Species · Herbivore grazer
Rabbit
Oryctolagus cuniculus
The misunderstood “easy first pet” — a smart, sensitive, litter-trainable companion that needs space, a friend, and a stasis-savvy eye.
Difficulty: Beginner–IntermediatePrintable care sheet →
Rabbits are the most misunderstood pet there is — quiet, sensitive, surprisingly clever prey animals that were mis-sold for generations as easy cage pets for kids. They’re not. Give a rabbit room to run, a friend of its own kind, and a hay-first diet, and it becomes a litter-trainable companion with real personality. This is the honest version: what’s normal, what’s urgent, and what the pet shop got wrong.
Spaying (surgically removing the ovaries and uterus) in female rabbits is very important. It prevents unwanted litters and eliminates the risk of cancer of the uterus, which is common and often fatal in rabbits over 3 years old.
Care at a glance
| Adult size | Hugely breed-dependent: small breeds ~0.9–2.7 kg (2–6 lb, e.g. Netherland Dwarf, Mini Lop), medium ~2.7–4.1 kg, large ~4.1–5 kg, and giant breeds (Flemish Giant, French Lop) over 5 kg (11 lb+). Always check the adult size of your specific breed before you buy. |
|---|---|
| Lifespan | With a proper diet and good living conditions, 10–12 years or longer — some reach their mid-teens. This is a decade-plus commitment, not a short one. |
| Enclosure | For two medium rabbits, a living space no smaller than 3m × 2m × 1m high (about 10 × 6 × 3 ft), combining a secure shelter with an attached exercise area they can use whenever they like. They must be able to hop several times, stand fully upright on their back legs without their ears touching the roof, and stretch out flat. A traditional small hutch is not enough. Housing must be draught-free, dry, well-ventilated and predator-proof, with the shelter raised off the ground. |
| Companionship | Rabbits are social and should live with at least one other friendly, compatible rabbit — a neutered male paired with a neutered female is the classic bond, because neutering reduces fighting in both sexes. Give bonded rabbits both space to be together and space to get away from each other (as many hiding spots as rabbits, plus one). A rabbit that truly must live alone needs daily human interaction as a poor substitute for its own kind. |
| Temperature | Comfortable in normal room or outdoor temperatures, but must be protected from damp, draughts and extremes of heat and cold — add shade over part of any run in warm, sunny weather. (A healthy rabbit’s own body temperature runs 39.4–40°C / 103–104°F; a reading below 38°C or above 40.6°C is a warning sign of illness — see a vet.) |
| Bedding & substrate | Warm, safe-to-eat bedding — dust-free straw or hay — over an absorbent layer such as newspaper or dust-free, non-cedar wood shavings. Provide a separate litter area (they can be litter-trained) using newspaper, hay/straw, shredded paper or paper-based non-clumping, non-expanding litter, kept apart from the sleeping area. Never use a wire floor — it hurts their feet. Spot-clean toilet areas daily and clean the whole enclosure about weekly. |
| Enrichment & exercise | Rabbits are intelligent and active, and get bored easily. Give daily exercise plus things to do: a platform to climb, a sand/soil dig box, cardboard boxes and tunnels, safe objects to chew, and food hidden or scattered to forage (try hay in a rack or stuffed in cardboard tubes). They’re most active at dawn, dusk and overnight, so make sure they can reach their exercise space then. |
| Grooming & upkeep | Brush short-haired rabbits about twice a week and long-haired rabbits daily to remove loose fur; trim nails every 1–2 months as needed. Rabbits should never be declawed. In warm months, check the fur around their bottom daily — soiling and sticky droppings there can lead to deadly flystrike. |
| Diet | About 85% good-quality hay and/or fresh grass — a bundle at least as big as the rabbit, available at all times, as it keeps both the gut moving and the continuously-growing teeth worn down. Add around 10% washed leafy greens and herbs daily (a large handful, ideally 5–6 different types such as kale, parsley, mint, dandelion), and only about 5% pellets — a small, measured daily amount, never topped up. Fruit and root veg (carrot, apple) are occasional treats only. Always provide fresh water. Never feed muesli-style mixes (they cause dental and gut disease), and never feed lawnmower clippings. Change any diet gradually over weeks — sudden changes cause dangerous gut upset. |
| Supplements | None needed on a correct hay-based diet: hay does the real work of wearing teeth down and keeping the gut moving, and rabbits make their own B-vitamins by re-eating their soft caecotroph droppings. Do not add vitamin/mineral supplements unless a vet advises it. |
🤎 Did you know? — Rabbit fun facts
Little true delights about the rabbit — each one checked against a named source, no pet-shop myths.
- A rabbit’s teeth never stop growing — it relies on chewing hay to wear them down over a lifetime.PDSA
- With eyes on the sides of its head, a rabbit can see nearly 360° around itself — almost all the way behind.PDSA
- Rabbits produce two kinds of droppings and eat one of them, re-digesting their food to pull out extra nourishment.PDSA
What it's like to live with a Rabbit
Living with a rabbit is quieter and more subtle than people expect. They’re most lively at dawn and dusk, they bond strongly with a companion and often with their people, and many learn to use a litter tray reliably. They also chew everything, so a rabbit-proofed room matters. The single most important habit to build is watching their eating and their droppings: because rabbits are prey animals, they hide illness well, and a rabbit that goes quiet, hunches up, or stops eating and pooping is not “just being shy” — it can be a genuine emergency within hours.
Your first month together
The settling-in period, in order — so you know what's normal and when not to worry.
- Let them settle before handling. Get them used to your presence and voice first — sit nearby, let them approach you, and don’t force interaction. Handle gently and often once they’re relaxed.
- Keep the diet exactly as it was at first, then transition to a hay-first diet gradually over weeks — a sudden change can cause serious gut upset.
- Learn their normal: how much they eat and drink, what their droppings look like, and their usual energy at dawn/dusk. This baseline is what lets you catch problems early.
- Book a vet check and sort neutering and RHDV vaccination. Find a rabbit-savvy exotics vet now, not in a 2am emergency.
- If you’re introducing a second rabbit, bond them slowly on neutral territory — rushing it causes fights. Both should ideally be neutered first.
Through the year, and as they grow
Summer is the dangerous season: heat, and flystrike (flies laying eggs on a soiled bottom, which is rapidly fatal) — provide shade and check their rear end daily. In winter, protect outdoor rabbits from damp, draughts and freezing water bottles. Rabbits moult a few times a year; brush more during a heavy moult so they swallow less loose fur.
Popular rabbit breeds
There are dozens of rabbit breeds, but they are all one species with the same core needs — company, unlimited hay, and a lot of space. Breed mostly changes size, coat and ears. Size is the one that genuinely affects care: a giant breed needs proportionally more room, food and a bigger litter tray than a dwarf.
- Netherland Dwarf — One of the smallest breeds (around 1–1.5 kg). Tiny, but it still needs full rabbit-sized space and a companion — small does not mean low-needs.
- Mini Lop / Holland Lop — Small lop-eared breeds. Lop ears can be more prone to ear-wax build-up and dental issues, so they are worth extra routine checks.
- Lionhead — A woolly mane of long fur around the head. That longer coat needs regular grooming to prevent painful matting.
- Rex — A plush, velvety short coat. Rex rabbits are more prone to sore hocks, so give them soft, solid flooring rather than wire or hard surfaces.
- Flemish Giant — A true giant that can top 6 kg. It needs a much larger enclosure, more food, a bigger litter tray, and dog-sized everything — a major space commitment.
These are appearance breeds, not different species — the core care is the same. The care-relevant points above (grooming a long coat, soft flooring, extra space for giants) are covered in the rabbit care guide on this page.
The pet store gets these wrong
Common myths, kindly corrected — no shame for having believed them.
- A hutch is not enough. Rabbits need a large space — a minimum of 3m × 2m × 1m for a pair — with room to run, stand up fully and stretch out, not a small box.
- Rabbits are not low-effort “starter pets” for young children. They’re sensitive, need daily care and specialist vet costs, and dislike being picked up — a poor match for small kids without adult oversight.
- Carrots are a treat, not a staple. Root veg and fruit are occasional only; the diet is hay, then greens, then a little pellet.
- Muesli-style rabbit food is actively harmful — it causes dental disease, gut problems and obesity. Good hay plus a measured pellet is the modern standard.
- A single rabbit is usually a lonely rabbit. They’re social and do best bonded with another (neutered) rabbit.
- Rabbits do need vaccinating. The RHDV (rabbit haemorrhagic disease) vaccine is a routine, often-lifesaving jab — two initial doses, then yearly boosters.
Before you buy
- Can you give a pair a space of at least 3m × 2m × 1m, with daily run time?
- Are you prepared to keep two — ideally a neutered male and neutered female — not just one?
- Can you budget for neutering, RHDV vaccination and boosters, and exotics-vet bills?
- Do you have a rabbit-savvy exotics vet within reach for emergencies (gut stasis moves fast)?
- Are you ready for a 10–12+ year commitment, and a pet that mostly prefers not to be picked up?
- Can you commit to daily monitoring of eating and droppings — the early-warning system that keeps rabbits alive?
See a vet if…
We can't diagnose from afar — but these are the signs to stop watching and get a professional:
- Not eating, OR no droppings, for more than about 12 hours — this is gut stasis, a genuine emergency; see a vet the same day
- Sitting hunched, grinding teeth, or a sudden loss of energy — signs of pain rabbits try to hide
- Drooling, or difficulty eating (often dental disease)
- Runny nose or eyes, or trouble breathing
- Diarrhoea, or soft sticky droppings around the bottom (flystrike risk in warm weather)
- Dark red urine, fur loss, or red, swollen skin
- Not hopping or moving normally
- Body temperature below 38°C (100.4°F) or above 40.6°C (105°F)
Never
- Never keep a rabbit on a wire floor — it injures their feet.
- Never feed muesli-style mixes or lawnmower clippings, and never change the diet suddenly.
- Never give a rabbit certain oral antibiotics — clindamycin, lincomycin, erythromycin, ampicillin, amoxicillin, or cephalosporins by mouth can be fatal; only a rabbit-savvy vet should prescribe medication.
- Never use fipronil-based flea products (e.g. some spot-ons) — they can cause fatal nervous-system reactions in rabbits.
- Never ignore a rabbit that has stopped eating or pooping — treat it as an emergency, not a wait-and-see.
- Never declaw a rabbit.
Common rabbit questions
How hard are Rabbits to keep — are they good for beginners?
Beginner–Intermediate. Gentle and rewarding once set up right — but not the low-effort “child’s starter pet” they’re sold as. A rabbit needs real space, a bonded companion, a hay-based diet, neutering and vaccination, and an owner who spots the early signs of gut trouble. Do that, and you get a litter-trainable friend for a decade.
What do Rabbits eat?
About 85% good-quality hay and/or fresh grass — a bundle at least as big as the rabbit, available at all times, as it keeps both the gut moving and the continuously-growing teeth worn down. Add around 10% washed leafy greens and herbs daily (a large handful, ideally 5–6 different types such as kale, parsley, mint, dandelion), and only about 5% pellets — a small, measured daily amount, never topped up. Fruit and root veg (carrot, apple) are occasional treats only. Always provide fresh water. Never feed muesli-style mixes (they cause dental and gut disease), and never feed lawnmower clippings. Change any diet gradually over weeks — sudden changes cause dangerous gut upset.
How big an enclosure do Rabbits need?
For two medium rabbits, a living space no smaller than 3m × 2m × 1m high (about 10 × 6 × 3 ft), combining a secure shelter with an attached exercise area they can use whenever they like. They must be able to hop several times, stand fully upright on their back legs without their ears touching the roof, and stretch out flat. A traditional small hutch is not enough. Housing must be draught-free, dry, well-ventilated and predator-proof, with the shelter raised off the ground.
Do Rabbits need a companion, or can they live alone?
Rabbits are social and should live with at least one other friendly, compatible rabbit — a neutered male paired with a neutered female is the classic bond, because neutering reduces fighting in both sexes. Give bonded rabbits both space to be together and space to get away from each other (as many hiding spots as rabbits, plus one). A rabbit that truly must live alone needs daily human interaction as a poor substitute for its own kind.
What temperature do Rabbits need?
Comfortable in normal room or outdoor temperatures, but must be protected from damp, draughts and extremes of heat and cold — add shade over part of any run in warm, sunny weather. (A healthy rabbit’s own body temperature runs 39.4–40°C / 103–104°F; a reading below 38°C or above 40.6°C is a warning sign of illness — see a vet.)
What bedding and substrate do Rabbits need?
Warm, safe-to-eat bedding — dust-free straw or hay — over an absorbent layer such as newspaper or dust-free, non-cedar wood shavings. Provide a separate litter area (they can be litter-trained) using newspaper, hay/straw, shredded paper or paper-based non-clumping, non-expanding litter, kept apart from the sleeping area. Never use a wire floor — it hurts their feet. Spot-clean toilet areas daily and clean the whole enclosure about weekly.
What enrichment and exercise do Rabbits need?
Rabbits are intelligent and active, and get bored easily. Give daily exercise plus things to do: a platform to climb, a sand/soil dig box, cardboard boxes and tunnels, safe objects to chew, and food hidden or scattered to forage (try hay in a rack or stuffed in cardboard tubes). They’re most active at dawn, dusk and overnight, so make sure they can reach their exercise space then.
What grooming and upkeep do Rabbits need?
Brush short-haired rabbits about twice a week and long-haired rabbits daily to remove loose fur; trim nails every 1–2 months as needed. Rabbits should never be declawed. In warm months, check the fur around their bottom daily — soiling and sticky droppings there can lead to deadly flystrike.
What supplements do Rabbits need?
None needed on a correct hay-based diet: hay does the real work of wearing teeth down and keeping the gut moving, and rabbits make their own B-vitamins by re-eating their soft caecotroph droppings. Do not add vitamin/mineral supplements unless a vet advises it.
How big do Rabbits get?
Hugely breed-dependent: small breeds ~0.9–2.7 kg (2–6 lb, e.g. Netherland Dwarf, Mini Lop), medium ~2.7–4.1 kg, large ~4.1–5 kg, and giant breeds (Flemish Giant, French Lop) over 5 kg (11 lb+). Always check the adult size of your specific breed before you buy.
How long do Rabbits live?
With a proper diet and good living conditions, 10–12 years or longer — some reach their mid-teens. This is a decade-plus commitment, not a short one.
What are the signs Rabbits are sick or need a vet?
See a small-animal or exotics vet if you notice: Not eating, OR no droppings, for more than about 12 hours — this is gut stasis, a genuine emergency; see a vet the same day; Sitting hunched, grinding teeth, or a sudden loss of energy — signs of pain rabbits try to hide; Drooling, or difficulty eating (often dental disease); Runny nose or eyes, or trouble breathing; Diarrhoea, or soft sticky droppings around the bottom (flystrike risk in warm weather); Dark red urine, fur loss, or red, swollen skin; Not hopping or moving normally; Body temperature below 38°C (100.4°F) or above 40.6°C (105°F).
Free tools for your rabbit
Sources & further reading
This guide was written and fact-checked against these authorities. It's kind, general guidance — not a diagnosis or a substitute for an exotics vet:
- RSPCA — Creating a good home for rabbits — enclosure size, shelter, hiding places, bedding, cleaning
- RSPCA — A healthy diet for your pet rabbit — 85/10/5 hay–greens–pellets, muesli warning, caecotrophs
- RSPCA — Rabbit companionship — need for a compatible rabbit; neutered pair
- Merck Veterinary Manual — Routine Health Care of Rabbits — body temperature, spay/neuter, RHDV-2 vaccine, nails, grooming schedule (Laurie Hess, DVM, DABVP)
- Merck Veterinary Manual — Illness of Rabbits — lifespan 10–12+ yr, signs of illness, unsafe drugs, fipronil warning
- Merck Veterinary Manual — Description & breeds of rabbits — adult size by breed class
Written and fact-checked by The Hayfold Team against veterinarian-authored sources — if your pet shows a red-flag sign above, see an exotics/small-animal vet promptly.