Big enough for a REW/large bunny?

[Cheru and Choco]

So, I’m preparing to get a rabbit within the next few months. I’ve been stocking up on supplies and necessities so I’ll be all ready and set when the bunny arrives.

I have not yet chosen a rabbit, as I have not yet begun the adoption process. I have some more preparations that need to be done. However, I’m leaning strongly toward a REW. My heart is very much in rescuing animals, and it makes me sad that REWs are so frequently overlooked.

One qualm I have with them, however, is their size. I don’t mind them being bigger in principle. It’s more rabbit to love But I’m concerned about my enclosure. I’d like to free roam my rabbit, but I want to have an enclosure as well for a few reasons. First, they’re going to need somewhere to stay while I gradually transition them to free roaming. I’ve heard that allowing too much freedom too quickly makes it more likely that free roaming will go poorly. Second, I’d like them to have their own space, partly for organization, but more because I feel they should have their own area to retreat when they want to rest or be left alone.

Currently, I have a 48×48 inch (approx. 120×120 cm) ex-pen. I know that the majority of REWs are New Zealands and Floridas, which are bigger breeds of rabbit. I want to be sure that the enclosure I have will be enough space for a rabbit of that size. I don’t know that I would have the space to connect two whole ex-pens together to expand, as there would be quite a bit of overhang.

One idea I have would be to overlap the two pens, so it wouldn’t be the full area of both, but would allow a little extra room for the bun without it overhanging my door frame or taking over the entire dining room. However, ex-pens are kind of big and cumbersome, and while not the most expensive, are still a good amount of money to drop on something. If not necessary, I’d prefer not to use a second ex-pen.

Another idea I have is to connect some NIC grids to the pen. I do need to get NIC grids to bunny-proof my apartment anyway. And buying more grids would be cheaper than buying another whole ex-pen. However, this would also require me to buy more matting for underneath the pen as well as fleece.

So my first question is whether this is even necessary. I know that bigger would be nicer, but if the rabbit is going to be happy either way and not be bothered by the size of my current ex-pen, I’d just as soon not bother. Or at least, leave it on the back burner while I purchase more important items.

My second question is if I do need to expand the space, how much more space would they need? If I truly do need the kind of space that two ex-pens would provide, I am willing to figure it out with the space that I have. But if I don’t have to, I’d rather not. Or if the NIC grid idea would be better, I’d need to know how many to buy to know by how much the cage should be expanded.

Any insight is much appreciated, especially from those who own large rabbit breeds. Thank you!

[DarthVadar]

Kudos to you for getting REW. So many people think they are freaky when they’re just big sweethearts. Out of my bunnies, the friendliest one has red eyes (she’s also the biggest one).
As far as housing goes- a rabbit’s pen should have enough space for it to hop 3x from one end to the other. And if your bunny will be free roaming, she will get most of her exercise from doing that. Rabbits like to have a small area to relax in and feel safe. My big ones share a very roomy hutch, and spend most of their time in the little enclosed back lol. So pretty much, as long as she will be free roaming soon, and is not cramped in the single x pen, it should be ok for now. If you get a Florida white, which weigh about 6 lb, it will be plenty big (that’s about the size of a mini lop or Dutch). Play it by ear. If you get the bunny and he seems cramped, expand his pen; if he is content and has room to move, he’ll be happy as a clam.

[BeanMode]

I definitely echo the play it by ear, smaller rabbits require smaller space but also if you end up with a higher energy, more active rabbit you might want to consider more space then too- or at least more time outside the pen while you’re transitioning to free roam. My NZ is a pretty lazy lady and she’s happy laying around in the same spot all day regardless of how much space she has (note- she has plenty).

[Azerane]

I’d go bigger. Keep it 120cm wide, but add onto the length, I’d go to 180cm. My pair (2.5kg and 3.6kg) are in a double level storage cube cage that’s about 70cm wide, and 180cm long. With only a single level the space would be very limited for them. And when you’re talking a bigger rabbit, you need a bigger litter box, and a bigger hidey hut etc. So if you have space to extend, I’d be extending to 180cm.

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