Eating is an important part of your rabbit’s day. You’ll notice they’re constantly munching on hay or pellets to keep their digestive system running smoothly. One of the most important parts of your rabbit’s cage or pen is all the accessories need to give your bunny food. The main parts of a rabbit’s diet are hay, pellets, fresh vegetables, and water. To help keep your rabbit’s cage clean, their food fresh, and help you keep track of how much they’re eating, you’ll need dishes to contain all of these elements.
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Rabbit Food Bowls & Dishes
These dishes are great for feeding your rabbit pellets, though you may also find them useful for serving veggies or even water.
Stainlesss Steel Rabbit Food Dish
Designed originally for birds, this stainless steel food cup is perfect for bunnies as well. They’re completely chew proof and easy to clean and sterilize–plus it’s dishwasher safe.
The best part, this dish comes with a holder that mounts to the side of your cage with two bracket mountain clamps and a wingnut. These dishes come in a pack of two, so use one for pellets and the other for water. This is great for those bunnies who keep knocking over their food dishes or throwing them out of their cage.
Size: 10 oz. (1.25 cups)
Living World Ergonomic Rabbit Dish
This food dish is perfect for rabbits who are free range. It’s a heavy ceramic dish that’s design with a sloping side making it “ergonomic” for your rabbit to each out of. It’s reasonably tricky to flip it over, but a determined rabbit will find ways to push it around.
Another plus is the curved lip keeps pellets inside the bowl, which is helpful for buns who make a mess of their food. I recommend the large size for most bunnies, but if you have a dwarf rabbit the small size will work better.
Available colors: blue, green, pink, red
STAYbowl Tip-Proof Bowl
If you feel like you’re in a constant battle with your rabbit to keep them from tipping their food or water bowls over, this may be the solution you’re looking for. The STAYbowl is designed to stay put, meant for guinea pigs that are always tipping their food bowls over. Unsurprisingly, it works for rabbits too. It’s a short bowl, just under 2 inches high, with a wide base that keeps it flat on the ground.
This bowl is easy to clean and dishwasher safe. It is made from a BPA free food grade plastic, so if your rabbit is a chewer, this bowl may not work out for you.
Personalized Rabbit Food Bowls
If you’re looking for a cute set of bowls for your bunny, these are adorable. Custom made by Cat Tail Studio arts, these bowls are hand made and then custom painted to your preferences. They will even personalize them with your bunny’s name. They offer 18 different color choices and you can even mix and match.
These bowls are made by hand on a potter’s wheel from natural clay and kiln fired. Because of this, it does take a couple of weeks to receive the food dishes. They are food-safe, as well as dishwasher and microwave safe. These also make a great gift for any pet lover.
Fun Feeders for Rabbits
If your rabbit tends to scarf their pellets down quickly or you’re looking for more ways to entertain your rabbit, adding a fun feeder (or two) to your rabbits routine can help. These feeders require interaction from your rabbit to reveal the food or treats inside. You can use them to feed pellets, treats (like dried or fresh fruit) or a combination of both.
Rabbit Treat Ball
This is a classic and fun toy for rabbits and other small animals. It’s a hard plastic ball with a slot on the side where you can add pellets or small treats. Then you put the ball on the floor and as your pet bunny nudges it around, the treats or pellets will fall out. You can adjust the size of the opening to make it more difficult for the contents to spill out.
This will give your rabbit something fun to play with while they enjoy their food, which makes it a win-win and a great boredom buster.
Living World Teach N Treat Bunny Toy
If you’re looking for a food dispensing toy that has a variety of challenging configurations. This Living World food dispenser has three “levels” of difficulty, so you can ramp up the challenge as your rabbit figures each one out or just offer some variety in their routine. The toy is a flat base that sits on the floor. It has eight wells that you can fill with treats or pellets and a variety of “covers” to put over them. Your rabbit must use their teeth or nose to bump or move the covers to access the treats.
This toy will slow down any bunnies who eat their food too quickly and also provide some stimulation and entertainment for your pet rabbit.
Trixie Snack Board Toy
Give your bunny a little challenge to get their treats or pellets with this “logic” board. This simply designed toy entertains your bunny by making them search out and uncover their treats.
It features seven treat wells perfectly sized for pellets, herbs, dried fruit, or even small pieces of fresh fruit. Each has a plastic cover with a little handle perfectly sized for your rabbit to grab with their teeth. Once your bunny learns how to use it, they’ll be excited every time you bring their snack board out.
Rabbit Hay Racks & Boxes
Lixit Plastic Hayrack
This is a very simple–and affordable–hay rack, but I love it. I’ve used it for the cages of my rabbits and my chinchilla and it does the job just fine. It’s a single piece that hangs off of horizontal cage bars. Fill it with tasty hay and it’s good to go.
Since it is all plastic, I recommend hanging it on the outside of the cage to discourage chewing. Easy to clean and easy to use.
Rollin the Hay Wheel
I love this hay holder because it’s perfect for free range rabbits or play time. This wheel is actually a ball, with solid plastic sides and a wire center where the hay goes. The wheel can either go directly on the floor to roll around like a ball or it comes with a stand to hold it in place while your rabbit spins it. The stand can also hook onto horizontal bars to hang it on the side of a cage or playpen.
Fill it up with your rabbit’s favorite hay. You can even hide some treats or pellets inside for extra fun.
Combo Rabbit Hay Feeder & Litter Pan
It’s a true, but funny, fact that rabbits like to eat while they sit in their litter box. Well, this hay rack is designed to support just that. Handmade by Buns, Beds, and Beyond, they take kiln-dried pine and construct a bunny safe wooden hay rack. It also includes a “bed” which holds a large plastic litter pan.
The pan easily lifts out for cleaning and disinfecting. The top of the hay rack has a lid that hinges up for easy refilling. If you have a little pan you already love, they will build you a custom rack for those dimensions.
If you want a similar design that includes water and food bowls as well, check out this model from ScratchyThings
Rabbit Hay Tower
If your bun is free-range or lives in a pen, this is a fantastic hay rack that doesn’t require mounting to a cage wall. Appropriately named the “Hay Tower,” Etsy seller ScratchyThings makes this rabbit-safe rack from pine and birch wood. It helps to stimulate your rabbit by allowing them to eat low and high, getting a little extra exercise by standing on their hind legs. It’s also easy to refill from the top.
Perfectly sized for 1-2 rabbits, this is great for anywhere you rabbit hangs out. It keeps hay fresh and clean and off the ground.
Size: 32 x 32 x 52 cm
Rabbit Water Bottles & Crocks
Which is Best for Bunny? Water Bottles vs Bowl
It’s kind of funny when you realize this is one of the most hotly debated topics in rabbit ownership: is it better for a bunny drink from a water bottle or a bowl? While owners all have their personal preferences, there is one thing everyone agrees on: hydrated is best. If your rabbit is picky and prefers to drink one way or the other just go with their preference.
The general advice from vets and breeders is that drinking from a bowl is the most natural way. In the wild rabbits are drinking from streams and other small bodies of water, which is more accurately mimicked by a water bowl. There are several pros and cons for each option. A bowl or crock is the most natural way, but it requires cleaning and replacing at least once a day and maybe even more often if your rabbit tips it over or kicks debris into it. A water bottle is easier to keep clean, though the water should also be changed every day. The bottle also requires the rabbit to do more work to get the same amount of water. It’s recommended to have multiple water bottles available, especially if you have more than one rabbit.
Some bunnies will absolutely refuse to use one or the other. They may also change their preferences suddenly. Many owners have found a nice middle ground in offering their rabbit both options so they know there’s always water available. That also works for rabbit pairs who have different preferences.
Our general advice is: water bowls or crocks are best for bunnies at home. A water bottle can be offered as a back up. Water bottles are best for travel.
If you want to offer your rabbit water in a bowl or a crock, any of the dishes recommended in our food bowl recommendations will work. If you want a water bottle, here are our recommendations:
Oasis 31 oz. Rabbit Water Bottle
Perfectly sized for a bunny or two, the Oasis water bottle is made of plastic with a stainless steel drinking tube. The clear plastic makes it easy to monitor your rabbit’s water level. It even comes with a wire holder to hang it on your rabbit’s cage or pen.
Some downsides with this model: owners report having issues with leaking. In my experience, I find if you don’t screw the top on properly to a full bottle of water it will leak. A small amount of leaking is expected with any water bottle, but if the bottle is completely draining, then there is a problem. Another downside, the holder that comes with it does not allow you to hang it on the outside of the cage. If your rabbit is a chewer this could be a problem. Consider a glass bottle, like the Lixit below.
Lixit 16 oz. Chew Proof Glass Water Bottle
Lixit makes some of my favorite water bottles for small pets. I’ve used them for rabbits, chinchillas, guinea pigs, and even birds. It’s a bit on the small size for rabbits at 16 oz., I would recommend getting at least two for their cage or pen. The bottle is fully glass and it’s strong. I can’t count the number of times I’ve accidentally dropped it without even causing a crack. The stainless steel nozzle is perfectly sized for bunnies.
It also comes with a spring to easily hang the bottle from a cage or pen wall. You can hang it inside or outside the cage, whichever you prefer. All parts can be sterilized for easy cleaning.
Rabbit Feeding FAQs
What is ‘Scatter Feeding’ and should I use it for my rabbit?
Scatter feeding is a type of feeding meant to simulate a more natural eating environment. In the wild, rabbits are munching on various plants, veggies, and fruits as they encounter them. To scatter feed you can lay out hay on the floor or in a hay box and then sprinkle the daily amount of pellets over the top of the hay. The pellets will fall through and your bunny will have to forage and nose around in the hay to find the pellets. This helps entertain them, stimulate their curiosity, and slow down their eating. Another technique to consider if scatter feeding won’t work for your rabbits is the fun feeders recommended in that section of this page.
The technique of scatter feeding for rabbits works well for bunnies who tend to suck down their pellets as soon as you put them out. It’s also good for bunny pairs where one rabbit is a bit of a pig and tries to eat the other rabbit’s pellets in addition to their own. It will slow down their eating and make it harder for them to hog all of the food.
One of the downsides of scatter feeding is it makes it harder to keep track of how much your rabbit is eating. Make sure to diligently pay attention to their poops and urination to look for signs of sickness, low appetite, or gastronomical upset.
What should I feed my rabbit?
A rabbits diet is made up of four main parts: water, hay, pellets, and fresh vegetables. They are also allowed to have a small amount of treats (usually fresh fruit).
Water and hay should be available 24 hours a day because your pet bunny is constantly eating. Pellets and vegetables should be given in limited amounts once or twice a day. Learn about the proper rabbit diet, including food recommendations.
Make sure you outfit your rabbit’s cage with all of the essentials. Check out our recommendations for rabbit litter boxes and bunny toys.