Hides and houses
Shelves and ledges
Foraging and toys
Cage accessories
Kits and bundles
Fairy forest
Spooky mischief
Sweetie stash
Game mode
Forest floor
Castles and cathedrals
Should rabbits live indoors or outdoors?
Either can work, and the welfare charities do not rank one above the other. The RSPCA, PDSA and Scottish Government guidance set the same rules for both: at least 3 x 2 x 1 m (10 x 6 x 3 ft) for a pair, shelter and exercise space joined and open all the time, a temperature of around 10 to 20°C (50 to 68°F), and company. PDSA calls the space figure "the absolute minimum".
The real choice is which set of problems you can solve best. Indoors, the risks are cables, houseplants, slippery floors and too little space. Outdoors, they are predators, weather, flies and loneliness. Pick the one that fits your home, then do it properly.
| Indoor rabbits | Outdoor rabbits | |
|---|---|---|
| Space | Pen plus free-roam room; a whole rabbit room is ideal | Easier to give a large run or shed |
| Bonding with you | Easier: they see you all day | Harder: needs time in the run every day |
| Temperature | Steadier, but watch radiators and hot rooms in summer | Needs winter insulation and summer shade |
| Predators | Safe from foxes and birds of prey | Needs strong mesh, locks and an anti-dig floor |
| Flies and flystrike | Lower risk | Higher risk; fly screens and twice-daily checks in warm weather |
| Grazing and digging | Needs regular outdoor access or a turf tray | Natural grass and earth in a secure run |
| Home hazards | Cables, houseplants, skirting boards, furniture | Toxic garden plants, chemicals |
| Health checks | Easy to spot changes early | Need a deliberate daily check |
Indoor rabbit enclosures and cages
For house rabbits, HouseRabbit.org recommends a 1.2 x 1.2 m (4 x 4 ft) puppy pen as the base for most rabbits, combined with free-roam time, and at least four hours of active play every day. It treats a cage as a resting space, not a living space: the smaller the base, the more time the rabbit needs outside it. The House Rabbit Society suggests at least 2 x 2 x 4 ft (60 x 60 x 120 cm) for a single rabbit's base and advises a pen over a wire-floored cage.
Big indoor rabbit cages are fine as a bedroom with the door left open. Most so-called large cages are around 120 cm (4 ft) long, so look for floor area first and height second. Our guide to the best rabbit cages and hutches compares pens, cages and the picks we'd look at.
- Cover or lift every cable, and block access behind and under furniture
- Move houseplants out of reach
- Guard skirting boards and furniture legs with untreated wood or clear acrylic
- Put vinyl or washable mats under the pen
- Choose a room people use, away from radiators, fires, sunny windows and draughts
- Give a dark hide and a big litter tray with hay
Is a 2 tier indoor rabbit cage a good idea?
A second level can help as a lookout, and the RSPCA says platforms encourage jumping and stronger bones. But the extra tier does not replace floor space, because rabbits run and hop along the ground. Most two-tier cages also have small footprints and steep ramps. Use one only as a bedroom inside a pen or rabbit-proofed room, with a gentle, non-slip ramp, and ask your vet before adding height for a rabbit that has lived in a small cage, as the RSPCA advises.
Outdoor rabbit enclosures, hutches and runs
Outdoors, the Scottish Government guidance calls a shed or playhouse with a cat flap into a secure run "ideal". If you use a hutch, it is the bedroom only: at least 180 x 60 x 60 cm (6 x 2 x 2 ft) for two small or medium rabbits, and at least 75 cm (30 in) tall for medium breeds, joined to a run of at least 240 x 180 x 90 cm (8 x 6 x 3 ft). Our page on rabbit hutch size explains why most shop hutches fall short, and our rabbit cage size guide covers bigger breeds.
- Choose the spot. Out of the prevailing wind, rain and full sun, away from the sight and smell of predators, and somewhere you pass every day.
- Raise the shelter. Lift it at least 10 cm (4 in) off the ground, as the RSPCA advises, to keep out damp and frost.
- Join it to the run. A ramp, cat flap or tunnel so the rabbits can come and go at dawn, dusk and overnight, when they are most active.
- Secure every side. Strong welded mesh, a roof on the run, bolts a fox cannot open and mesh under the floor or an anti-dig skirt.
- Add shade and shelter. A covered corner of the run for rain, and shade that moves with the sun.
- Fit fly screens. PDSA advises fly screens or mesh against the insects that spread flystrike, myxomatosis and Rabbit Haemorrhagic Disease.
- Furnish it. Hides with two doorways, hay, at least one water bowl per rabbit, a litter tray and a dig box. See our rabbit cage setup guide.
Outdoor rabbits in winter and summer
Outdoor rabbits that have lived outside since autumn grow a thick coat and can stay out through a normal UK winter if their shelter is dry, raised, insulated and out of the wind. When nights approach freezing, the RSPCA advises moving the hutch into a shed, outhouse or unused garage. Summer is the bigger danger: above 25°C (77°F), heatstroke becomes a real risk. Our rabbit temperature guide covers both seasons in detail.
Moving rabbits from outdoors to indoors, or back
Sudden changes in temperature are harmful, the Scottish Government guidance warns. It advises against bringing outdoor rabbits into a heated house overnight and sending them back out in the day, and against putting house rabbits into an uninsulated run in the coldest weather. The RSPCA's advice for moving in is:
- Move them during summer and autumn, not in the middle of winter
- Increase their time indoors a little each day
- Raise the evening light gradually, ideally near a window
- Give them a darkened sleeping area
- Leave them in their new enclosure for at least 48 hours to settle
- Once they are in, keep them in
For diet, health and the rest of the basics, see our complete rabbit care guide.
Indoor and outdoor rabbit questions
Is it better to keep rabbits inside or outside?
Neither is better on its own. What matters is space, company, shelter and safety. Indoors is easier for bonding and keeps rabbits safe from predators and bad weather. Outdoors makes big spaces and grazing easier. A well set-up home either way beats a cramped one in the 'right' place.
Can indoor rabbits go outside?
Yes, and PDSA says even indoor rabbits should have regular outdoor access for daylight, grazing and digging, in a secure, shaded, covered run. Avoid very cold days: the RSPCA warns that indoor rabbits have thinner winter coats. Never leave a rabbit unsupervised in an open garden, as the House Rabbit Society advises.
Is a 2 tier indoor rabbit cage good?
Only as a bedroom. A second tier adds a lookout and some extra room, but rabbits need floor space to run and hop, and most two-tier cages have a small footprint and steep ramps. Use one with its door open into a pen or rabbit-proofed room, and check the ramps are gentle and non-slip.
Do outdoor rabbits get lonely?
Any single rabbit gets lonely, indoors or out. PDSA says never keep a rabbit alone. Outdoor rabbits also see less of their people, so put the hutch and run somewhere you pass every day and spend time with them in the run, especially at dawn and dusk when they are most active.
Can you move an outdoor rabbit indoors?
Yes, but do it slowly. The RSPCA advises increasing time indoors a little each day through summer and autumn, giving a darkened sleeping area and leaving new arrivals in their enclosure for at least 48 hours. Once inside, keep them in: going back and forth between a warm house and a cold garden is harmful.
What is the best indoor rabbit enclosure?
A large pen, at least 1.2 x 1.2 m (4 x 4 ft) according to HouseRabbit.org, on a washable floor, with a hide, litter tray, hay and water inside, plus several hours of free-roam time every day. Many owners rabbit-proof a whole room instead, which is the closest thing to living outside.
