Contents
Overview
A safe and spacious indoor or outdoor rabbit housing is a fundamental requirement that will ensure the wellbeing and happiness of your bunny. For many first-time owners, deciding on the right size a hutch or cage is a daunting task since the various breeds have different space requirements.
Whether you have a rabbit pet, as a show animal, or for commercial use (fiber, meat, lab, and exhibition), there is a minimum requirement of cage sizes based on the rabbit's weight.
You deserve to know that bunnies are active as RSPCA notes, they will be “needing opportunities to hop, run, jump, dig, stand fully upright on their back legs/stretch out fully when lying down.”
Furthermore, their cages are a place where they need to go to the toilet, hide, eat and sleep. You cannot provide small hutches as they will make your bunnies uncomfortable which will have an impact on their overall health and happiness. They may end up with “spine problems, muscle wastage, and obesity as The Rabbit House notes.
How large should it be – dimensions
An ideal living area will have a litter tray, feeding, and water bowls, as well as an enclosed sleeping area. Adding a few bunny toys in the cage will help keep your bunny enchanted.
The minimum recommended size is 12 ft2 or about 1.1m2 in addition to a playing area that should be larger than 32 sq.ft, with the bunny able to stretch in any direction without touching any side of the hutch.
The UK's RWAF as well as PDSA “think the minimum set up for rabbits is a 6 x 2 x 2 ft hutch” with at least an 8ft long playing area (typically 8x4 ft and as high as your cage). Here are typical dimensions.
Length
The length should allow the rabbit to make about three to four hops. This will be about 6 ft, for a medium-sized bunny.
Width
The width should be enough to allow it to stretch out fully while lying down typically 2 ft (60cm) for a small to medium rabbit while large to giant size may require about 3ft (90cm).
Height
While standing upright on their hind legs, their ears should not touch the roof of your cage. This is typically 2ft for small rabbits and 3ft for bigger or giant ones.
Minimum ARBA rabbit housing cage size
As ARBA emphasizes, you must provide your rabbits with a “cage of adequate size to accommodate species and breed-specific behavior.”
In line with the Animal Welfare Act, AWA (Title 7, Chapter 54, Sections 2131-2159), the ARBA has adopted some guidelines to help rabbit owners decide on the right size of cages or hutches their bunnies need.
This space is calculated by multiplying the length and width of your cage and deducting any area occupied by water dishes and feeders which are often inside the cage, i.e. it does not include the space other things occupy inside the cage.
This means the actual areas must be bigger than provided ones below since it includes the space taken the feeder, litter box, and water bowl. Do not deduct if your waters and feeders are fixed to the side of your pen and do not touch its floor.
We are dealing with minimum space requirements. However, do not forget a bigger hutch is always better.
Nursing rabbits
If you breed your rabbits, you need a large cage for a nursing one to be able to accommodate it and its kits (have a space for a nesting box). Here are the minimum cage size requirements recommend by ARBA. Minimum cage based on breed.
Minimum cage based on breed
If you want a cage basing on the breed you have, below is a table with is also based on the weights of fully grown seniors to guide you.
Maximum Senior Weight Less than 4.4 lbs
- Breeds: American Fuzzy Lop, Britannia Petite, Dwarf Hotot, Himalayan, Holland Lop, Jersey Wooly, Mini Rex, Netherland Dwarf, Polish
- Minimum required cage space: 1.5 ft²
- Minimum required cage Height: 14 in
Maximum Senior Weight from 4 to 8.8 lbs
- Breeds: Standard Chinchilla, Dutch, English Spot, Florida White, Havana, Lilac, Mini Lop, Mini Satin, Silver, Tan, Thrianta
- Minimum required cage space: 3.0 ft²
- Minimum required cage height: 14 in
Maximum Senior Weight from 8.8 to 11.9 lbs
- Breeds: American, French Angora, Satin Angora, Belgian, Hare, Beveren, Blanc De Hotot, Champagne D'Argent, American Chinchilla, Cinnamon, Crème D'Argent, Harlequin, New Zealand, Palomino, Rex, Rhinelander, Satin, Silver Fox, Silver Marten
- Minimum required cage space: 4.0 ft²
- Minimum required cage height: 14 in
Maximum Senior Weight More than 11.9
- Breeds: Giant Angora, Giant Chinchilla, Checkered Giant, Flemish Giant, English Lop, French Lop
- Minimum required cage space: 5.0 ft²
- Minimum required cage height: 14 in
If you need a good indoor rabbit cage, go for a brand like Living World Deluxe Habitat X-large below or others like MidWest Homes for Pets Wabbitat Deluxe Rabbit Home Kit X-large rabbit cage or AmazonBasics Small Animal Cage Habitat with Accessories – Best with accessories. They are of considerable size.
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On the other hand, if it is a rabbit hutch you need, a good large brand is the Pawhut 91" Deluxe Large Wooden Bunny Rabbit Hutch. Although it has a run, it is not enough, you need another large bunny run. Another alternative is the Aivituvin Rabbit Hutch Indoor and Outdoor Bunny cage on Wheels.
Spacing for bunnies housed together
Perhaps a more challenging issue is getting the right space for your compatible bunnies if they share a cage. For instance, what size of hutch do you need for two rabbits?
The height will remain the same. However, you need to increase the floor area, about one and a half times bigger. However, ensure you know how to introduce and bond them.
With the above guidelines, you can decide to go for a DIY hutch or buy one. Some of the pet stores that sell hutches may be able to advise you on the right size. However, the size should not be lower than what we have discussed.
For instance, the Aivituvin Extra Large Chicken Coop, Rabbit House Wooden Hen House Outdoor Bunny Hutch - Upgrade with Bottom PVC Layer is large enough for two bunnies. It measures 87.8"L x 20.5"W x 33.7"H. 
Conclusion
There may be other animal welfare charities with slightly different cage requirements. For instance, the RSPCA rabbit hutch size might slightly differ from ARBA.
To ensure your bunnies have enough space, we recommend you continually weigh their weight and determine if the cages are the right sizes.
Whereas some people may assume the pet, show, or meat rabbit cage size may be different, it must meet the above minimum requirements.
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