As my rabbits were out in the sitting room today for their daily exercise, I noticed that they seemed more active today than other days: it’s been a while since I saw them doing so many binkies in quick succession. (a binky is an uncontrolled excited leap in the air that rabbits will do when given enough space to).
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It got me to thinking, as I often do, about the thousands of rabbits that aren’t that lucky. The behaviour of my rabbits that I enjoy to watch so often can only be displayed from a healthy rabbit that is given adequate opportunity to spread their legs.
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One of the Rabbit Welfare Association & Fund (RWAF) strongest campaigns is the “”A Hutch Is Not Enough”” campaign, which aims at educating rabbit owners on the benefits, no – necessity, of giving your pet rabbit(s) more than just a hutch space.
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As a responsible pet owner, you’ll want your bunnies to enjoy a happy, healthy life. Just think รขโฌหRabbits need SECSรขโฌโข (Space, Exercise, Companionship and Stimulation) and you wonรขโฌโขt go far wrong!
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You should never keep your rabbits in a hutch permanently, they need daily exercise, ideally 8 hours per day in a large run or garden. However, you should still ensure that their hutch is large enough. Hutches can never be too big. The minimum size for average sized rabbits is 6ft x 2ft x 2ft.
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When it comes to exercise, rabbits often enjoy running loose around the garden, but unless you can supervise the rabbit then there are risks both to your garden plants and the rabbit! An exercise run is often a better option.
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Rabbits are social animals. Unless your rabbit lives indoors with human company for most of the day, plan to keep two rabbits together. A male/female pair is easiest, but don’t forget that both rabbits will need to be neutered, and introductions carefully supervised! (We can offer advice on introductions if you’d like).
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Rabbits need things to keep them occupied, such as plastic tunnels; large plant pots; hay-filled litter trays and planters of earth to dig in. Wild rabbits spend several hours foraging for food daily, so use your imagination when feeding your bunny. Scatter food on the floor of the hutch/run rather than feeding in a bowl, and provide constant access to hay.