Care for a New Pet Rabbit

Decide whether your rabbit will live inside or outside. Before bringing your new pet home you need to decide if you intend the bunny to be a house rabbit or live outdoors in a run in the yard. House rabbits are popular pets but there are a few factors to consider. While you will have to do more cleaning and training for a rabbit that lives indoors with you, you will not have as much social contact with a rabbit that lives outside.

Getting a new pet rabbit can be fun, but it's important to understand that a rabbit needs time to adjust to its new home. It's your job to make sure that your rabbit has everything it needs to make that adjustment as smooth as possible. The decisions you make at this early stage in your lives together can set the tone for the future relationship you have with your rabbit.

If you decide to keep your rabbit inside, you will need to rabbit-proof your house. Rabbits chew anything and everything, including electrical cables and the legs of your antique furniture. Make sure you are able to 'rabbit proof' your home so that cables are all tidied away out of reach of the rabbit, and there is no item that you would be upset if it got damaged by gnawing.
If you decide to keep your rabbit inside you will also need to litter box train it. It is not hygienic to have the rabbit ranging around the house, pooping and peeing wherever they please. The solution is to litter train the rabbit to use a litter box. However, most rabbits poop mostly in one particular spot, so you can use this to your advantage by placing a litter tray in whichever spot they usually poop. If you have a male rabbit who is spraying urine everywhere, you may need to get him desexed.
If you decide to keep your rabbit outside you will need to commit to spending time socializing it every day. Make it a part of your schedule, otherwise the rabbit may become anxious and fearful in your company.

Get a rabbit hutch. The hutch (or rabbit house) should be at least 2 feet (0.61 m) wide and 4 feet long, and tall enough to let the rabbit stand up to its full height. The bottom of the cage should not be made of wire, but the sides can be.
Outdoor hutches are most commonly made of wood with a door fitted at the front made of chicken wire. This allows for good ventilation and for the rabbit to see out. The wood offers a degree of thermal protection to insulate the rabbit from the elements, and is sturdy, protecting the rabbit from predators.

An outdoor hutch will need to have a run attached to it, so that your rabbit can exercise. The run should be a minimum of 4 feet (1.2 m) by 8 ft by 2ft tall, for a rabbit under 2kg.

Many indoor hutches are made of plastic with a wire roof. This has the advantage of being lightweight, so you can move it around the house easily.
If you can't find a hutch you like, make your own! It isn't as simple as buying one, but it can be much better for your rabbit.

Cover the bottom of the hutch with bedding. You must provide bedding that is soft, warm and absorbent. Cover the entire base to a minimum depth of 3–4 inches (7.6–10 cm). This cushions the backs of the rabbit's hind legs, which are prone to pressure sores if not enough padding is provided.
Commonly used substrates for bedding include wood chips, hay, or straw. Of these, straw is the warmest and softest and makes the best bedding material, hay is second best (and is more expensive than straw), and sawdust it third best.

Get a litter tray. You will need to litter train your rabbit if you are keeping it inside. The litter tray will need to fit inside the hutch and not take up more than a third of the floor space.

Transfer your rabbit carefully from its carrier to its hutch. Rabbits are a prey species, which means when they are stressed they want to hide. Moving home is a big deal for a bunny, and so when you bring them home leave them in the quiet to settle in.

Leave the rabbit undisturbed for 24 hours. This will help it grow accustomed to the new sights, sounds, and smells of their new home without the added challenge of strange people staring at them.
Start interacting with your rabbit after 24 hours. Take it slowly. Spend as long as time allows each day sitting beside the hutch talking to the rabbit. If the rabbit is already tame, then open the hutch door and stroke along the rabbit's back.
Avoid hovering your hand over the rabbit's head as this is what a predator would do.

Try picking up the rabbit carefully. If the rabbit doesn't run away when you gently pet it, then sit on the ground and gently lift rabbit out and onto your lap. Sitting on the ground is less frightening to bunny, because they are ground dwelling and being high in the air is unnerving for them.

To pick up your rabbit, place a hand on its chest and another on its bottom, and carefully lift it so that its side is parallel to your chest, and it is sitting on one of your arms while the other forms a barrier so it can't fall off. Then place it on your lap.

If the rabbit is not used to being picked up and runs away, do not forcibly remove the rabbit. Instead, take your time and tempt the rabbit out with an extra tasty treat. Once the rabbit gets used to your voice, and realises you are no threat, it will eventually go for the treat.

Once bunny is regularly staying out to receive the treat, you can start to stroke their back. Once they accept this, at that stage you can try to pick bunny up.

Remember, rabbits are prey animals. Unlike dogs or cats, their mothers do not carry them, so the only situation in the wild in which they would be picked up would be when a predator was carrying them. Some rabbits just don't like being picked up, so if your rabbit won't let you pick it up, leave it be.
Groom your rabbit. Grooming your rabbit is another great way to bond. Use a comb and a soft brush, and once bunny is happy being stroked, use the brush to groom it.
This is another good way to teach rabbit your company is a good thing, and perhaps try this first if the rabbit is still skittish about being picked up.
Ask the previous owner what the rabbit ate. In the short term, offer the rabbit that same food. Too many changes at once are likely to upset the rabbit and food is one thing you can keep constant (at least for a few days).
As the rabbit gets more confident, if its diet is not ideal, start to change its food.