Rabbits are built to run and jump, with their powerful legs making it possible to outrun predators — or even cars. The average bunny can run 25 to 45 mph. And when you factor in their size, that would be like a human being able to run over 100 miles an hour!
While your pet rabbit doesn’t have to worry about cars, they still need room to run and work off some of that legendary bunny energy. An exercise pen is a great way to provide an outlet for energy and get those fuzzy buns moving.
But with so many online retailers, brands, products, and so many features, how do you know you’re getting the right exercise pen for your rabbit without spending hours searching and sifting? Getting the right pen the first time doesn’t have to be a pain with a little help!
In this article, we have compiled, tested, and given succinct reviews of eight different exercise pens. We also included an informative buyer’s guide, so that you have all the tools you need for your decision-making process to be quick & simple.
A Quick Comparison of Our Favorites
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Best Overall
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Yaheetech Heavy Duty Foldable |
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Best Value
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AmazonBasics Foldable |
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Premium Choice
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PetProgo Dog Fence |
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Check Price |
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Petmate Metal |
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Ware Clean Living Small Animal |
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Check Price |
The 8 Best Rabbit Exercise Pens
1. Yaheetech Foldable Metal Rabbit Exercise Pen – Best Overall
The Yaheetech pen has a lot to offer. We found it easy to assemble, fold, and move inside or outside, and even rearrange the shape and attach more panels. Add to that a strong and durable metal construction for added safety, and it is easy to see why we picked this for the best overall rabbit exercise pen.
The best part about this pen is that it gives your rabbit more than the minimum square footage of exercise space, while also being tall enough to keep all but the most Olympic of bunny athletes safely inside. The highest rabbit jump on record is 42 inches, so with 40 inches of pen, you can rest easy.
The one downside is that it is moderately expensive, but it’s so well made that we think it’s worth it.
2. AmazonBasics Foldable Metal Rabbit Playpen – Best Value
Proving you don’t have to compromise quality and safety for a good price, the AmazonBasics exercise pen is our choice for the best rabbit exercise pen for the money. We love the durable metal frame, how easy it is to take outside or set up indoors, and the extremely reasonable price.
The main downside is that one set will only give your bunny 16 square feet of running room. We find that 24 square feet is a much more appropriate average for our rabbits. However, here’s where this item’s low price really shines — you can easily buy two of these and still spend less than you would on some of the competition products!
3. PetProgo Rabbit Metal Exercise Pen – Premium Choice
If you are looking for a truly premium choice, check out the PetProgo Playpen. It gives your rabbit a whopping 106 square feet to get their jump on and is one of the toughest and most durable exercise pens on the market. And strong construction means it’s safer for your bunny buddies!
However, our least favorite parts about the PetProgo pen are the high price and the fact that it is very heavy and unwieldy to move. If you have multiple bunnies and are willing to pay a little more for high-quality construction this might be perfect.
4. Petmate 8-Panels Bunny Exercise Pen
This Petmate pen is a safe and sturdy option for a rabbit exercise pen. It is tall enough to prevent your bunny from leaping out, easy to assemble and move between indoors and outside, and has a convenient swinging door.
We were left slightly wanting by the 16 square feet of space, however, and mixed with a middle-of-the-road price it’s not quite so appealing. On the upside, you only need to buy two sets to provide your rabbit with plenty of exercise room, but comparing that price to the larger and nicer pens left us skeptical.
5. Ware Clean Living Small Animal Playpen
This inexpensive exercise pen from Ware could be great for a smaller rabbit. It is light and easy to move around, you can connect it to any Ware Clean Living home for your rabbit’s convenience, and it’s easy to assemble and rearrange.
What we don’t love here is the poor quality. We found the wire easy to bend, and lightweight enough to pose a toppling danger. While it is true that you can purchase a few sets to make a big enough area, and even weight it down so it doesn’t tip over — that’s a lot of work just to fix quality issues.
6. Kaytee Pet-N-Playpen
Kaytee is a highly respected brand when it comes to small pets, and they design their pens for safety and compatibility with the rest of their products. The wire here is strong, and the structure is easily moved. For a small bunny, this could be a great extension on their cage or be used to make a custom-sized cage.
Unfortunately, this pen is too small in square footage to allow a rabbit to run. You would need to purchase three sets to give them what we consider an appropriate amount of exercise space, and the mid-range price really puts a damper on that idea.
7. Oxbow Enriched Life Small Animal Pen
Even though it’s near the bottom, there are still a few things to love about this Oxbow cage. We trust this company and its commitment to cage designs being as safe, sturdy, and comfy as possible. As a home for your rabbit, this is a great choice.
But it is not an appropriate exercise pen for a rabbit. You only get about 12 square feet of total playpen space, and the walls are low enough that many rabbits will be able to jump out.
However, it would make a great house to keep your rabbit in while you are unable to supervise. During the middle of the day and night when your bunny is least active, it would provide ample room to stretch out, rest, eat, and generally hide out like bunnies love to do.
8. MidWest Small Animal Pen
This MidWest pen may be a good option for smaller animals, such as hamsters or guinea pigs. It is sturdily built and inexpensive, but we do not recommend this for rabbits of any size.
Simply put, this pen is not made for rabbits. The square footage is far too small, and the height of the walls would be easy for any bunny to jump over. Due to the short walls, it would not even make a good cage extension. Rabbit owners should look elsewhere.
Buyer’s Guide
You might be asking yourself, “why would a rabbit need an exercise pen?” In this handy buyer’s guide, we’ll go over some pertinent information about rabbits and their needs, as well as what to look for in an exercise pen.
A Little About Rabbits
Though they are small animals, rabbits need quite a lot of room to exercise. In the wild, rabbits often travel several miles every day! Most of this mileage is put towards running from predators, foraging for food, and chasing other rabbits.
Exercise and Health Concerns
It is incredibly important to your rabbit’s health to make sure they get an appropriate amount of exercise. Obesity is one of the most dangerous side effects of an inability to exercise. Being overweight puts a severe strain on a rabbit’s cardiovascular and skeletal system, and can lead to further health conditions like diabetes.
Your rabbit’s mental health is also greatly benefited by exercise! A cooped-up rabbit can get bored easily, and boredom can lead to all kinds of unhealthy behaviors. They can become compulsive and over groom themselves to the point of bald patches, or chew on their cage so much that they hurt their teeth.
Often a rabbit that cannot get enough running around time will even be unwilling to socialize with other bunnies or humans — or even become aggressive. A bored, unstimulated bunny is not a happy one.
How Much Exercise Do They Need?
So, how much exercise time is enough to keep your furry friend happy? They need an absolute minimum of three hours of free-range time every day, but we recommend seven to eight hours when possible. It is also a good idea to break it up into at least two times during the day — for your schedule and theirs!
The reason we recommend breaking their exercise into two chunks per day is that rabbits are naturally crepuscular. That means they are most active at twilight — or dawn and dusk — and rest during most other times. These times of day provide a rabbit’s eyes with the best lighting to see predators coming.
What to Look for in an Exercise Pen for Your Rabbit
Size
Your first consideration when buying an exercise pen is to make sure it is large enough. A minimum of 24 square feet of running room is recommended for a rabbit to be able to properly exercise, but 32 is more appropriate. And if you can provide more, you’re sure to see some happy bunny binkies!
Materials
Rabbits love to chew. Their teeth never stop growing, so gnawing is a necessity. We prefer PVC coated wire for our bunnies, or unpainted metal so that the occasional nibble won’t harm them. Hard plastics are next best, and woods & soft plastics that can be munched through are to be avoided.
Design
Here are a few questions you can ask yourself about the design of your rabbit’s next potential pen:
A. Should the exercise pen be able to be attached to their current cage?
Because of their crepuscular sleep schedule, generally rabbits are most active between 6am-9am and 4pm-8pm. If those times are inconvenient to your own schedule, consider a pen that you can leave assembled and available.
B. Will you be using their pen indoors, outside, or both?
If you ever plan on setting it up outside, make sure it will be easily cleanable and rust-resistant. This is another reason we recommend some sort of coated metal, or hard plastic.
C. How tall is it, and does it come with a roof or can you add one?
Rabbits are excellent jumpers, so we highly recommend pen walls be at least 2 feet tall. If the walls are shorter — or if your rabbit is as athletic as some of ours — consider adding a roof of some sort. If your exercise pen is outside, most of the top should be covered to provide extra protection from predators.
Conclusion
With the sheer volume of available pet products available, it can feel like a jungle and be just as frustrating to navigate. We’re hoping our coverage of the top eight rabbit exercise pens saved you from having to sift through all of it by yourself.
With its combination of exceptional square footage, safe metal construction and high walls, and portability, the Yaheetech Heavy Duty Foldable Metal Pen is easily the best overall choice.
And for those interested in the most bang for your buck, we think you’ll be pleased when you check out our best value pick: the AmazonBasics Foldable Metal Pet Exercise and Playpen. It is sturdy, inexpensive, and you won’t break the bank if you want to add another set on to enlarge it.
We hope that these in-depth reviews and our informative buyer’s guide have set you up to get the perfect exercise pen for your rabbit. Because a bunny with room to run and jump and play is a happy bunny.
Happy hopping!
Featured Image Credit: Amazon
