Rabbit Care: Setting the Standard for Happy, Healthy Rabbits
This guide outlines all the essential information you need to meet our minimum welfare requirements for adopting rabbits from Nibbles. By ensuring you provide everything detailed here, you’ll be fully prepared, and your pre-adoption form will receive an instant "yes" from our team!
Adopting Rabbits from Nibbles
Thank you for considering adoption. Every rabbit in our care deserves a home where they can thrive, not simply survive, with the space, companionship and opportunities they need to live a fulfilling life.
This page outlines the minimum standards we require for rabbits adopted from Nibbles. Before completing an adoption enquiry, we encourage you to read through the information below and explore the guidance linked throughout this page. Our aim is to help potential guardians understand our requirements and decide whether they can meet rabbits' welfare needs before applying.
Some of our standards may seem very different from the advice that has traditionally been given about rabbit care. Over the last two decades, our understanding of rabbit welfare has improved significantly. We now know far more about rabbits' physical, behavioural and social needs; however, much of the pet trade and the advice still commonly given has not kept pace with what modern scientific research tells us.
As a rescue, we have a legal and ethical responsibility to place rabbits into homes that meet their welfare needs. Our requirements are based on modern welfare understanding and the principles of the Animal Welfare Act, which places a duty of care on guardians to provide a suitable environment, appropriate companionship, a suitable diet, the ability to express normal behaviour, and protection from pain, suffering, injury and disease.
Unfortunately, the law itself has not always kept pace with welfare science, and some legal minimum standards fall short of what rabbits need to live healthy and fulfilling lives. If you would like to learn more about this issue, you can read our article on why current legislation often fails rabbits.
The information below will help you understand what we look for in an adoptive home and whether adoption through Nibbles is the right fit for you.
Is Rabbit Adoption Right for You?
Rabbits can live for 10 years or more, making them a significant long-term commitment. Before adopting, it's important to think not only about your current circumstances, but also how your life may change over the years ahead.
Many rabbits enter rescue because their guardians experience changes such as house moves, relationship breakdowns, financial difficulties, children losing interest, children leaving home, or simply because ongoing care no longer fits around work, holidays, or other commitments. While we understand that life can be unpredictable, we encourage everyone to carefully consider whether they can provide lifelong care before bringing rabbits into their family.
If you decide that adoption is right for you, there are several key areas you will need to consider.
Rabbits need:
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A suitable environment with constant access to enough space to move freely, exercise, explore and express their natural behaviours.
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A suitable diet that supports both digestive and dental health.
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Enrichment and opportunities to stay physically active and mentally stimulated.
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Appropriate companionship from another compatible rabbit.
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Neutering to support both welfare and responsible rabbit care.
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Annual vaccination to protect against serious infectious diseases.
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Access to veterinary care to prevent unnecessary pain, suffering, injury and disease.
The sections below provide an overview of each area and link to more detailed guidance to help you understand what rabbits need to live happy, healthy lives.
A Suitable Environment
Rabbits need enough space to run, jump, stand upright, explore, play and express their natural behaviours throughout the day and night. Space is not a luxury for rabbits – it is a fundamental welfare requirement that directly affects both their physical and mental wellbeing.
At Nibbles, our minimum housing requirement is a space measuring 3m x 2m x 1m (high) which must be available to the rabbits at all times. This means rabbits must have constant access to this space 24 hours a day, including overnight and whenever nobody is at home. It is not suitable for rabbits to be confined to a smaller hutch, cage or enclosure for part of the day, even if they are given access to a larger area at other times.
You can learn more about why space matters and the welfare research behind our minimum requirements in:
How Much Space do Rabbits Really Need?
Rabbits can live successfully either indoors or outdoors. In the UK there is no universally "right" or "wrong" choice, and the most suitable option will depend on your circumstances, lifestyle and ability to meet rabbits' welfare needs.
If you are considering keeping rabbits outdoors, please read Creating a Suitable Outdoor Enclosure for Rabbits. This guide explains our minimum requirements and how to create a secure, weatherproof and enriching outdoor home.
If you are considering keeping rabbits indoors, please read Housing Rabbits Indoors: Creating a Safe and Suitable Home. This guide explains how to create an indoor environment that allows rabbits to live safely while expressing their natural behaviours.
Indoor or outdoor, rabbits need space. All rabbits should have permanent access to a living area measuring at least 3m x 2m x 1m (high), available 24 hours a day. Their accommodation should allow them to move freely, exercise and express their natural behaviours, regardless of where they live.
A Suitable Diet
A healthy diet is essential for maintaining both digestive and dental health. Rabbits have highly specialised digestive systems that rely on a constant intake of fibre to function properly, while their teeth grow continuously throughout their lives and require regular wear from chewing fibrous foods.
An unsuitable diet can contribute to a range of serious health problems, including digestive stasis, obesity and dental disease. Providing the correct diet is therefore one of the most important ways to support a rabbit's long-term health and welfare.
Because diet plays such a vital role in preventing illness and promoting good welfare, ensuring rabbits receive appropriate nutrition forms part of our minimum adoption requirements.
To learn more about what rabbits should eat and how to provide a balanced diet, please read:
Hay should make up 80–90% of a rabbit's daily diet, providing the fibre needed to support healthy digestion and natural tooth wear.
This should be supplemented with a good-quality pellet food, fresh or dried wild forage, hand-picked grass and safe herbs, with treats offered only occasionally.
A balanced diet helps keep rabbits' teeth, tums and bums happy and healthy.
Eating enough hay is just as important as choosing the right hay. Explore what motivates rabbits to eat more hay, from the quality and presentation of the hay itself to feeding routines and other practical changes that can encourage healthy fibre intake every day. Read the blog to discover what really influences hay consumption.
Enrichment and Mental Stimulation
Enrichment is anything that encourages rabbits to express their natural behaviours and engage with their environment. This can include opportunities to dig, forage, explore, chew, hide, investigate new objects, and interact with their surroundings in meaningful ways.
Rabbits are intelligent, active animals with complex behavioural needs. Without appropriate enrichment, they can become bored, frustrated and inactive, which can have a negative impact on both their physical and mental wellbeing. Enrichment helps keep rabbits active, provides mental stimulation, and allows them to make choices and behave naturally throughout the day.
Because the ability to express normal behaviour is one of the welfare needs protected under the Animal Welfare Act, providing appropriate enrichment forms part of our minimum adoption requirements.
To learn more about enrichment and how to create a stimulating environment for rabbits, please read Enrichment Explained: How to Keep Rabbits Happy, Healthy and Active.
Treat puzzles are a simple form of enrichment that encourage rabbits to forage, problem-solve and stay active. Enrichment helps keep rabbits mentally stimulated, physically active and able to express their natural behaviours, all of which are important for good welfare.
Appropriate Companionship
Rabbits are highly social animals and, in most cases, thrive when living with another compatible rabbit. Companionship allows rabbits to communicate, groom, rest together, play and engage in many natural social behaviours that cannot be fully replicated by human interaction.
The Animal Welfare Act recognises the importance of companionship through the need for animals to be housed with, or apart from, other animals as appropriate for their species. For rabbits, this generally means living with another rabbit in a bonded pair or group.
Because companionship is such an important part of rabbit welfare, we do not rehome rabbits to live alone. Rabbits adopted from Nibbles must either be adopted with a companion or join a home with an existing neutered rabbit seeking companionship.
To learn more about rabbit companionship and why living with another rabbit is so important, please read Do Rabbits Have to Live in Pairs?
Rabbits are naturally social animals and benefit from the companionship of another rabbit. Bonded rabbits provide comfort, security and social interaction for one another, helping them to live happier and more fulfilling lives.
If you are adopting a companion for an existing rabbit, they will need to be carefully bonded before they can live together. Successful bonding takes time, patience and an understanding of rabbit behaviour, and there is no single approach that works for every pair. To learn more about bonding and the principles behind creating successful rabbit relationships, please read Understanding Rabbit Bonding: Principles, Approaches and Real-World Expectations
Neutering
All rabbits adopted from Nibbles are neutered before being made available for adoption. Neutering plays an important role in rabbit welfare, helping to support companionship, reduce hormone-driven behaviours and protect against a number of serious health conditions.
If you are looking to adopt a companion for an existing rabbit, your rabbit must also be neutered. We require rabbits to be at least six weeks post-neutering before bonding is started, allowing time for hormones to settle and helping to give the bond the best possible chance of success.
To learn more about why neutering is such an important part of responsible rabbit care, please read:
Rabbit Neutering: Why It Matters for Health, Welfare and Companionship.
Vaccination
All rabbits adopted from Nibbles are vaccinated and up to date with their boosters before rehoming. Vaccination provides protection against serious and often fatal infectious diseases and forms an important part of responsible rabbit care.
If you are looking to adopt a companion for an existing rabbit, your rabbit must also be up to date with their vaccinations. As part of our adoption agreement, guardians are required to keep their rabbits' vaccinations current by ensuring annual booster vaccinations are carried out throughout the rabbits' lives.
Because vaccination plays such an important role in protecting rabbits from preventable disease and suffering, it forms part of our minimum adoption requirements.
To learn more about rabbit vaccinations and why they are so important, please read:
Veterinary Care
Rabbits require access to veterinary care throughout their lives. Before adopting, it is important to carefully consider not only the day-to-day costs of caring for rabbits, but also the ongoing costs of routine veterinary care, such as vaccinations and health checks, as well as unexpected illness or injury.
Like any companion animal, rabbits can become unwell and may require diagnostic tests, medication, surgery or emergency treatment. Guardians must be prepared to seek veterinary attention when needed to protect rabbits from unnecessary pain, suffering and disease.
Because access to appropriate veterinary care is a fundamental part of good animal welfare, it forms part of our minimum adoption requirements.
To learn more about the veterinary care rabbits may need throughout their lives, please read:
Before You Apply
Thank you for taking the time to read through our adoption requirements and learn more about rabbits' welfare needs.
At Nibbles, our goal is to find each rabbit a home where they can thrive for the rest of their lives. To do this, we apply the same minimum welfare standards to every adoption application. These requirements are based on modern welfare understanding and what rabbits need to live healthy, fulfilling lives.
We understand that some of our requirements may differ from advice that has traditionally been given about rabbit care, or from what people may have done in the past. However, our standards are based on current welfare knowledge and are applied consistently to every home we consider.
If you're not quite ready to meet these requirements, please don't be discouraged. Many adopters spend time researching, planning and making improvements before welcoming rabbits into their lives. Our Rabbit Care Hub is a growing library of welfare-led guidance covering all aspects of rabbit care, and we encourage you to continue exploring the resources available there.
Before submitting a pre-adoption form, please ensure that your accommodation is fully set up and that you would be able to complete an adoption within seven days if your application is approved. Unfortunately, we are unable to reserve rabbits while accommodation is being built, modified or prepared, as places are often needed for other rabbits waiting for homes.
When you're ready, we'd love to help you find the right rabbits for your home and support you through the adoption process.
Not quite ready to apply? Browse our Rabbit Care Hub to continue learning about rabbit welfare and care.
Ready to take the next step?