Rabbits
Hutch and living space, feed, bedding and the guides behind the numbers — everything for keeping pet rabbits properly, in a pair.
Need a vet that sees rabbits?
Most vets only treat dogs and cats. Our directory lists clinics whose own websites say they treat rabbits, across the UK and the US.
Rabbits at a glance
The headline figures, each traced to its source on the page it links to. Starting points for planning, not a substitute for the calculators.
- Shelter + living area
- 6 m² pair minimum (UK), 32 sq ft combined (US)
- Both figures are for a compatible pair, not per rabbit — rabbits shouldn't be kept alone. UK: APGAW Good Practice Code. US: House Rabbit Society.
- How much space a rabbit needs →
- Exercise space (US)
- 24 sq ft, 5+ hours daily access
- A separate budget from the enclosure — House Rabbit Society guidance. The UK figure states shelter and living area combined instead.
- US rabbit cage calculator →
- Housing setup
- Hutch + run, house rabbit, or free-range
- Three genuine options with real trade-offs in predator-proofing, weather exposure and daily interaction — not a hierarchy from worst to best.
- Comparing rabbit housing setups →
- Running cost (pair, first year)
- About $600–1,500
- Adoption or purchase, neutering (~$300) and setup (~$300) for two rabbits, before ongoing feed and vet costs.
- What it costs to keep a rabbit →
Planning to keep rabbits? Work through it in order
9 steps, each a couple of minutes — click a step to open it.
01Think hard before you buy+−
The RSPCA says rabbits typically live 8 to 12 years and recommends adopting rather than buying from a pet shop — a genuinely complex pet, not a simple starter one.
Buying a pet rabbit →02Understand the pair minimum+−
Rabbit space guidance is published for a compatible pair, not a single animal — the smallest sensible unit is two, not one.
How much space a rabbit needs →03Work out the space+−
Shelter and living area for your group, against the official APGAW minimum (UK) or House Rabbit Society guidance (US).
Rabbit hutch size calculator →04Pick a housing setup+−
Outdoor hutch and run, house rabbits, or free-range — the genuine trade-offs in cost, predator risk and daily interaction.
Comparing rabbit housing setups →05Avoid the common mistakes+−
Pet-shop hutch sizing, keeping a single rabbit, and treating the hutch as the whole enclosure are the gaps that show up most.
Common rabbit housing mistakes →06Bond your pair correctly+−
The RSPCA's three-phase process for introducing two rabbits safely — and why a neutered male and female is the recommended pairing.
Do rabbits need a companion? →07Check the running cost+−
Realistic first-year and ongoing costs for a pair — adoption or purchase, neutering, setup, feed and vet care.
What it costs to keep a rabbit →08Work out feed and bedding+−
House Rabbit Society pellet guidance by weight, and a starting bedding depth — with an honest note on how well-sourced each figure is.
How much a rabbit eats per day →09Learn the health checklist+−
Vaccinations, annual checkups, dental disease, and the behaviour changes that mean a rabbit is ill or in pain, from RSPCA guidance.
Rabbit health and vet care →
Calculators and tools
These cover all nine species — following a link opens them with rabbits already selected.
- Plan My Setup
Housing, outdoor land, bedding, feed and running cost together in one place, for a species and headcount.
- Feed Cost Calculator
Estimate daily, weekly and monthly feed cost from a headcount and your local feed price.
- Water Calculator
How much water your animals drink a day and a week, from the published figure for each species.
- Bedding Calculator
How much bedding to start with, based on your floor area and species.
- Cost of Keeping Calculator
Feed, vet allowance and other ongoing costs, by species — a weekly, monthly and yearly running-cost estimate.
- How Much Land Do I Need?
Indoor housing plus outdoor paddock or run space combined — the total footprint, not just the pen size.
- Breeding & Hatching Due-Date Calculator
Enter a mating or egg-set date and get an expected due/hatch date, by species.
- How Much Hay Do I Need?
Daily hay and a winter total for goats, sheep and horses, with a waste allowance and bale count.
- Compare Animals
Which backyard animal needs the most space, land or vet budget — a side-by-side comparison of all nine species.
- Sources & Methodology
Every figure behind every species' housing calculator, traced to its source, what it applies to and when it was last checked.
Rabbits guides
- How Much Space Does a Rabbit Actually Need?
Why the official minimum is given for a pair, not one rabbit, and why enclosure and exercise space are two separate budgets.
- Hutch, Indoor, or Free-Range: Comparing Rabbit Housing Setups
The genuine trade-offs between the three common ways people house pet rabbits, and how to tell which fits your situation.
- Common Rabbit Housing Mistakes (And How to Fix Them)
The gap between what a pet-shop hutch actually provides and what current welfare guidance recommends — and practical ways to close it.
- How Much Does It Cost to Keep a Rabbit?
A realistic breakdown of what pet rabbits actually cost — adoption or purchase for a pair, feed, neutering and costs first-time keepers underestimate.
Common questions about rabbits
- How much space does a pair of rabbits need?
- In the UK, the APGAW Good Practice Code sets a minimum of 3 x 2 x 1m (6m²) of combined shelter and living area for a compatible pair. In the US, House Rabbit Society guidance asks for at least 8 sq ft of enclosure plus 24 sq ft of separate exercise space for 1–2 rabbits. Neither is a per-rabbit figure — both are written for a pair.
- Can I keep a single rabbit?
- It isn't recommended. Rabbits are highly social, and both UK and US guidance state their minimum space figures for a compatible pair rather than one animal — a solitary rabbit is now widely considered a welfare problem in its own right.
- Does a rabbit's breed or size change how much space it needs?
- Published guidance doesn't give a size-banded table — the UK Code says its minimum is for "small-to-medium" rabbits without more detail. Giant breeds need meaningfully more than the calculators' minimum, though there's no official figure for exactly how much more.
- How much does it cost to keep rabbits?
- Realistically budget for a pair: adoption is commonly $25–100, or $50–500+ per rabbit from a breeder; neutering around $300; initial setup around $300 — a realistic first year commonly runs $600–1,500 before ongoing feed and vet costs.
Want to see what keeping rabbits is actually like?
Try My Backyard — a simple interactive simulation. Adopt one, feed it, play with it, keep its bedding clean, and see how it gets on.
Play My Backyard →