At a minimum, you should spend at least an hour with your rabbit every day. However, 3-5 hours (or even more) are ideal. You do not have to be giving your rabbit undivided attention during this time, but instead, make yourself available to interact with them if they want to.
Even if you have a pair of rabbits, 24 hours is the maximum time they should be alone. Like all pets, rabbits rely heavily on their owners. Domesticated rabbits lack the survival skills of wild rabbits. Your rabbit has basic needs surrounding food, exercise, and stimulation.
Create a routine to give your rabbit hay, pellets, and fresh greens every day. You also need to clean the litter box on a daily basis and make sure to give your rabbit at least 3-4 hours of exercise. Rabbits are also social animals that require your time and attention every day. Rabbits thrive on routine.
If rabbits live in small hutches with nothing to do and no space to move, they get bored. Boredom can cause some serious health problems: Bored rabbits will fill their time by eating. If they eat too much and don't move around they'll put on weight.
To keep your rabbit happy and healthy, let it out of its cage at least once a day, giving it time to roam. Though at least one hour is necessary, aim closer to three or four. As a rule, never keep your rabbit cooped up for 24 hours at a time.
A lonely rabbit may become hyperactive and angry. They may display destructive behaviour such as gnawing at the carpets and other furniture. Lonely rabbits may pull at their fur and overeat.
Rabbits are social creatures with gentle natures and individual personalities, and they need just as much attention as a dog or a cat. They are not suitable companions for young children as most rabbits resist being picked up and cuddled.
Because rabbits are social animals, they require daily interaction and attention. They aren't happy languishing in a cage day after day. For several hours daily, they need time outside the cage, to socialize, exercise and explore. To be comfortable with their people, they need frequent, gentle interaction.
Rabbits need a minimum of 3 hours free-range time each day for them to run about, stretch their legs, and interact with each other and the family. Keeping your bunnies as 'house rabbits' makes it easier to give them a lot of space as they have the run of your house (or designated rooms).
Make sure your rabbit or other small herbivores (animals that only eat plants) have lots of good quality forage, like leaves and grasses, to eat. Make sure your rabbit always has plenty of fresh clean water available. Give your pet its own bowls for food and water and don't forget to wash up!
The House Rabbit Society recommends at least 8 square feet of housing with at least 24 square feet of exercise space, which the rabbits can access at least five hours per day. And that's the minimum.
How often do I need to clean my rabbit hutch? For the ideal rabbit environment, the hutch should be cleaned at least once a day, by removing any shavings or bedding that are wet and dirty, removing any uneaten fresh food and cleaning the food and water containers before refilling them.
Rabbits are social animals, so a single rabbit is likely to feel lonely and depressed. Rabbits can live alone, but you'll need to provide your pet with the attention (company, petting, grooming, exercise, playing, and enrichment) that a bonded rabbit partner would provide.
In the wild, rabbits live in big groups and they enjoy being with friends who will play with them, groom them, understand them and look out for them. So if these sociable animals are kept on their own, they may become bored, depressed, and very lonely.
You may worry that your rabbit will be lonely. If you spend a lot of time with your rabbit, they will undoubtedly miss you when you're away, the same way you miss them. The two of you have developed a bond and friendship that your pet rabbit also understands.
The signs of an unhappy rabbit
Pulling at their fur and over-grooming - or not grooming at all. A change in feeding or toilet habits. Drinking a lot more. Repeated circling or pacing up and down.
Few like being held or carried as being so high up from the ground makes them feel insecure, however, many will happily sit on your lap or snuggle up next to you for a cuddle. It is best to let your rabbit initiate this i.e. sit on the ground and let them approach you.
What Does a Rabbit Need in Their Cage? Provide 1-2 inches of high-quality paper-based bedding in their main enclosure. Other items needed are a litter box in the corner with paper-based products, a cardboard hide box, a hay rack, a water bottle, a small pellet dish, and toys.
Licking: Licking is a way bunnies groom each other. If your bunny licks you, it's a sign of affection as you'll often see pairs of bunnies grooming each other this way. A bunny lick is a sign of a bond.
Should you avoid touching your rabbit's ears? Contrary to popular belief, most rabbits don't have very sensitive ears. While most rabbits aren't necessarily going to enjoy an ear massage, they don't mind when their ears are touched either. It's a neutral area for rabbits.
A rabbit who is angry will quickly twitch their tail up and down. Beware the rabbit holding their tail up, it is frequently followed by spraying. Rabbits who are not spayed and neutered will spread their scent by spraying everything in sight. They may also do this when they are upset or simply dislike a person.