10 Must-Have Bunny Supplies for the New Rabbit Owner

Whether you’ve just welcomed your new bunny into your home, or you’re making preparations before collecting your new bunny, there’s no doubt this is an exciting time - if not a little daunting too!

Getting the basics right will help your new arrival settle into their new home quickly and happily, and we hope our top 10 list of must-have supplies help you get off to a great start!

1. Hay

Hay is food for bunnies - in rabbit world, hay is the main course, and it really is the stuff of life for them.

Getting your new family member into the hay habit right from the beginning will get them off to a great start and help them to keep their teeth and digestive system healthy.

The choice of hay is daunting, so keep the following in mind and you’ll be OK!

• Alfalfa is NOT a hay - it’s a treat (except for the very young, elderly or those recovering)

• The best hay to feed is the hay they enjoy eating in a big quantity (with the exception of Alfalfa - see above!)

• The most important factor in hay choice is the quantity being eaten - whether it’s timothy or meadow, green or golden it matters not - it’s the quantity of hay being consumed that’s really important.

• Aroma, texture and taste are important to rabbits - they won’t eat damp or musty hay, but older hay is fine as long as it’s been stored well and smells nice!

Checking out a range of samples is a good way to start - some rabbits like softer hays, others like leafy hays and some like coarse hays. Try our Taster Selection Pack as it's a good place to start!

A great place to start is Deans Meadow hay, as it’s cost effective, can be used for eating or bedding (see below) and is packed by hand for quality and ease of use.

2. Food

Whilst rabbits MUST eat hay in a big quantity, they should only be fed a small amount of pellets once they get to adulthood (from around 6 months of age). Young rabbits can have more pellets to ensure optimal nutrition for growth, and the target quantity of pellets for adult rabbits is around an eggcup full per day for the 'average' rabbit.

Until adulthood, you can choose from a young life-stage food, such as Selective Junior Rabbit, a food to match their habitat such as Excel Indoor Rabbit (with added vitamin D), or a life-choice food such as Excel Natures Blend (made from grasses and herbs) or Selective Grain Free Rabbit (made without grains that some can find irritating to a sensitive gut).

It’s worth choosing a quality food, one high in fibre, rich in nutrients, and ideally not a muesli to avoid selective feeding (i.e picking out the tasty bits and leaving the healthy bits!).

How much you feed your young bun will vary on a number of factors, including age, activity level, size and so it's worth initially following the manufacturers advice on the food bag initially (or the supplier of your bunny - rescues should be able to help here!).

Bear in mind that most rabbits will choose pellets over hay, but hay is more important for them for their dental and digestive health. As your bunny matures, you may need to gradually portion control the pellets to ensure good hay consumption, and we're here to help if you have any queries on this!

3. Forage

Rabbits in the wild will spend up to 80% of their waking day foraging, and you’ll need to match this for their emotional wellbeing and nutritional needs too.

Forage can be added to hay, to pellets, to toys, scatter fed or fed in a bowl as you and your rabbits prefer. Quality and variety is key - and there is a great choice of flowers, leaves, gnaws and vegetables to help you provide the same kind of diet as rabbits are designed to eat.

Take a look at The Hay Experts own range of quality forage for an idea of what is available!

Prepared forage will help you feed a healthy diet throughout the year and is perfect when fresh, bunny safe forage is not available. Whilst foraging in your garden or in the wild for your rabbit is a great way of providing fresh produce, you need to ensure it’s totally rabbit safe (be 100% sure of your plant identification skills!) and free from the effects of wildlife (it’s not been peed on by a passing dog, cat or fox, for example!).

4. Litter and litter tray

What you use here depends on where your rabbits will be living. Like cats, rabbits are naturally clean and easily litter trained so a good quality litter tray will help keep your little ones area defined and easy to clean. We recommend a high sided tray to prevent bottoms from overhanging … it’s a thing in bunny world!

Look for litters that are high in absorbency with good odour-locking properties, safe if eaten (rabbits like to munch while they use the toilet!) and easy to use.

Excellent examples include Back 2 Nature Litter, Bio Catolet or Megazorb. Megazorb also makes for a great bedding if you need it - see below!.

5. Bedding

Not all rabbits require bedding as it depends on how they are being housed. House rabbits don’t necessarily need a bedded area as they often live free-range in the house and use a litter tray, but those living outdoors tend to have a bedded area to help with warmth and comfort as well as a toilet area.

Products such as Megazorb or Carefresh are excellent bedding material, as is straw, hay or a combination with Megazorb/Carefresh or litter to help with absorbency.

Choosing products that are easy to use and dispose of when soiled (you’ll get through a lot!) will be beneficial in the long run. There’s nothing wrong with trying a few alternatives out initially and seeing what works for you - and for bunny!

6. Bottle or bowl for drinking water.

Ideally a bowl is the best choice to help with ease of drinking, but rabbits have a habit of using their bowl as a toy if opportunity presents, so choose a bowl that is sturdy and heavy to prevent accidental (or intentional!) tipping, else you’ll be mopping up and changing bedding more times than you’d like!

Bottles can be useful as they present a no-spill option if your rabbit is a bit boisterous or exuberant, but choose a bottle that has a cage/mounting attachment, is robust and easily to change daily - and make sure you get a bottle with way more water than is needed in a day. Just in case. The Classic Glass bottle is robust, and easy to clean, and the Classic Deluxe plastic drinking bottle is a good option too - both come in a range of sizes.

7. Toys

Everyone deserves some fun in their lives and rabbits love to play in their own special and unique way!

Some rabbits love to throw, some love to chew, and others live to destroy, and the wide range of toys available will help you bring the fun to your rabbits life and focus their energies away from the structure of their accommodation - or the wires to your television!

You can also be creative, adding forage pellets or treats to the toy to offer challenge and reward.

Look for toys made with natural material such as willow or woven materials to chew or pet safe toys that can be thrown and jingled..though the noise may wake you at night!

Good ‘first toys’ include the Natural Willow Play Ball and the Grassy Ball.

8. Treats

Although we have treats here in list position 8, most bunnies will insist treats are essential to life and will stare you down until you reach for the treat bag …. Again.

You’ll also quickly gather there are a gazzillion different types of treats for rabbits, and how do you know which to get? And which to avoid?

We recommend you take a look at the ingredients. Rabbits are herbivores so we don’t advise feeding treats with dairy as a first consideration, and feeding a treat with a list of natural ingredients is generally better than feeding unhealthy treats!

And if you don’t know where to begin, start with the Rosewood Fenugreek Crunchies. Loved by almost all rabbits and great for when a bribe is needed. Though be prepared to never run out as your bunny may riot!

9. Bed or Tunnel - somewhere to hide!

Whether your little one lives inside or out in a shed or hutch setup, they’ll need somewhere to snooze and to escape from when they need time out from their hectic day. There are a wide range of tunnels, hides and beds available and the choice is down to personal preference.

If being used outside, look for products that are weather-robust and easy to keep clean.

And factor in the fact that your little darling may want to do a spot of remodelling on whatever you provide, and if so, tunnels or beds made from natural material will be both practical and tasty too!

10. First Aid or Care Kit

Rather than a ‘standard’ first aid kit, we recommend you create your own kit to cover most eventualities, and build this up over time in line with skill and experience; start with the vets contact details - as a new owner it’s best to seek veterinary advice in the first instance while you learn ‘rabbity ways’. Even a minor cut can be problematic if not treated correctly.

Items to add as you develop your kit will include wound cleaning products - Leucillin, for example, nail trimmers, recovery food (to be used with veterinary support), and it’s helpful to have pet safe cleaning wipes, cotton wool etc too.

And if you're wanting to improve your rabbity knowledge, we suggest starting with the following reputable resources:

Rabbit Welfare Association - https://rabbitwelfare.co.uk/
Harcourt-Brown - the author of the original Textbook for Rabbit Medicine - https://www.harcourt-brown.co.uk/
Medirabbit - A source of sound medical information on the web - http://www.medirabbit.com/

So that’s it! All you need to start on your new venture with your new rabbit!

We wish you and your little one much fun - and don’t forget that in rabbit world, hay is the main course!