New Rabbit Starter Setup: The First-Week Checklist (2026)

A rabbit needs a home base — a defined space it sleeps in, eats in, and retreats to — and this is the piece that provides it. Ferplast documents the Krolik XXL as a 63.8-inch-long cage with a separate wire extension for nesting, a 5.5-inch-deep base that holds litter and scattered hay, and a base that fully detaches so the whole floor can be lifted out and cleaned. It ships with two water bottles, two hay feeders, a bowl, and an elevated feeding area, so several of this kit's other jobs have a starting point built in.

Where it fits the setup: think of this as the bedroom, not the house. Even at extra-large size, a cage is a home base, not a life — the welfare rule that runs through this whole guide is that a rabbit must spend hours every day outside the enclosure, in the exercise pen further down this list or a rabbit-proofed room. Used that way, a roomy cage is exactly right: somewhere secure to shut the rabbit in overnight or while you are out, with the litter pan in one corner and the hay feeder beside it. Households that want the rabbit to live outdoors instead should not treat an indoor cage as the answer — outdoor housing is a different, harder problem of predators and weather, and our guide to outdoor rabbit hutches and runs covers why a store-bought hutch is a shelter attached to a much larger run, never a home on its own.

The honest caveats are about space and expectations. No single cage meets a rabbit's full space needs on its own, which is the entire reason daily floor time is non-negotiable rather than optional. The wire floor and extension suit a litter-trained rabbit with soft resting spots added, so plan to give a solid mat or the hideout below for its feet. And this is a large, heavy item to assemble and clean, so confirm current price, dimensions, and availability before buying, since big-item listings and bundle contents shift over time. Bought as the base of a much larger daily routine, it is a solid, roomy starting point.

If you buy one thing on this page, buy hay. Unlimited grass hay is the foundation of a rabbit's health, and Small Pet Select 1st Cut Timothy is the diet core of this kit. The maker documents 100% US-grown 1st cut Timothy hay, hand-packed in a 10-pound box and shipped uncompressed to keep the stems and leaves intact. First cut carries more fiber and more stem than later cuttings — the listing frames that as helping wear down overgrown teeth and supporting the digestive system, which is exactly the job hay does for a rabbit.

Where it fits the setup: this is not a snack or a supplement, it is roughly 80% of what a healthy adult rabbit eats. Rabbit-savvy veterinary and welfare consensus is consistent on this — a rabbit should have grass hay in front of it at all times, because the constant grazing keeps its gut moving and grinds its continuously growing teeth down. Pellets are a small, measured daily amount, and fresh leafy greens round the diet out, but hay is the core. The RAYFARMO rack below is how you keep this hay clean and available, and pairing the two is what turns "there is hay somewhere in the cage" into "the rabbit grazes all day."

The honest caveats are about diet change and freshness. A rabbit's gut is sensitive, and sudden diet changes can cause real harm, so introduce any new hay or food gradually rather than all at once. Baby rabbits are usually raised on alfalfa and transition to grass hay as adults, so match the hay to the rabbit's life stage and your vet's guidance. Hay quality also varies batch to batch, and rabbits can be picky, so store it dry and confirm current price and availability before buying. As the center of the whole diet, though, unlimited fresh grass hay is the highest-value item in this setup by a wide margin.

Loose hay on a cage floor gets soiled fast and stops being food. A rack fixes that, and the RAYFARMO feeder is the "hay where they eat" piece of this kit. RAYFARMO documents a heavy-duty metal-frame rack, sold two to a pack, that clips anywhere in the cage without tools, with rounded edges and a smooth surface meant to avoid injury while the rabbit pulls hay through it. It wipes clean, which matters for something a rabbit uses every hour of the day.

Where it fits the setup: this is the delivery system for the diet core above. A raised rack keeps the Small Pet Select hay clean and up off the litter pan, so the rabbit is always pulling from fresh forage rather than picking through bedding. That separation is what makes all-day grazing actually happen — welfare and husbandry consensus is that hay kept clean and constantly available is what keeps a rabbit eating the way its gut needs. A common, effective layout is to place the rack right over the litter pan, so the rabbit eats hay and uses the box at the same time, which also reinforces litter habits. Two feeders in the pack means a bonded pair can each have one, cutting competition over a single spot.

The honest caveats are small but real. A metal rack has to be mounted securely so it cannot be knocked loose onto the rabbit, and the edges should be checked for any rough spots despite the smooth-surface claim. It holds a working amount of hay, not a day's supply, so refilling is part of the daily routine, not a set-and-forget. And no rack replaces the habit of topping hay up often and clearing what gets soiled. Confirm current price and availability before buying. As the piece that keeps the most important food clean and reachable, it earns its small place in the kit.

Fresh water has to be available all the time, and the honest position on how to serve it is: offer both a bottle and a bowl. The Lixit 32oz bottle is the spill-proof backstop half of that pair. Lixit documents a 32-ounce weather-resistant bottle with a heavy-duty hanger for a secure cage mount and a vacuum seal that holds the water in, noting that a little dripping is normal until that seal forms. It is a simple, durable way to keep water in the cage that the rabbit cannot tip over.

Where it fits the setup: a bottle will not spill, foul with hay and droppings, or get knocked across the cage, which is exactly why it belongs in the home base. But here is the part many starter kits leave out — a lot of rabbits actually drink more, and more naturally, from an open bowl than from a bottle's small spout. The welfare-minded setup is to offer both: hang this bottle as the reliable, spill-proof source, and also put down a heavy ceramic bowl the rabbit can lap from freely. Water intake matters for a rabbit's gut and urinary health, so making it easy to drink plenty is worth the small extra effort of two vessels.

The honest caveats are about how bottles fail. A ball-valve spout can clog or stick without an obvious sign, so it needs a daily check that water actually flows, not just that the bottle is full. Bottles are also harder to clean thoroughly than a bowl and can grow film inside, so scrub it regularly. And in freezing conditions any water source can ice up, which is one more reason outdoor-only housing is hard. Confirm current price and availability before buying. As the spill-proof half of a two-source water plan, it is a cheap, sturdy piece — just do not let it be the only way the rabbit can drink.

Rabbits litter-train more readily than most new owners expect, and setting the box up from day one is how you get a clean home and a house-trained rabbit. The Lixit Corner Pan is the litter piece of this kit. Lixit documents a triangle-shaped pan that tucks into a cage corner, measuring 14 by 11 by 6 inches, made of durable non-toxic plastic that dumps and rinses easily. The corner shape matters because rabbits naturally pick one corner to toilet in, so the box goes where the habit already is.

Where it fits the setup: place the pan in the corner the rabbit chooses, and put the hay feeder right above it. Rabbits like to eat and toilet at the same time, so hay over the box is what makes litter training click — the rabbit grazes, uses the pan, and the two habits reinforce each other. Fill the box the right way: a layer of paper-based litter on the bottom and a generous handful of hay on top. What you must never use is clumping cat litter, which can cause a fatal blockage if eaten, or softwood shavings like pine and cedar, which are linked to respiratory and liver problems. Paper litter plus hay is the safe, standard fill.

The honest caveats are about training and cleaning. Litter training is fastest in a spayed or neutered rabbit — intact rabbits mark territory and are far harder to train, which is one of several reasons the welfare gold standard is a spayed or neutered rabbit, ideally in a bonded pair. Accidents happen early on, so expect to move the box to wherever the rabbit actually goes rather than forcing your preferred corner. And the pan needs daily emptying, because a rabbit will stop using a dirty box. Confirm current price and availability before buying. Set up correctly on day one, it turns litter habits from a battle into a routine.

This is the welfare pick — the item that turns a caged rabbit into a rabbit with a life. The FDW 8-panel playpen gives the daily run time that a cage cannot. FDW documents an eight-panel metal pen that folds into a square, rectangle, or octagon, with an anti-rust epoxy coating for indoor or outdoor use, no-tools assembly, and a flat-folding design for storage. It is listed as suitable for rabbits along with other small animals, and it is the piece that provides the hours outside the cage that this whole guide insists on.

Where it fits the setup: a rabbit needs several hours of exercise every single day, and this pen is the safe, contained way to provide it. Attach it to the front of the cage or set it up as a standalone playground in a room, and the rabbit gets space to run, dig, and do the joyful mid-air twists — the binkies — that a cage floor never allows. This is not an optional accessory. A cage is a home base, not a life, and the pen is where the "life" part actually happens. For a rabbit that gets a properly rabbit-proofed room to roam, the pen also works as a barrier to keep it out of trouble spots while it explores.

The honest caveats are about height and supervision. At 24 inches, this pen suits many rabbits, but an athletic bunny can clear a low pen, so watch how high yours jumps and size up if needed. A pen is also not a substitute for supervision on floor time — the single most important safety step before any out-of-cage session is to bunny-proof the area, especially electrical cords, which rabbits chew and which can injure or kill them. Cover or block every cord, move houseplants and baseboards out of reach, and stay nearby. Confirm current price and availability before buying. As the daily-exercise piece, it is the difference between a rabbit that merely survives and one that thrives.

Rabbits are prey animals, and a prey animal without a place to hide is a stressed animal. The BWOGUE wooden house closes the kit by giving the rabbit somewhere to retreat. BWOGUE documents a plywood house measuring 15.8 by 11.2 by 11.8 inches, built with no nails or glue — the slots lock together with rubber bands — with rounded corners and a smooth surface meant to protect a rabbit's sensitive feet. It is a two-door, two-story design with an enclosed hideout below and a rooftop the rabbit can climb onto.

Where it fits the setup: a hideout is not decoration, it is a stress-management tool. Rabbits are crepuscular prey animals, most active at dawn and dusk, and they feel safe only when they have a dark, enclosed spot to bolt into when startled. Placed in the cage or in the exercise pen, this house gives the rabbit that retreat, and the two doors matter — a hideout with a second exit means the rabbit never feels cornered, which is exactly what a prey animal needs to actually relax in it. The rooftop perch adds a little enrichment, giving the rabbit a raised spot to survey from, which many rabbits enjoy.

The honest caveats are about chewing and cleaning. Rabbits gnaw wood, and that is partly the point — a safe wooden chew is good for their teeth — but it also means a wooden house is a consumable that will be nibbled down and eventually need replacing. Untreated plywood is generally considered safe to chew, but watch for any coatings or splintering. Wood also absorbs urine and is harder to sanitize than plastic, so keep it out of the litter corner and clean it regularly. Confirm current price and availability before buying. As the "place to hide" piece, it is a small spend that meaningfully lowers a new rabbit's stress in an unfamiliar home.