Rabbits love exploring, chewing, digging, and foraging for food, enjoying things like tunnels, cardboard boxes, hay, fresh greens, and safe toys to toss and chew. They also enjoy comfort from secure hiding spots, gentle petting (especially head/chin rubs), and companionship, alongside enrichment activities like rotating toys and scent exploration to keep them stimulated.
Bunnies can enjoy tunnels, ramps, chew toys, puzzle toys, digging areas, balls and even noise-making toys. Incorporating toys into your rabbit's environment won't only keep their bodies active but also help stimulate their curious minds – making every day feel like an adventure.
The 3-3-3 rule for rabbits (and other pets) is a guideline for adjusting to a new home: 3 Days for the rabbit to feel overwhelmed and hide, 3 Weeks to start settling in and showing personality, and 3 Months to feel truly at home and build a strong bond. It helps adopters manage expectations, understand that fear and skittishness are normal, and encourages patience as the bunny decompresses in its new environment, emphasizing providing a safe space and routine.
So freedom to explore, exercise, forage and socialise is vital to your pets' health and wellbeing. They also need to be able to feel safe, to be protected from predators and extreme weather conditions, and to have the opportunity to be alone when they choose.
Vegetables: A rabbit's favorite foods. Rabbits count vegetables and herbs among their favorite foods. Most greens found in a supermarket are safe for rabbits, with a few limitations and exceptions. (See the list of foods to avoid below.)
Let your rabbit come to you.
Let her explore you first, and learn that you are not a threat. Give a few small treats as you are getting to know each other. Eating is a social activity for rabbits and eating together builds trust. Small portions of carrot, apple, herbs, or oats are offerings a rabbit will appreciate.
Yes, rabbits absolutely recognize their owners and form strong bonds, identifying people through scent, voice, and routine, not just sight, showing affection through nudging, grooming, and seeking proximity, though their bond develops differently than in dogs or cats due to their prey animal nature. They remember individuals and create positive or negative associations, often favoring caregivers who provide comfort and consistent positive interactions.
A good place to start is to look at your rabbit's ears. If they're close together, facing upwards and pointing outwards, your rabbit is likely to be relaxed and happy. If they're worried, their ears will be flattened against their back.
As a rule, a rabbit should be able to take at least three hops in a row from one end to the other. It can be difficult to buy purpose-built accommodation measuring these dimensions but there's no reason why you can't build your own! Rabbits are a prey species and need to be able to hide from things that scare them.
A handful of leafy greens
Leafy greens should always feature on the top 5 rabbit treats leaderboard. They add variety to a rabbit diet as well as that all-important fibre and are delicious too. From basil and mint to chamomile and thyme, herbs are a sure-fire winner.
In answer to the question what animal eats rabbits, the most common that springs to mind is the fox. But there are numerous others including pet dogs and cats, birds of prey, stoats, weasels, ferrets, badgers and snakes.
Rabbits need unlimited access to grass and hay, so they shouldn't ever be left without food. However, if it's an emergency and there's no other choice, then they can go up to 12 hours without eating.
It's easy to take care of them, but you should keep in mind the things these little guys do NOT like the most.
Ideas for environmental enrichment for rabbits include:
A rabbit's favorite food should be hay, though you may have to take steps to ensure that your rabbit is eating enough before adding in other foods that your rabbit loves. Hay should make up at least 80% of your rabbit's diet, then it's off to the races with fresh veggies and other treats!
Signs of stress may include: appearing nervous (freezing, hunched up with ears flat against the body) being excessively jumpy and watchful (bulging eyes) being aggressive to people or other rabbits, particularly if the behaviour is unusual.
Quite simply keeping a rabbit alone in a hutch without the opportunity to exercise, display normal behaviour or without companionship is not acceptable. It does not meet any of the animals fundamental requirements, or any of the owners responsibilities under the Animal Welfare Act 2006.
What your rabbit needs for a comfortable home
Is there such a thing as a 'low mood' in rabbits?
After potentially stressful experiences like vet visits, grooming sessions, or encountering unfamiliar situations, your rabbit might engage in zoomies to help process and release those feelings. This stress-relief behavior helps them return to their baseline emotional state more quickly.
Bunny love – dos and don'ts – 10 best ways to show your rabbits you love them
Rabbits aren't “starter pets”—they're high-maintenance, long-term commitments. While healthy adult rabbits will typically use a litterbox to do their business, they do a lot of business—and you will have to keep their box clean by changing it at least every other day.
Yes! Bunnies can recognize their name by voice and sight and will even come on command. By rewarding your bunny with treats, petting, or other consistent positive reinforcements will help it retain these commands in its memory.
Do rabbits really like carrots? Yes, they do! But carrots are more like a sugary treat for a rabbit (so are fruits), so they should be given in small quantities. They can upset a rabbit's digestive system if given too much.