The Basics
A pet rabbit needs unlimited grass hay, a big handful of washed leafy greens morning and evening, a small measured portion of pellets and fresh water. It needs room: a large pen or a rabbit-proofed room, plus free running every day. It needs a cool home, because the RSPCA puts the ideal at 10 to 20°C and rabbits get heatstroke easily. And it needs company, ideally another neutered rabbit. Looked after like this, rabbits live about 7 to 10 years on average, and some longer.
Food: What a Rabbit Eats
The RSPCA says a rabbit’s diet is about 85 percent hay and grass, 10 percent leafy greens and 5 percent pellets, with fresh water always available and treats only now and then. Hay should never run out: give a bundle about as big as the rabbit, every day. Get fresh hay from The Hay Pantry, and read which hay suits rabbits in our hay guide. The full chart, with the greens, the pellet amount and the foods to avoid, is in what do rabbits eat.
Space and Exercise
A rabbit cage is a bedroom, not a home. Rabbits need to hop, run, stretch out fully and stand up on their back legs. The RSPCA’s minimum is 3 x 2 x 1 metres for two medium-sized rabbits, with a shelter and an exercise area, and bigger is better. A rabbit-proofed room is the easiest way to give that. If your rabbit has a smaller enclosure, it needs hours of free running every day, mostly in the morning and evening when rabbits are most active. Before a rabbit roams, cover cables, move house plants and block gaps behind furniture.
The pens we sell are smaller than that. Our C&C Playpen, 28 x 28 Inches is a base or a play area, not a full home. See our cages and habitats, and plan the rest of the space around the room you have with our rabbit cage and pen guide.
Litter Training
Rabbits like to eat and toilet at the same time, which makes litter training easy. Put a large litter tray in the corner your rabbit already uses, fill it with paper bedding, and put hay at one end. Never use clumping cat litter; rabbits nibble it. Move any droppings outside the tray into the tray for a few days, and most rabbits learn within a couple of weeks. Neutered rabbits are far tidier.
Summer Care in Delhi NCR
The RSPCA puts the ideal temperature for a rabbit at 10 to 20°C and says rabbits are vulnerable to heatstroke, which makes Delhi NCR summers the hardest time of year for them. Once it nears 20°C or the sun is out, they need shade and a cooler spot.
- Keep your rabbit indoors in the coolest room, never on a balcony, terrace or in direct sun.
- Use an AC or a cooler with the room kept airy, and keep the room as close to 20°C as you can.
- Give a ceramic tile to lie on and a frozen water bottle wrapped in a cloth.
- Brush loose fur often during the moult.
- Give extra leafy greens for water, and keep hay as the main food.
Heatstroke signs: lying flat, fast breathing through an open mouth, hot ears, drooling and floppiness. Move the rabbit somewhere cool, wet its ears with cool (not icy) water and call a vet straight away.
Winter nights in Delhi are cold too. See guinea pig and rabbit winter care for where to keep the cage and what to watch for.
Handling and Health
Never lift a rabbit by the ears or the scruff. Scoop it with one hand under the chest and the other under the bottom, and hold it close. Better still, sit on the floor and let it come to you. Rabbits do not need baths; water stresses them and can chill them. Brush them instead. If your rabbit stops eating or stops making droppings, or you see a hard, bloated tummy or it sits hunched and still, see a vet who treats rabbits straight away. This is called gut stasis and is an emergency.
Ready for a rabbit? See the rabbits at our farm on our rabbits for sale page, see what a rabbit costs, or compare pets in our care guides.
Rabbit Care Questions
Can rabbits eat carrots every day?
No. The RSPCA says carrots are high in sugar and often contribute to weight gain and digestive problems, so they are an occasional treat. See what do rabbits eat for the greens to feed daily.
How much space does a rabbit need?
The RSPCA’s minimum is 3 x 2 x 1 metres for two medium-sized rabbits, so a rabbit-proofed room is the easy way to give it. A cage alone is too small; use it as a safe base.
Can I keep a rabbit in a cage all day?
No. Rabbits need to run, jump and stretch every day. Use the cage as a safe base and give your rabbit a pen or a room to roam.
What temperature is too hot for rabbits?
The RSPCA puts the ideal at 10 to 20°C, and rabbits get heatstroke easily above that. In Delhi summers keep them indoors in the coolest room, in shade, with AC or a cooler, and fresh water always available.
Do rabbits need a bath?
No. Rabbits clean themselves, and a bath can stress or chill them. Brush loose fur instead, and spot clean with a damp cloth if needed.
How long do rabbits live?
PDSA says healthy rabbits live about 7 to 10 years on average, and some live longer. That is a long commitment, so plan for it.
Can I board my rabbit when I travel?
Yes. Rabbits can stay at our farm for up to 10 nights, with unlimited hay, greens and time out of the cage to run: see guinea pig and rabbit boarding.
Sources
- RSPCA, rabbit housing: 3 x 2 x 1 metres for two medium-sized rabbits, ideal temperature of 10 to 20°C, solid floors.
- RSPCA, rabbit diet: about 85 percent hay, a bundle the size of the rabbit each day, pellets at 25 g per kg.
- RSPCA, rabbit health: gut stasis is an emergency, and both rabbits in a pair should be neutered.
- PDSA, how long do pets live: healthy rabbits live about 7 to 10 years.
In the shop Rabbits