a day, and hay for the rest.
Salt licks and mineral blocksThey get what they need from hay and greens.
Wire-floored hutchesSore hocks. Solid floor.
Carrots as a daily foodThey are a sugary treat. The cartoon is not a feeding guide.
Worth knowing
Rabbits hide illness until they cannot. Not eating, not pooing, or sitting hunched and pressing the belly to the floor are all same-day emergencies.
Read next
The full rabbits guide — costs, daily time and
what they actually need. What's toxic — worth checking the house before they arrive.
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