As safe as houses? Top tips for rabbit accommodation

Here are our top tips to keeping your rabbits’ accommodation free from risks:

Indoor dangers:

• Wires - rabbits are very attracted to them but an electric shock can be fatal. Keep all wiring away from rabbits
• Rubbish bins - toxic substances and the risk of becoming trapped present dangers
• Appliances - ensure doors are closed with no access to beside or behind the appliance where wires are present
• Furniture - check for loose fabric and be careful when moving if your rabbits are nearby
• Flooring - rabbits can feel insecure on slippery flooring, carpet is better for playing
• Other pets - aside from a bonded rabbit, other pets, such as cats and dogs, can cause stress and fear. Always supervise if other animals are present
• Household food - can cause digestive upset and diarrhoea
• Cleaning fluids - can be harmful if swallowed

Outdoor dangers:

• Predators - provide a place to hide in the outdoor run, a safe lockable indoor overnight area and give all outdoor spaces a roof to guard against predators such as cats, dogs, foxes and birds of prey
• Wire / glass - check areas where your rabbits will be playing for sharp objects
• Weather - always provide shelter from rain and wind, shade from direct sunlight and extra bedding to prevent the cold
• Digging / escaping - allow rabbits to dig without escaping; give them an outdoor area with mesh walls buried a few feet deep, or a mesh floored run with digging opportunities in a child’s sandpit or similar filled with soil
• Other animals - aside from a bonded rabbit, other animals such as cats and dogs, can cause stress and fear. Pairing rabbits with guinea pigs is not advised because guinea pigs being smaller can be bullied by the larger rabbits
• Plants - check that any flowers or plants accessible to your rabbits are not toxic. Please use the following as a guide:

Things your rabbit can eat every day

Grasses (not lawn clippings), Dandelion leaves, plantain, herb Robert, Rose bush leaves, Nasturtium, Wild geranium, Strawberry and raspberry leaves, Hazel tree leaves & branches, Willow tree leaves & branches, Apple tree leaves and branches, Hawthorne, brambles, goosegrass, Blackthorn, nettle (dried), cauliflower leaves, carrot tops, celery leaves, green pepper, kale, mint, romaine lettuce, spring greens.

Things your rabbit can eat occasionally in small amounts

Apple (pipless), banana, savoy cabbage, turnip, carrot, swede, spinach, parsley, basil, dill, oregano, coriander.

Things your rabbit should never eat

Apple pips, avocado, potato, potato tops, rhubarb (leaves & stalks), tomato leaves, locust pods & beans, any plant that grows from a bulb, bluebell, yew, foxglove, garlic, onion, shallots & chives, hemlock, buttercup, dock, ivy, poppy, privet, primrose, ragwort.