Are you considering getting a rabbit for your apartment? How fun!
Rabbits are long-term commitments, so your very first step should be examining the responsibilities associated with rabbit ownership. Once you’ve got all the information and are good to go, next comes the practical side of it all: finding the supplies and readying your apartment for your next furry family member.
What you need for your new pet rabbit
Floor covering
No matter what flooring you have in your apartment, your bunny will likely ruin it. Protect your carpet from stains and your wood flooring from scratches by investing on some hard plastic mats. A good place to start are some office chair mats, and though they are not pretty, they will surely protect your security deposit.
Litter box
Bunnies can be litter-trained, which is great news for you and your apartment’s overall scent! With a bit of hay, a generic litter box and a bit of training, you can train your rabbit to pee and poop where you want, rather than on your carpet or hardwood. And, yes, rabbits still smell a bit, but litter-training your domestic bunny will make life so much easier.
Here’s how you can train your rabbit to do its business in a litter box, rather than on your flooring!
Rabbit litter
You’ll need some rabbit litter for the litter box, of course, and regular ol’ cat litter won’t do in this case.
It’s important to find a litter that is unscented and chemical-free, as rabbits are easily susceptible to health problems stemming from chemical-based litters. The best ones to go for, honestly, are paper-based litters, wood pellets, aspen shavings and shredded paper. All unscented, of course.
Buy a puppy pen
Different breeds of rabbits will have different energy levels, so making sure you give your bunny enough space is vital to the health and happiness of your long-eared pet.
A puppy pen is by no means enough space for a bunny to live in permanently, but it does work well as a barrier when you need to block off rooms, provide temporary confinement or keep other pets away from rabbits.
It’s a good idea to have at least one puppy pen, whether you plan to keep it up at all times or not. One that folds down is better, as it makes it easier to transport if you need to travel with your rabbit. Rabbits jump pretty high, too, so get one that’s at least three feet high.
Buy at least one cage
A small cage is a must for any pet rabbit owner, and a large one is a good thing to have, too.
A small carrying cage is useful to have for transporting your rabbit to and from veterinary appointments or short excursions, and a larger one can be useful for providing a home for longer car rides or short-term housing.
Wire covers
This is one of those little things that, if you don’t have a plan in place to mitigate it, can really become a nuisance very quickly.
A rabbit’s teeth continue to grow all throughout its life, so chewing is the natural way of keeping those teeth trimmed. Both wild rabbits and domesticated rabbits chew on things regularly to eat and entertain themselves, but domestic rabbits tend to chew more often out of sheer boredom. And when a bored rabbit lays eyes on a nice, juicy wire, there’s nothing that can stop it!
Unless, of course, you have wire covers. So go buy some.
Chew toys
In order to avoid your wires and furniture being chewed to bits, it’s important to provide enough entertainment for your bunny to chew on instead. Hay sticks, rope, corn husk braids, water hyacinth balls, fiber boxes and more are great for trimming teeth and keeping a rabbit free from boredom.
Furniture protection
This goes along with the previous section, as furniture and woodwork are not immune to bunnies’ teeth.
Though it may not look quite as aesthetically pleasing as you’d have hoped, tubing and plastic covers can be a must when it comes to protecting your furniture. Use wood covers to protect baseboards from teeth marks, and find covers for table legs and other wooden pieces.
Food
Bunnies need a variety of foods to keep them happy, healthy and strong, though the exact amounts and ratios vary depending on the breed, size and age of your rabbit. A good rule of thumb, though, is to give your rabbit a mix of fiber pellets, fresh veggies and fresh hay.
Rabbits like to munch on hay throughout the day, so keep a fresh supply available for them at all times. Provide them a variety of fresh greens and veggies once per day; a serving size about the size of their heads will do the trick. About 5% of their diet should consist of fiber pellets.
Always remember to talk to a veterinarian if you have any specific questions or concerns about a rabbit’s health and specific needs. This is a good list to start with, though, to start your journey of bunny ownership.
Good luck!
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Featured photo courtesy Pixabay/SimonaR
Colleen Ford is a South African who now lives on Oahu in Hawai'i. She loves to travel, camp, spearfish and hike. She's also part of a super cool canoe club and is pretty decent at it. Colleen enjoys Star Wars and also not being cold ever.
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