RABBIT FEEDING, HOUSING and CARE—Taking your New Bunny Home
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Rabbits should get unlimited timothy hay, grass hays, and oat hay (several handfuls,
replenished twice a day at least). Keep rabbits cool. Check water bottles as we have
found some lock up, so it’s best to offer both a water bottle and a crock dish for backup.

Most rabbits need an enclosed space to make them feel secure and prevent chewing on
things you don’t want them to chew, so a 30” high dog exercise pen indoors with a
litterbox in a is an excellent home. Provide a large soft sheet or
rug under the cage, and add grass mats to chew (sold by Busy
Bunny or other companies). It should be a good ten times the
size of the rabbit. Offer a covered box, or cover part with a
towel for privacy. Rabbits are most active at dawn and dusk,
and they prefer to sleep in the afternoon. Give them that time to
rest.

Feed fresh vegetables at least once a day for rabbits over 3 months: start small, like a
pile the size of the bunny’s head (i.e., fresh wet carrot tops, Italian parsley, dandelion
greens, cilantro). Remove if not eaten in a few hours. Baby carrots—limit to 3 a day. As
they can handle greens, then they can have a handful morning and night.

Babies up to 7 months need unlimited plain pellets and hay. After 7 months, begin to
limit pellets to morning/night and increase hay (western timothy, orchard, oat hay). Give
huge handfuls of fresh hay, twice a day. Oxbow Essentials is a great pellet for adult
rabbits.

Fruits are treats! Serve only a one inch max (1”) fruit treat every other day or omit! No
seeds, corn, onion, nuts, crackers, cereals or sweet treats.

Litterboxes should be big enough for the bunny to get in and turnaround easily, as well
as have the front half filled with hay; they enjoy eating in their box, so placing hay in a
corner of the box is a good idea. Change the litterboxes once a
day or every other day. Do not use cat litter. Use Carefresh,
Critter Country or other organic or paper-based litters, newspaper,
straw. Keep the litterbox in sight of the bunny at all times, even
when out. You may need more than one if your rabbit is out in a
larger area.

No spayed female/neutered male should be introduced to another rabbit for two weeks.
Males can be fertile for up to 6 weeks after surgery, so keep that in mind. Females need
a good 4 days to recover after surgery, and they should not be excessively handled. See
www.rabbit.org for more information on veterinarians, bonding, handling, and where to
get help with your new rabbit.