Indoor Rabbit Housing Options
Keeping rabbit’s inside as house pets is becoming increasingly popular. Some owners give their rabbits free-range of the house or their own room, others prefer to setup a cage or pen and provide supervised access for exercise.
Even though house rabbits do not have to cope with changing weather or predators they still need access to an enclosed are to retreat too. Unlike hutches most indoor cages do not provide this so you will need to add a separate sleeping box.
The most common options for indoor housing are listed below:
Rabbit Cage
A wide range of indoor rabbit cages are now available, the largest approximately 5’x2’. Most designs are similar with a plastic tray forming the base and a wire section for the top. You’ll need to add an enclosed box to provide a sleeping/hiding area.
These cages are easy to clean and, providing you choose carefully, provide easy access to your rabbit. In terms of price, large cages are quite expensive and not available in most pet shops so will need to order one in or order online.
Cost: 5’ x 2.5’ rabbit cage £120
Homemade Cube Rabbit Cage
Storage cubes are an easy way to make a cage even if you aren’t comfortable with DIY. That are simple grids that you fix together with cable ties to create the shape you want. These are very flexible and you can extend later by adding addition panels.
Making your own custom cage is a good alternative to commercial made cages. It allows you to create something that fits the space you have available – ideal if you want to build up, in a corner or have an L-shape space. You can also build something that matches your rabbit’s needs for example a large flat cage for an elderly or mobility impaired rabbit or a high cage for a rabbit that likes to climb.
Cost: 2 packs (34 x 14” panels) £40 will build approximately a 5’x2’ cage.
Dog Crate
A dog crate makes an excellent and cheap alternative to a rabbit cage. A large dog crate (usually 4’) will cost around half the price of a similar size rabbit cage. Dog crates are wider than most cages making the floor area roughly equivalent to a 5’x2’ cage. The extra height (as they are designed to accommodate dogs) means there is plenty of room for a shelf to increase the floor area further. The down side with dog crates is the shallow tray which does not contain mess. Some owners also find them less visually appealing.
Cost: 4’ x 2.5’ crate £50
More information on dog crates
Rabbit Pen
An indoor playpen can be used to extend a rabbit cage, as a separate exercise area or on its own with a sleeping box for shelter. Pens are available is a wide variety of sizes and many can be extended by adding extra panels. Most pens do not include lids or floors so you may need to make some adjustments to protect your flooring and prevent escapes.
Cost: 2’ x 6’ pen £50-60
Free Range
Keeping your rabbit free-range, either with access to the whole house or an individual room(s) provides plenty of space and exercise. Your rabbit will still need an area they feel is their own where their litter tray, food bowls etc. are available and they need a private area to retreat to. Before allowing your rabbit access to your house you will need to ‘rabbit-proof’ anything they should not have access to and may chew or damage, for more information see:
Cost: Initially free, but may require replacement wires, carpets, books etc. if rabbit-proofing is not thorough!
More information on freerange house rabbits
