Rabbit Housing

Your rabbits need to be kept in a dry well ventilated area. In does not need to be heated or air-conditioned unless you are in an extreme climate. A rabbit the size of a mini-rex of polish should have a cage at least 18X24 for an adult animal. A jr. can be caged in a 12X24 area but will need to put in larger cage as it matures. Cages should contain a cage mat for the bunny to sit on. This gives your bunny someplace to sit where there is no draft coming up from underneath. We also like to have a piece of wood for the rabbit to chew on. A rabbit's teeth never stop growing so they need the wood to help keep their teeth worn down. We once had a rabbit whose teeth had gotten kind of funny. A nice piece of softwood to chew on eliminated the problem in 2 days. It looked like a beaver had been in there but she got those teeth worn down to their proper alignment in no time. Nature has a way of taking care of itself when we give it the proper tools.
How clean your rabbit's environment is does have an effect on their health. You should keep your rabbits space cleaned up as much as possible. Your rabbit's droppings contain ammonia and that is bad for their lungs. If your rabbit has a drip pan under its cage you should change the bedding 1-2 a week if the rabbit is out doors. You may want to change it more often if the rabbit is in your home. Do not use cedar bedding. I know it is tempting, as it smells so nice. But, cedar bedding is bad for your rabbit's lungs. We usually take all the rabbits out of their cages and give the barn a complete cleaning at least twice a year. First you sweep up all you can. Then take a torch and burn off any fur that is stuck to the cages. Then we take a miracle grow feeder and fill it with Lysol or some like product and wash everything down. Allow it to dry for a few hours and touch up any areas needing it with some spray paint. Again, allow to dry for a few hours. Everything looks and smells as good as new! We are currently using wood pellets in the cages of does and litters. We find the wood pellets are more expensive. However I think they are better for the environment as they decompose very quickly! They also seem to absorb the smell better. We are always trying to make things more comfortable for the rabbits. I think they appreciate it!
Home