HOUSING
When adopting a rabbit from Lucky Bunny & Friends Rescue, we want to ensure that your new bunny has a spacious, safe, and enriching environment to call home. Proper housing is crucial for a rabbit’s health, well-being, and happiness, and it’s essential to meet certain standards before adoption can be approved.
🏠 Minimum Housing Requirements
To make sure your rabbit has a comfortable life, we follow strict guidelines to ensure they have enough room to hop, stretch, and explore. Here’s what we expect from all potential adopters:
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Indoor Living:
- We recommend rabbits be housed indoors, where they can be a true part of the family. Indoor rabbits live longer, healthier lives as they are safe from predators, harsh weather, and other outdoor dangers.
- Outdoor homes may be considered, but they must meet very specific safety guidelines, including predator-proofing.
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Minimum Enclosure Size:
- Rabbits need ample space to move around freely. The minimum space we expect for a single rabbit is 60 square feet (6ft x 10ft), which can be a combination of a safe enclosed area and supervised exercise space.
- If adopting a pair or more, the space must be increased to allow them all enough room to roam comfortably.
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Free Roam Time:
- Rabbits should not be confined to their enclosures 24/7. We expect that they will have a minimum of 4 hours of free-roam time outside of their primary enclosure every day. This could be in a rabbit-proofed room or garden (if securely enclosed).
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Safe Flooring:
- Avoid wire or slippery surfaces inside your rabbit’s living area. Flooring should be comfortable and easy for their feet to grip, such as solid flooring, soft mats, or rugs.
🛠 Housing Features
Rabbits are active, curious animals that need more than just space—they need an enriching environment too! To ensure their health and happiness, your setup should include:
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Hideaways:
- Provide at least one hideaway where your rabbit can retreat to rest or feel safe. This can be a tunnel, cardboard box, or a small enclosed shelter.
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Litter Trays:
- Rabbits can be litter trained, so make sure you have a litter tray lined with rabbit-safe bedding. It’s important to clean it regularly to maintain hygiene.
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Toys and Enrichment:
- Bunnies love to chew, dig, and explore. Make sure you provide them with rabbit-safe toys and chewables, such as cardboard, tunnels, willow balls, and wooden blocks, to prevent boredom.
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Temperature Control:
- Rabbits do best in moderate temperatures. Extreme heat or cold can be dangerous, so ensure their space is well-ventilated and temperature-controlled.
🌿 Outdoor Housing Considerations
If you plan to keep your rabbit outdoors, their housing must meet additional safety measures:
- Predator-Proof Enclosure: The housing should be fully secure, with strong wire mesh, locked doors, and a solid floor to protect from digging predators.
- Weather Protection: Outdoor hutches should provide proper shelter from rain, wind, and direct sunlight. Bunnies should never be exposed to extreme temperatures.
- Exercise Space: A large, secure run or free-range garden area is vital for outdoor bunnies. They should still have access to plenty of exercise time daily.
❌ What Doesn’t Meet Our Standards
To ensure the well-being of rabbits, we cannot approve adoptions if:
- The rabbit will be kept in small hutches or cages without sufficient space for exercise.
- There is no plan for free-roam time or outdoor rabbits have no secure run.
- Unsafe flooring (e.g., wire mesh flooring) is used in their housing.
Why These Requirements Matter
Rabbits are intelligent, social creatures that need more than just food and water—they require a space where they can thrive both physically and mentally. At Lucky Bunny & Friends Rescue, we are committed to ensuring every rabbit adopted through us will live a full, healthy, and enriched life.
Ensuring your home meets these standards is a key step in the adoption process. We are happy to work with adopters to help make sure their housing setup is suitable and offer guidance on creating a bunny-friendly space!