Toys & Housing

Housing; pens vs. cages

Rabbits don't really need a cage. A cage can be handy when you need to confine rabbits for their own safety. An excellent way to confine rabbits is to use an exercise pen (commonly used for puppies). These are very practical as they fold up and can be set up anywhere from bedroom to lawn to keep rabbits safe while you are away or not able to supervise them. (Always supervise if they are outside.) They are available at almost any pet supply store. (VRRA encourages you to buy pet supplies from stores that DO NOT sell rabbits.) Buy one at least 3 feet high as many rabbits, even dwarf rabbits, will jump over a 2 foot barrier. Please review the article Beyond Cages: The Possibilities of Pen Living.

If you do get a cage get one as large as possible. Large folding, wire, dog crates are good especially with a shelf or box in them so the bunny can jump up and down. If you get a regular rabbit cage choose one with a front opening door so the rabbit can come and go. If the wire door folds down like a ramp make sure you cover the wire with something solid so the bunny cannot get his feet caught.

Custom cages can be built quite easily. Here is a web site that tells you how build your own cage out of wire cubes. These kind of cubes can be purchased at Home Depot.

Here is a terrific article about rabbit housing.

Toys

Rabbits do not need expensive toys but they should have a variety of interesting things in their environment to keep them busy. They will get lots of enjoyment out of a cardboard box with some holes cut in it. They will like it even better if you get a really big box and put other boxes inside it with holes in them. Terrific tunnels can be purchased at Rona or Home Depot. Look for cement forms, cardboard tubes that come in 6, 8 and 10 inch diameters. They are about $8 for 8 feet and the stores will usually cut these to size for you. Rabbits love to run through them, hide in them and chew them. They are terrific things for behind the couch on top of wire you don't want the bunny to get.

Other cheap toys are wire cat balls with bells in them, soda can with a pebble in it and tape over the hole, toilet paper tubes stuffed with hay, hard plasic baby toys such as key rings (rabbits like to fling these around). Visit Urban Rabbit Supply for a variety of safe, natural, chew toys.

Please review the article More Than Just a Chew Stick for information about toys, houseproofing and understanding what play is for a rabbit.

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