Disclosure: We may earn money or products from the companies mentioned in this post.
When setting up your new bunny cage, it’s tempting to go crazy with rabbit accessories. Instead of buying everything you find on Chewy, let’s focus on the essential things that bunnies need in their cage.
5 Things Rabbits Need In Their Cage
#1 – Something To Cover The Cage Floor
Regardless of what the bottom of your rabbit cage is made of, you’ll need something to cover it. Cage floor coverings serve three purposes:
- Safety
- Sanitation
- Comfort
If your bunny’s hutch has a wire bottom, spending countless hours on that wire can hurt their feet and risk getting a claw stuck in the wires. We never cover the entire bottom of a wire cage, but we do cover at least half of the space.
If the bottom of your rabbit cage is solid, you need an absorbent floor covering to keep your bunny up and out of her own waste.
Finally, floor covering is just comfort for your bunny. We all love curling up on a warm soft blanket, and your bunny does too. However, it doesn’t have to be an actual blanket.
Here is the list of things that we’ve seen used to cover the bottom of a rabbit cage. This list comes from a much more in-depth article about covering the bottom of a rabbit cage.
- Straw / Hay
- Newspaper
- Cardboard
- Wood Shaving
- Clay Litter
- Carpet
- Old Towels or Sheets
- Floor Mats
- Shower Mats
- Vinyl Flooring
#2 – A Rabbit Bed
In a natural setting, a rabbit will live in a hole in the ground called a burrow. That burrow gives a rabbit a secure and warmer place to sleep. It’s essential for their physical and mental wellbeing.
Your rabbit needs a similar bed in its cage.
The best rabbit beds are enclosed, dark, and warm. We like rabbit beds either made of straw or made of wood and filled with straw.
Be sure to choose a bed that fits your bunny. They should have room to turn around and the opening needs to be big enough for them to enter and exit.
In our recommended rabbit gear, you can find links to our favorite rabbit beds of each type.
#3 – Rabbit Feeder
Your rabbit’s primary food is going to be hay. Its secondary food will be rabbit pellets.
You need a feeder that can offer each. The hay will be available to your bunny all of the time, and the pellets will be served once or twice a day in small servings.
In our recommended rabbit gear, you can find links to our favorite rabbit feeders of each type.
#4 – Rabbit Waterer
Your bunny must always have access to clean water. Water is essential to the well-being of your cute bun.
We prefer waterers with a large and easy-to-fill reservoir so there is zero risk of our pets running out of water on a hot summer day.
In our recommended rabbit gear, you can find links to our favorite rabbit waterers of each type.
#5 – Quality Rabbit Feed
Your rabbit should have access to high-quality hay all of the time. This dry hay is essential to their nutrition, the health of their teeth, and the digestive system.
We’ve fed both cheap and expensive brands of rabbit hay, and in the end, I settled on Oxbow hay. It’s priced in the middle while having a sweet aroma, less dust, and the bunnies love it. I’ll link to it below.
Next, they will have regular small portions of pellets. Pellets are processed foods, and they are not all created equal. Some are full of nutrient-dense food while others are full of fillers.
Your bunny needs good pellets.
Like hay, I’ve tried many brands. Also like hay, I settled on Oxbow pellets. I believe they are the best quality for the price.
In our recommended rabbit gear, you can find links to our favorite rabbit feed of each type.
Those are the five essentials that your bunny needs in her cage. With these, your rabbit cage will be set up and ready for your new bunny.
If you want to dress it up a bit, I’d recommend only one luxury.
Rabbit Cage Luxury Items – Bunny Toys
Rabbit Toys are not essential, but they do add to your bunny’s quality of life. They don’t have to be fancy and can even be free.
A great rabbit toy is something they can safely chew on, toss, chase, climb through, climb over, climb under, or sit on top of.
These can be as simple as a cardboard box, sticks, or pinecones.
If you’d like a few more suggestions, check out our recommended gear page where you can find a more in-depth article about our favorite rabbit toys.
Enjoy your new bunny!
Your rabbit friend,
~Stacey