How do I take care of a rabbit?

At a glance

What you're signing up for

Start with the number most buyers never hear: an indoor house rabbit lives 8-12 years, and some reach 14-16. That is dog territory. Rabbits are still sold as "starter pets," often for less than the price of the cage, and that mismatch — decade-long animal, impulse-buy price tag — is the single biggest reason rescues are full of them.

The daily reality is more work than a cat, differently shaped than a dog. The House Rabbit Society recommends at least 4 hours a day of exercise outside the pen, which means bunny-proofing real living space: cords, baseboards, and furniture legs are all fair game to a chewing rabbit. Add feeding, litter box cleaning, and a daily health check — including a look at the rear end, twice daily in summer, because flies can do lethal damage to a soiled bottom within a day.

Here is the thing owners most often learn too late: rabbits are prey animals and they hide illness. A rabbit that stops eating can go from "a bit quiet" to life-threatening in a matter of hours, and it will not cry or limp to tell you. You have to know the early signs, have an exotic-savvy vet already lined up, and keep an emergency fund. If any of that sounds like more than you expected, believe that feeling — it is the honest picture.

Housing

The gap between what pet stores sell and what welfare bodies call acceptable is wider for rabbits than for any other animal we cover. The Rabbit Welfare Association & Fund (RWAF) sets the welfare minimum for a pair at a single unbroken space of about 10ft x 6.5ft x 3.3ft high — 60 square feet, available 24 hours a day, so the rabbits can actually run. Sleeping quarters should be at least 6ft x 2ft x 2ft. Platforms and tunnels do not count toward the footprint. RWAF has run its "A Hutch Is Not Enough" campaign for years precisely because the typical hutch or pet-store "rabbit cage" is a fraction of that. Treat the welfare numbers as the floor, not the ceiling.

The practical US setup: keep the rabbit indoors, and skip the cage aisle entirely. A metal exercise pen (x-pen) is, per Rabbit.org, by far the most popular rabbit housing of recent years — cheaper and bigger than any cage. The House Rabbit Society's base standard is a 4ft x 4ft pen (16 sq ft) combined with daily free-roam time; any enclosure should be at least 3-4 times the rabbit's stretched-out length. Add a litter box (litter training works well, especially after spay/neuter), a hide, and things that are allowed to be chewed so your furniture isn't.

Indoors is not a style preference. Outdoor rabbits face predators, flystrike, and temperature extremes — rabbits cannot sweat and are highly heat-sensitive — and Rabbit.org attributes the 8-12 year lifespan specifically to indoor rabbits.

One more housing fact that surprises people: rabbits should not live alone. The RSPCA campaigns on exactly this point; the welfare-org standard is a bonded, neutered pair. Two rabbits are barely more work than one and vastly better company for each other.

Feeding

A rabbit's diet is mostly one thing: hay. Rabbit.org's ratios are about 85% grass hay, roughly 10% vegetables, about 5% pellets, and under 5% fruit or treats. Hay is not filler — it drives the gut motility that prevents GI stasis, and it wears down teeth that never stop growing. Unlimited hay, always available, is the closest thing rabbit care has to a golden rule.

House Rabbit Society amounts for adults (1-5 years): unlimited grass hay; at least 2 cups of chopped vegetables per 6 lb of body weight daily; only 1/4 cup of plain timothy-based pellets (minimum 18% fiber) per 6 lb daily; fruit capped around 1 teaspoon per 2 lb per day. Feed at least three rotating leafy greens daily — romaine, green or red leaf lettuce, cilantro — and rotate high-oxalate greens like parsley and spinach rather than feeding them every day.

The mistake that hurts rabbits most is the colorful muesli-style mix. A two-year University of Edinburgh study linked muesli foods to life-threatening dental and digestive problems: rabbits pick out the sweet, starchy bits and leave the fiber. RWAF has a formal policy statement against them. If a pellet bag has fruit, seeds, nuts, corn, or yogurt drops mixed in, don't buy it — from us or anyone.

Never feed: chocolate, cookies, crackers, cereal, bread, pasta, or yogurt drops (Rabbit.org calls these especially dangerous); avocado; onion, garlic, or other alliums; iceberg lettuce (not toxic, but nutritionally poor and widely advised against); and never any muesli mix.

Health

GI stasis is the emergency to memorize. The gut slows or stops, gas-producing bacteria multiply, and painful bloat and toxins can lead to organ failure and death. VCA's phrasing is blunt: a rabbit that is not eating can progress from feeling poorly to a life-threatening illness in a matter of hours. A rabbit that has not eaten or passed droppings for around 12 hours needs a vet the same day — not tomorrow, not after work. Common triggers are low-fiber diets, pain, stress, and dental disease. Related fact that explains the urgency: rabbits physically cannot vomit, so whatever goes wrong inside has no exit but through.

Dental disease is the slow-motion version of the same diet problem. Rabbit teeth are open-rooted and grow about 1 cm per month; an unopposed incisor can grow up to 1 mm per day. Too little hay leads to molar spurs, malocclusion, and abscesses, with dwarf and lop breeds genetically overrepresented. Watch for drooling, a wet chin, dropped food, and weight loss.

Flystrike is the summer horror: flies lay eggs on soiled or damp fur, the eggs hatch within hours, and maggots can eat into the flesh within 24 hours. Check the rear end at least daily, twice daily in summer. Finding maggots is an immediate emergency.

Because rabbits mask weakness, learn the quiet early signs: smaller or fewer droppings, hunched sitting, refusing a favorite treat, loud teeth grinding (pain — different from the soft "tooth purr" of contentment), and hiding. Other conditions you may meet: sore hocks, bladder sludge and stones, ear infections, "snuffles" (Pasteurella), E. cuniculi, and heat stroke. Two vet-specific warnings: RHDV2 vaccination is now recommended in the US ($30-$100 per dose), and penicillin-family and clindamycin antibiotics can be fatal to rabbits — never give dog or cat leftovers, and only use a rabbit-savvy vet.

Go to a vet today if: your rabbit has not eaten or pooped for about 12 hours; you see maggots or fly eggs anywhere on the body; it is grinding teeth loudly, hunched, and refusing favorite food; it is stretched out panting in heat; or it screams — a screaming rabbit is in severe pain or fears for its life.

One more health decision that isn't optional for females: spaying. Studies report that 50-80% of unspayed female rabbits over about 3-4 years of age develop uterine cancer. Spaying essentially eliminates the risk, and spay/neuter also prevents or solves the most common behavior problems, from spraying to litter-box lapses. US cost runs $250-$1,200 depending on region and clinic.

What it really costs

This is the $10-animal, $200-setup problem at its most extreme — except the honest setup number is much higher than $200. Chewy's expert-reviewed cost guide puts first-year setup at $865-$2,195, including $620-$1,430 of initial veterinary care (exam $90-$130, RHDV2 vaccine $30-$100 per dose, spay/neuter). The pen or cage runs $50-$300, a carrier about $70, a litter box $10-$30. Adopting from a shelter costs $85-$450 and usually includes the spay/neuter — Missouri House Rabbit Society lists a typical $100 adoption fee that covers it — versus $885-$1,490 from a breeder plus surgery on top.

Ongoing: hay $20-$50 a month, vegetables $20-$50, pellets $13-$26, litter around $18-$21, bedding $10-$50. Chewy's annual all-in total is $1,672-$3,354, including $580-$630 of routine vet care. Budget-end rescue figures (MOHRS) are lower — twice-yearly checkups around $100 a year total, veggies $10-$25 a week — but no one escapes the emergency line: an emergency consult runs $150-$300, and emergency surgery or overnight care runs $1,000-$4,000. GI stasis is the classic surprise bill. Exotic vets charge more than cat-and-dog clinics, and many ordinary clinics won't see rabbits at all. Budget for the emergency before you bring the rabbit home.

Daily and weekly routine

Daily - Unlimited hay topped up; fresh vegetables; measured pellets; fresh water - At least 4 hours out-of-pen exercise in a bunny-proofed space - Clean or refresh the litter box - Health check: eating, droppings normal, rear end clean (twice daily in summer)

Weekly - Full litter box change and pen clean - Groom (more during molts); check nails, teeth alignment, hocks - Rotate toys and enrichment: digging box, cardboard, willow chews

Monthly - Deep-clean the enclosure and wash fabric items - Nail trim if needed - Review hay and pellet stocks; check weight and body condition

Common mistakes

1. Buying the pet-store cage. It's far below the RWAF 60 sq ft pair minimum. Use an exercise pen plus daily free-roam instead.
2. Feeding muesli mix or unlimited pellets. Linked to life-threatening dental and gut disease. Hay at 85%, plain pellets at 1/4 cup per 6 lb.
3. Bathing the rabbit. Wet rabbits risk deadly stress and shock, hypothermia, and ear infections. Spot-clean only.
4. Picking it up wrong. The hind legs are powerful and the spine comparatively brittle; a struggling rabbit can fracture its own back. Support the hindquarters, never lift by ears or scruff — and accept that most rabbits hate being carried.
5. Keeping a solo rabbit. Rabbits shouldn't live alone; plan for a bonded, neutered pair.
6. Skipping spay/neuter. Up to 50-80% of intact older females develop uterine cancer, and intact rabbits have more behavior problems.
7. No exotic vet, no emergency fund. Line up a rabbit-savvy vet before you need one, and hold $1,000-$4,000 for a stasis emergency.
8. Buying a rabbit for a child. An 8-12 year lifespan, fragile handling, and hidden illness make this an adult's animal.

Is this pet right for you?

A good fit if... - You want a quiet, litter-trainable indoor companion and can commit 8-12 years - You can give a pair 60 sq ft of space and 4+ hours of daily free-roam - You have an exotic vet within reach and $1,000-$4,000 held for emergencies - You enjoy an animal that shows affection on its own terms, at floor level

Think twice if... - You're buying it for a child, or as a gift of any kind - Your budget stops at the adoption fee — first year runs $865-$2,195 - You can't bunny-proof living space or supervise daily out-of-pen time - You want a pet that likes being picked up and cuddled; most rabbits don't - Nobody in the house can commit to a same-day vet run when eating stops

Worth knowing

Their teeth never stop growing. About 1 cm per month, and an unopposed incisor can grow 1 mm a day. Constant hay chewing is dental care.

Rabbits cannot vomit. Whatever goes in must pass through, which is exactly why gut slowdowns and blockages are killers.

They eat some of their own droppings on purpose. Cecotropes are nutrient-rich soft pellets re-ingested directly from the anus. It looks alarming; it is normal and essential.

A happy rabbit binkies. The vertical leap with a mid-air twist is pure joy. The sudden dramatic flop onto one side — feet kicked out, apparently dead — means deeply relaxed.

Flystrike moves in hours, not weeks. Fly eggs hatch within hours, and maggots can begin eating into flesh within 24 hours of being laid. This is why the daily rear-end check is non-negotiable.

Unspayed females face a 50-80% uterine cancer rate over about age 4, by breed and study. Spaying removes the risk almost entirely.

Indoors roughly means a full lifespan. The 8-12 year figure — some rabbits reaching 14-16 — belongs to indoor rabbits with good care. Outdoor life is a fraction of that.

Common antibiotics can kill them. Penicillin-family drugs and clindamycin can be fatal to rabbits. Never share medications between pets.

What you'll need

• metal exercise pen (x-pen) — primary housing, bigger and cheaper than any cage
• large litter box — rabbits litter-train well, especially after spay/neuter
• paper-based litter — safe substrate for the litter box (advice-only) (buy this where you already shop — we don't sell it, on purpose)
• grass hay, unlimited supply — 85% of diet, gut motility, tooth wear (advice-only) (buy this where you already shop — we don't sell it, on purpose)
• plain timothy-based pellets, min 18% fiber — the measured 5% of the diet (advice-only) (buy this where you already shop — we don't sell it, on purpose)
• fresh leafy greens — daily 10% of diet, three rotating varieties (advice-only) (buy this where you already shop — we don't sell it, on purpose)
• heavy ceramic food bowl — can't be flipped by a digging rabbit
• water bowl or bottle — fresh water always available
• hard-sided pet carrier — vet runs, including same-day emergencies
• hide box — prey animal needs somewhere to feel safe
• untreated willow or apple chew toys — redirects chewing, helps wear teeth
• digging box and cardboard tunnels — enrichment for a burrowing animal
• cord protectors and baseboard guards — bunny-proofing for 4+ hours of daily free-roam
• grooming brush — regular grooming, essential during molts
• nail clippers — monthly-ish trims

Browse the store for the gear above.

Sources