Must-Have Bunny Supplies

HOUSING

  • Roomy enclosure to act as their home base or bedroom
    • x-pen (36″ tall), homemade NIC bunny condo, or other bunny-proofed living space
    • We recommend a minimum of 4’x6′ for one rabbit, and 6’x8′ for two rabbits
  • Litter box
    • get this in the cat section. Corner litter boxes marketed for rabbits are too small and your rabbit won’t use them
  • Litter
    • sheets of newspaper, wood stove pellets, Feline Pine, Yesterday’s News, Care Fresh
    • Pine and Cedar shavings are toxic to rabbits (compressed pine pellets are ok)
    • clumping cat litter is deadly
  • Small bowl for pellets (optional)
  • Large ceramic crock for water
    • get this in the dog section. The bowl needs to be heavy enough that your rabbit can’t flip it over
    • don’t get a water bottle because it is not effective and will cause dehydration
  • Toys
  • Bath mats and/or fleece blanket to line enclosure
  • Pet carrier
    • we recommend a hard plastic one instead of a soft fabric one because your rabbit may chew his way out. Carriers that open from the top make loading and unloading one hundred times easier.
  • Cardboard box for them to hide in
  • Bunny-proof materials
  • Vinegar for urine accidents

CONSUMABLES

  • Pellets
    • do NOT buy food with corn, nuts, seeds, or colorful shapes. Pellets should be plain and your bunny should get 1/8-1/4 cup per 5lbs of body weight daily
    • Recommended brands: Science Selective, Oxbow, Small Pet Select
  • Hay
    • your rabbit should have unlimited hay 24/7. We recommend buying it by the bale from your local feed store to be more cost effective. Some feed stores sell compressed bales that will fit in the trunk of your car, though sometimes these can be very powdery
    • rabbits under 8 months should get alfalfa while rabbits older than 8 months should get timothy hay or orchard grass
    • you can get shipments of hay from places like Oxbow, Small Pet Select, Chewy, and RabbitHoleHay
  • Fresh salad veggies
    • minimum of 3 different greens daily, 1 cup per 2lbs body weight
    • rabbit friendly veggies that you can get at the grocery store: romaine, red leaf and green leaf lettuce, cilantro, parsley, cucumber, dandelion greens, collard greens, mustard greens, turnip greens, kale, endive, escarole, bok choy, celery

GROOMING

  • Silicone brush for shorthair rabbit
  • Dog-grooming comb for longhair rabbits
  • Grooming scissors for longhair rabbits
  • Pet-specific nail trimmers
  • Quick-stop powder

If you are uncomfortable trimming your rabbit’s nails, NMHRS offers free nail trims at all of our adoption events.

MEDICAL

  • Rabbit-savvy vet
    • rabbits are prey animals which means they hide their symptoms. By the time you notice something is wrong you need to rush them to a vet ASAP and cannot afford to waste time trying to find one in the heat of the moment
  • Stasis Supplies
    • flex-tip thermometer
    • vaseline or other lubricant (for thermometer)
    • Simethicone (baby gas-x)
    • cordless heating pad
    • Meloxicam (can only get from your vet, but this pain med is good to have on hand for emergencies)
    • Critical Care (never feed this unless a blockage has been ruled out via x-ray, but if your vet prescribes it you won’t have time to go get it)
    • Feeding syringe for Critical Care

Check out our blog post on what not to buy for your rabbit.

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