Rabbit Supply List

Rabbit Supply List 

1.   Housing – We recommend using an exercise pen, sometimes referred to as a “puppy pen”, to house your rabbit over using a cage.  The cost of an exercise pen is less than a cage. An exercise pen gives a rabbit more room to move around and play until you have time to let him/her out to hop around for more exercise.  Cleanup is easier and bunny has more room in an exercise pen.  Place the exercise pen in an area of your home where there is the most activity. Rabbits are very social creatures and will become lonely, bored and depressed if put in a room with no activity and away from the family. Purchase a remnant of linoleum from Home Depot to place under the exercise pen to protect your flooring. You can also make your own exercise pen by purchasing 12×12 metal storage cubes from Target or Bed, Bath & Beyond and put them together using zip ties.

If you require housing that is completely enclosed with a top, we recommend using a large or extra- large metal dog crate. There are a few high quality rabbit cages that you can purchase online from www.Leithpetwerks.com. Marchioro cages are nice cages that can find online.

2.   Litter-Box – Depending on the size of your rabbit you can use a 12 or 18 quart Rubbermaid wash tub or a large cat litter box.

3.   Litter – There are several types of litter that are safe for rabbits. Wood Stove Pellets and Feline Pine Pellets contain the urine odor the best.  Carefresh and Yesterdays News are also good litters to use. NEVER use clay clumping cat litter as the clay clumping materials can cause an intestinal blockage and can kill a rabbit.

4.   Food Bowl – Be sure you use a heavy food crock for your bunny’s pellets. A light weight plastic bowl often becomes a toy that your rabbit will toss along with the contents of the bowl.

5.   Water Bottle – Be sure to buy a large water bottle for your rabbit. You can also use a heavy bowl to put water in. Most rabbits like to drink from a bowl because they can get their face wet and will use the extra water to groom themselves.

6.   Rabbit Pellets –  The rabbit food brands that we recommend are Sherwood Forest Natural Rabbit Food, Oxbow Bunny Basic T, Zupreem Timothy, or Kaytee Timothy Complete (without nuts, seeds or fruit).

7.   Timothy Hay – This is the most important part of a rabbits diet so be sure to purchase fresh timothy hay. Oxbow and Kaytee are good hay brands. Some feed stores like Lee’s Feed in Shingle Springs sell flakes of timothy hay fresh from a bale. If you can’t find Timothy Hay, Oat Hay can be used.

8.   Toys, Toys, Toys – Rabbits are very playful and they need stimulation that toys can provide. Anything that can be tossed pushed or chewed make up great fun for buns. The rule of thumb when as far as plastic toys go is if you can crush it with your hand a rabbit can crush it with their teeth. Petsmart sells lots of safe toys for rabbits. Willow balls, Willow branches, Sea grass twists are great for chewing.  Hard baby keys make good toss toys. Stuff an empty toilet paper roll with timothy hay and it becomes a chew toy.

9.   Boxes, Tunnels & Hide-A-Houses – Rabbits love hanging out in small spaces. They also like to hide in, jump on top of, chew and redesign boxes. Boxes can provide hours of fun for your bun. Be sure to remove tape and any staples prior to giving your rabbit a box.

10.   Blanket & Beds – Some rabbits love to sleep on a comfy pet bed or blanket. Before investing in a cute bed or blanket, give Bun Bun an old towel first. If he chews on it, take it away and stick with a flat piece of card board. Ingesting material fibers from a blanket or a plush stuffed toy can cause an intestinal blockage for a rabbit.

11.   Cleaning Supplies – Use a spray bottle filled with 50% White Distilled Vinegar and 50% Water to clean Thumpers litter-box and house. It’s safe for bunny and sanitizes as well as bleach without the harmful chemicals.