New Bunny Checklist: What You Need Before Bringing Home a Rabbit
Bringing home a new bunny is exciting — and maybe a little overwhelming. Rabbits have some pretty specific needs, and unfortunately, a lot of the "rabbit starter kits" you'll find in pet stores aren't really designed around how rabbits actually live.
The good news? You don't need a mountain of stuff.
You do need a safe space, plenty of hay, a few thoughtfully chosen essentials, and a home that gives your rabbit room to be a rabbit.
Whether you're adopting your first bunny from a rescue or getting ready for a new addition, here's a practical place to start.
A Safe, Spacious Home Base
Skip the tiny rabbit cage.
Your bunny needs enough room to stretch out, stand up, hop around, play, and choose where they want to eat, sleep and use the litter box.
A good starter setup includes:
- A roomy exercise pen or bunny-proofed area
- Soft, non-slip flooring such as washable rugs or blankets
- A large litter box
- A hideout or cardboard box
- A comfortable resting area
- Plenty of supervised exercise space — or a bunny-proofed free-roam home
Think of your bunny's enclosure as their bedroom, not their whole world.
Hay, Hay & More Hay
If there's one thing you should have waiting before your bunny comes home, it's hay.
Rabbits should have constant access to fresh, appropriate hay. Because they're natural grazers, you'll want a setup that makes hay easy to reach throughout the day.
Many rabbits also enjoy eating hay while they're in their litter box, so keeping plenty of hay in or near their box can encourage good litter habits.
On the shopping list:
- Plenty of fresh hay
- A way to keep hay accessible and contained
- A large litter box
- Rabbit-safe litter
Bunny Business tip: Our Open Air Hay Feeder was designed to give bunnies easy access to hay while helping keep some of the inevitable hay explosion under control.
Shop the Open Air Hay Feeder →
Food & Water
Your new bunny will also need:
- A heavy water bowl that's difficult to tip
- Quality plain rabbit pellets appropriate for their age
- Fresh rabbit-safe greens
- A small selection of appropriate treats
If you're adopting, ask the rescue what your bunny currently eats before changing foods. Keeping things familiar during the transition can make the first few days a little easier.
Things to Chew, Toss, Dig & Investigate
Enrichment isn't an optional extra for rabbits.
Chewing, digging, foraging and exploring are normal bunny behaviors. Giving them appropriate ways to do those things helps keep their environment interesting — and may also make your baseboards slightly less interesting. 😉
Try a mix of:
- Cardboard boxes
- Rabbit-safe chew toys
- Apple sticks or other safe natural chews
- Tunnels
- Dig boxes
- Foraging toys
- Hay-based activities
- Toys they can toss or manipulate
You don't need to put everything out at once. Rotating enrichment can make old toys interesting again.
Make hay part of the fun
Our Hay Roller turns something your rabbit already needs — hay — into an interactive foraging activity they can push, roll and investigate.
A Safe Carrier
Don't wait until the first vet appointment to realize you need one.
Every rabbit household should have a sturdy carrier ready for:
- The ride home
- Veterinary appointments
- Emergencies
- Travel
Choose one that's secure, appropriately sized, and easy to get your bunny into and out of.
And because we're Bunny Business, we're obviously going to say it:
Putting their name on it makes it approximately 87% cuter.
Shop Personalized Carrier Nametags →
Grooming & Cleaning Supplies
It's handy to have a few bunny-specific supplies ready from day one:
- Rabbit-safe grooming brush
- Nail trimmers
- Cleaning supplies for their litter area
- Washable towels or blankets
- A pet-safe way to clean accidents
Rabbits shed. Sometimes they shed a little.
Sometimes you will wonder whether there is enough rabbit left underneath all the fur.
Welcome to bunny ownership.
Find a Rabbit-Savvy Veterinarian Before You Need One
This one doesn't come in a shopping bag, but it belongs on every new bunny checklist.
Rabbits have different medical needs than dogs and cats, and not every veterinary practice is experienced with them.
Before your bunny comes home, find a rabbit-savvy veterinarian in your area and save their contact information. It's also a good idea to know where you would go for an after-hours rabbit emergency.
If you're adopting from a rabbit rescue, they're often an excellent resource for local veterinary recommendations.
Consider Adoption
There are wonderful rabbits of every age, size, color and personality waiting in rescues and foster homes.
One of the biggest advantages of adopting through a knowledgeable rabbit rescue is that they can help you find a bunny whose personality works with your household — and they're often an incredible source of education and support after adoption, too.
If you're still looking for your new best friend, we encourage you to start with a rabbit rescue near you.
New Bunny Shopping Checklist
Before homecoming day, make sure you have:
☐ Exercise pen or bunny-proofed living space
☐ Soft, non-slip flooring
☐ Large litter box
☐ Rabbit-safe litter
☐ Hideout
☐ Fresh hay
☐ Hay feeder or hay station
☐ Heavy water bowl
☐ Appropriate rabbit pellets
☐ Fresh greens
☐ Rabbit-safe chew toys
☐ Foraging and enrichment activities
☐ Grooming brush
☐ Nail trimmers
☐ Secure travel carrier
☐ Rabbit-savvy veterinarian
Want a Head Start?
We put together the New Bunny Bundle for exactly this moment.
It includes a few of our Bunny Business favorites along with hay, chews, treats and a personalized carrier nametag — giving you a fun little head start on some of the things your new bunny will need.
Inside you'll find:
- One Open Air Hay Feeder
- One Hay Roller
- One personalized Carrier Nametag
- Rabbit Hole Hay Medium Timothy Hay
- Rabbit Hole Hay Apple Chew Sticks
- Exclusive Love Bunny Treats from Loppy Bun Shop
It's not meant to replace everything on this checklist.
It's just one very cute box that gets you several steps closer.
One Last Thing
Your bunny doesn't need a perfect Pinterest-worthy setup on day one.
They need safety, space, good food, enrichment, appropriate veterinary care and humans willing to keep learning about them.
Get the essentials ready. Give them time to settle in. Learn their weird little habits.
Before long, they'll have you trained perfectly.
