A useful rabbit setup leaves room to move and gives rabbits several ways to spend their time: pulling hay from a box, nibbling a suitable chew, digging through paper or resting out of sight. You can build these options with a few carefully chosen materials. Start with the living space, then add activities around it.
Protect the floor space first
The Rabbit Welfare Association & Fund recommends a continuous living area of at least 3 meters by 2 meters, with 1 meter of height (about 9 ft 10 in by 6 ft 7 in, and 3 ft 3 in high), available at all times for two average-sized rabbits. Upper levels do not count toward that floor footprint. A hutch alone is not adequate main accommodation. See the RWAF space recommendations for the full guidance.
Mark out the usable floor area before ordering a hide or tunnel. Ask where each item will sit and whether it leaves an open route through the space. A collection of accessories should not turn the exercise area into a crowded storage shelf.
Make foraging part of normal feeding
Keep good-quality hay or appropriate grass available continuously. For an easy activity, offer hay in an open cardboard box or scatter part of the usual pellet allowance across a clean area. Food used for enrichment comes from the normal daily amount. The RSPCA's dietary-enrichment guide explains these approaches.
Start with food easy to find. Check that each rabbit gets access, and keep their ordinary hay supply available alongside the activity. You are changing how a familiar food is offered; there is no need to introduce new ingredients to make the setup interesting.
Choose chewing materials by their exact label
Options include dried, untreated apple or willow chews supplied for rabbits. Avoid painted, varnished or chemically treated wood and unidentified garden branches. For cardboard activities, choose clean, unprinted material without labels, tape or stickers. Oxbow's chewing-material guide distinguishes suitable materials from potentially harmful ones.
Do not treat “natural” as a complete material description. Look for the plant or wood type, any coating or adhesive, and the intended species. If those details are missing, ask the supplier before offering it.
Wood, cardboard and woven fibers are enrichment materials, not a replacement for hay. If a rabbit eats noticeable quantities of them, remove the item and consult a veterinarian, as Oxbow advises.
Give hiding places an entrance and an exit
A cardboard hide should have openings large enough for comfortable entry and exit. In a shared setup, provide two ways out so another rabbit cannot block the only doorway. The RSPCA recommends at least one hiding place per rabbit, preferably an extra, plus an option large enough to rest together. Let rabbits retreat without pulling them out.
Before placing a box, check both openings from floor level. Will furniture or the enclosure wall block one? Leave room outside each doorway instead of pressing the hide tightly into a corner.
Offer a simple digging box
A cardboard box filled with shredded paper gives rabbits a digging opportunity. The RSPCA's rabbit-toy guide also lists untreated straw, wicker and seagrass items for play. Choose a box your rabbit can enter and leave easily, and replace it when damp or damaged.
Place the digging box where you can sweep up scattered paper without dismantling the whole setup. Keep a spare box ready so replacing it is straightforward.
Introduce one item and watch
Offer a new item for a short supervised period, allowing rabbits to move away or hide. Remove it if they seem frightened, and provide enough resources to avoid competition. These steps follow the RSPCA's enrichment guidance.
When browsing PawShips Tiny Paws, check each product's rabbit suitability, exact materials and dimensions. The collection includes supplies for different species; inclusion there does not mean an item suits rabbits. Buy for one identified need—such as a labeled rabbit chew—while keeping the full living-space requirements in place.
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