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Our Bunny Room....Yes, they have their own room!
- Jul 8, 2021
- 11 min read
I always see that in Facebook groups for rabbits, people constantly asking for pictures and advice for their rabbit set-up. Up until recently, I had 7 rabbits. Milo passed away, leaving me with 6 more beautiful bunnies to care for. I have done it all in terms of housing for them. I have had pens in a 3 bedroom apartment I shared with friend (in which they stayed in my bedroom) studio apartment and now I have pens in my house. I have tried all different methods of flooring, pens & toys. What I have found is that, one-size does not fit all! And that is absolutely okay!
During covid, I went from living by myself in a studio with 6 rabbits to moving in with my generous boyfriend at his townhouse. It was a two bedroom, two floor, fully carpeted home (Carpets are the death of rabbit owners!). My boyfriend gave up his second bedroom which was his office space, so that the rabbit had a full room to themselves because they were used to the big of a space in my studio.
The second bedroom had its own vanity area which then lead to a bathroom. Which was great and if you have the capability to do it, put your rabbit room by a restroom. It’s easy to clean things in the tub and replenish water bottle or bowls, instead of walking all over to get to the kitchen and back. I’m going to say their room including the bathroom and vanity area was about 20 ft x 12ft.
You do not need THAT big of a space. What you do need to keep in mind though, is that whatever space you do use for your rabbit, should be 4x’s the length of your rabbit if he/she were stretched out. Typically a 4ft x 4ft pen is great for one rabbit. You’ll also want to give him/her time outside of the pen to roam, run, hide & play. His primary home, however, should be at the very least 4ft x 4ft. If you have room for bigger, great! If you don’t have room for something larger than 4ftx4ft that is fine too. Some people also allow their rabbits to free roam as a dog or cat would. THAT, is the ideal scenario! If for instance you do not have space for that size of a pen or can’t allow your rabbit to free roam and are deciding on one of those small cages you see in a pet store, than honestly, you may want to consider a different pet.
You’ll see in many pet stores, cages that have a plastic bottom and metal top. These are not suitable for a rabbit at all. Rabbits, like dogs & cats need the space to use their powerful legs to run, jump, play and get exercise. A pet shop cage, should never be an option unless you are using it as an extension to your pen as a potty area. Beyond depression, a rabbit kept in such conditions will also have a shorter life span and it increases their chances of being obese. Obesity can render your rabbit to be immobile which can be detrimental to their health in one huge way, it can stop their gut.
Rabbits who are obese are generally less active because of all the weight gain. They are no longer running around getting exercise and ensuring their gut is properly working. Rabbit’s GI tract has to constantly be moving, which is why you’ll see them eating a lot throughout the day. We’ll cover that in a separate post. BUT, along with eating the proper foods to keep their gut moving, exercise also aids with that as well. So if you are housing a rabbit primarily in a small cage as opposed to a pen, they will more than likely become obese & inactive, leading them to a possible bout of GI Statsis, which can be fatal. Overall, cages are an insufficient way that pet store chains claim is best to home your rabbit…but it is not.
Phew!! Now that we got that out of the way, let’s talk about the pen. Pen’s come in all different shapes, sizes and materials. From wood, metal, acrylic and plastic. One is not better than the other. It really comes down to what works best for the rabbit and you! I had a metal pen at first but the rabbits smartened up and began rattling it. Keeping mom up all throughout the night. I switched over to nic-cubes which are still metal but held together by plastic connectors. Why I thought they wouldn’t rattle it is beyond me, but as you probably guessed, they still rattled it.
I finally settled on these plastic panels that are held together with the same plastic connectors the nic-cubes are. I liked that their primary living space didn’t look like a prision! I also liked that it could be wiped down easily if someBUN decided to spray. As with many of these types of pens, they do not come with a door. I was okay with that for a few years. I didn’t mind taking a panel off or climbing over it to clean. But after a few years, it became irritating to me.
My boyfriend’s second bedroom housed two pens one around 6ft x 5ft. The other was 4ft x 4ft. The whole place has carpet and we were renting. Not ideal when you have little critters that can destroy just about anything in under 2 seconds flat! For the rabbit beginner, rabbits love digging and pulling. A carpet will most certainly be destroyed if you do not take precautions. We went through a few options before landing on our current flooring for their room.
First, we bought green turf and plastic tarp for underneath (the boyfriend’s idea). I insisted it would not work but I left that prove itself over time! Two of the buns weren’t potty trained well, they peed all over it every day and we went through A LOT of the turf for the entire room. It began smelling shortly after they would pee and my boyfriend, his name is Bill, hated the smell. FYI, rabbits don’t smell, they are actually impeccable self-groomers; however, if pee is left to fester or you allow more than a day or two before changing the litterbox, it will have an odor.
After the turf we bought the foam flooring that you see in home gyms or in a baby play area, they go together like puzzle pieces. At first, the foam flooring was great! It was easy to put together and soft for their little feet. But the rabbits figured out how to lift and chew the sides! I addition to that, sometimes their cecotropes would stick and harden to it. The foam flooring had a texture, the poop would sometimes be a pain to remove. Rabbits: adorable, smart little creatures but they will give you a headache lol.
Once again, after spending a ridiculous amount on the foam flooring, because some needed to be replaced, Bill, suggested getting vinyl flooring. THE BEST IDEA YET! We got a 12’x6’ roll of the flooring instead of doing the entire room because we planned to move. It has worked the best out of all options. It protected the carpet from getting ripped out by my precious angels and protects it from any potty accidents. On top of that, the vinyl is easy to clean if in the event of potty accidents.
A year of working from home for Bill and a year of being on furlough from my job due to covid, Bill & I decided to get a house. Covid made us realize how much we loved having our own space sometimes. Working from home and not working made it so we were on top of each other. At first it was great to have more quality time to spend with each other but sometimes you just want to have some alone time. Like most, we adjusted well to the change but really could benefit from something larger. Besides, Bill gave up his office for my rabbits and he really needed one because our kitchen table was not doing it for him. How many of you have been living on top of each other? It’s not easy, covid came with personal space challenges. We finally decided on a nearly 3500 square foot home, with plenty of space for us & 6 rabbits.
In our new home, we have beautiful wood floors. The first thing we tackled was ensuring we protected the floor. Their room is 12’x14’. Which worked out perfectly because the width of the vinyl flooring is 12 feet and then you decide on whichever length you need. We laid vinyl on the entire room instead of just two inches bigger in width and length of their pen. Yes, the vinyl can be expensive, but what is more expensive? Vinyl or not getting your security deposit back? Having to re-carpet your space? Trust me, it’s worth the money & investment to ensure your carpets aren’t destroyed.
I also got them new pens. I really wanted the pen from Clearly Pets which looks fabulous but the price tag on it is just way too much. Not that my rabbits don’t deserve the best, they do. It would easily cost nearly 2k for two pens. I could totally use that towards new toys and things to decorate their room. If you have the money to spend, GO FOR IT! It’s a beautiful looking pen for any animal. But I didn’t want to spend THAT much on something I may or may not change in a year or two.
Instead I opted for an Amazon find. I wanted clear panels that could be easily connected and had a door. I didn’t want to climb over the pen to get into it to change food or clean up. I purchased three clear pens that you see in the pictures below which also comes with a door. On the top I attached vines and pink flower garland, also an Amazon buy. 85% of their room consist of items found on Amazon! Whatever did we do before the e-com giant?!
Why are there two pens? Why do they not free roam? Well, some of the bunnies do not get along. I have 4 bonded and then a bonded pair. Prince, Amelia, Hershey, Chanel and the late, Milo, live/lived in the biggest pen. This pen is made up of 4 panels in length and width. I would love to allow them to free roam the room with no pens. Hershey does not get along with Leo & Layla. After more than a year of unsuccessful bonding, I gave up. Thus, we have two pens.
Now that you have the low down on the various living spaces I have had for them and what we currently have, let’s talk about what should be in the rabbits space (whether you free roam or have a pen). The most important items in your rabbits pen should be, water & food bowls; litter box; a hide away house, blanket, bed & some toys.
For a litter box, ours is almost four feet in length and two feet width. This is ideal for having 4 rabbits in one pen. You’ll adjust this according to how many fur babies you have. Some people also opt for two litter boxes, which is great too! The one works for us, as it is very big. It also isn’t a “litter box”, it’s an under bed storage container from Home Depot.
I opted for water and food bowls. Some people prefer water bottles. If you are going to have a water bottle, also give the option of a water bowl. Water bowls are much easier and allows them to get more water at one time. Ours are from Target & Ikea. While I wish they were all the same color, no joke, the rabbits have preference. Leo & Layla will not eat or drink out of any other bowls other than their white ones. The four buns will not drink out of any bowl other than the turquois but will eat out of any bowl. You get use to their weird quirks, trust me!
The wood castle/tower are from an Esty shop called Royal Bun Furnishings. You can find so many great décor items, as well as, toys & treats on Etsy. There are a ton of great options out there! As always, just do your research to ensure everything is safe for your bun.
All of the toys, with the exception for a few, are from Amazon. We also have some Oxbow & Small Pet Select toys too! Blankets are from Walgreens. I use to spend A LOT on blankets, only for them to chew holes. Walgreens has $4.99 throw blankets that are perfect for their pens.
Each pen also has a dog bed. I know a lot of people complain that their rabbit digs holes and pulls out the stuffing found in many dog beds. I have thrown out my fair share of ruined beds.
Until……
I was wandering around in target one day looking for pillows (Did I leave with pillows?....of course not) when I came across our beds. The bed itself is made from a thick fabric exterior but my favorite part is that the bottom unzips to reveal a foam insert. AMAZING!!! WHY?! If your rabbits marks their territory even though they are fixed and litter box trained (like mine), you can lay a pee pad on the foam and zip the bed right back up, so that it doesn’t get ruined by accidents. The back and arms of the bed have stuffing, but the best feature is that they have zippers underneath.
If you ever needed to replace the stuffing, you have the option to do so without ruining the bed. In the summer you could actually put flat ice packs in the bed, as well as the arms and back to help cool your buns down. I bought 3 I loved them so much!! The four buns have a medium size bed in their pen. Leo & Layla have a small bed in their pen. They get washed once a week and are absolutely the greatest purchase for their pens!
In the corner of each pen is a surveillance camera from Blink! It’s not expensive, you can zoom in and talk to the rabbits. The only downfall is that if your internet goes out, so do the cameras. Other than that, I love them. They come in handy for me. I like being able to check up on them when I am out or when we go away and have our pet sitter come.
The rabbit common area changes by season. I use blankets in the summer and area rugs in the winter. Like I mentioned before, my rabbits will mark their territory every now and then. It’s much easier for me to shampoo rugs often in the fall/winter because I like the cold, rather than do so in the summer heat! There is another wood castle, also from Royal Bun Furnishings for them to hide out.
The Toy box is from Coastal NJ and it isn’t used as a toy box lol. They like jumping in and out of it, so be it. A fan is a great addition to a rabbit space, especially for the summer months. I think we got it at Costco. They also have some stuffed animals, but they pay them no mind. As you can see, they also have plenty of toys in their common area to keep them busy and pre-occupied from chewing on the baseboards (which some rabbits will do). They also have a ball pit. It’s a litterbox from Petco with soft plastic balls from Amazon. The rabbits love it! I throw some treats in and they look for it!
In the cube cabinet (from Ikea), we have apple cider vinegar to clean ay urine, So Phresh cleaner to cut the smell of the vinegar, an empty spray bottle that I use with the vinegar and some water, paper towel, garbage bags and Swiffer pads. All items essential for cleaning their pens.
In the other cube, is all first aid items (we’ll save that for another post). On top, are the ashes of my Milo, some rabbit figurines, a mini garbage, airtight containers for foraging blends (my brand) and some treat’s. On the bottom are two cat hide-out inserts from Ikea. It’s very important to give the rabbit’s space and objects where they can relax in or run to it they are scared. Remember, they are prey animals. They get nervous and startled easily. Hide-outs provide them the security they need to calm down or just simply relax.
When you have a rabbit as a pet, you’ll go through so many changes for your set-up. You'll quickly realize that they need an abundance of space and access to the space 24/7. You’ll be adding things, subtracting things and figuring out your rabbits likes and dislikes, as well as how YOU want things to look. There is honestly no right or wrong way to do it (unless of course you get one of those darn pet store cages...would you like being locked up in a tiny space like that?! Didn't think so!) and there are loads of great info on youtube if you search Lennon The Rabbit and the internet. The best source for information will be www.houserabbitsociety.org. There, you will be provided with the best information other than what you’d get from a vet.
Pen
Flooring
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