The first week with a new rabbit sets the tone for everything that follows. A calm, steady week builds trust, while a rushed week of handling and noise can create fear that takes months to undo. This free first week planner gives you a day by day guide for settling, feeding, litter training, and gentle handling, and lets you download the whole plan as a printable PDF that you can pin beside the pen.
A new rabbit arrives stressed, however friendly it seemed in the breeder home or rescue centre. It has lost its companions, its pen, and its routine in one day, and its first job is simply to feel safe. Unlimited hay, fresh water, a quiet corner with a hide, and a partly covered pen matter far more in week one than tricks or cuddles. Patience now pays back for years, because a rabbit that trusts you in week one will accept handling far sooner.
Using the planner is simple. Pick a day from one to seven and press Show this day to see that day plan. Day one is quiet settling, day two adds calm talking, day three adds hand fed treats, day four opens the pen in a safe room, and later days build up handling and free roam time step by step. Day seven reviews the week and reminds you to book a vet check and plan litter training for the next two weeks.
Feeding in week one should stay close to what the rabbit ate before it arrived. Sudden food changes upset a rabbit gut quickly, and gut stasis is a real emergency in rabbits. Keep the same hay, pellets, and vegetables for the first week, and change anything gradually over the following two weeks. Offer a small pile of fresh herbs each day, since most rabbits love coriander, parsley, and dill, and herbs make excellent trust building treats.
Litter training starts with watching, not teaching. Rabbits usually pick one corner for droppings, so put a large litter tray with hay in that corner and let the rabbit choose. A tray full of hay works better than an empty tray, because rabbits eat while they toilet. Clean accidents without fuss, move stray droppings into the tray, and expect full training to take two to four weeks rather than days.
Handling is where most new owners rush, and rushing is the mistake to avoid. Always support the hind legs, never lift a rabbit by the ears or scruff, and sit on the floor for early handling sessions so a wriggle cannot mean a fall. Short calm sessions beat long stressful ones, and ending on a success matters: a treat and a gentle return to the pen teaches the rabbit that handling ends safely every time.
One mistake ruins more first weeks than any other: letting the whole household handle the rabbit on day one. Every new face, voice, and hand is another change for an animal that has already lost everything familiar. In week one, one calm person should do the feeding, talking, and treat sessions, and everyone else should just pass the pen quietly. From week two, introduce other family members one at a time, with treats and short sessions.
A vet check in the first two weeks is not optional extras, it is the baseline for a new rabbit. Ask the vet to check teeth, weight, and droppings, and to discuss vaccination against myxomatosis and rabbit haemorrhagic disease, since both diseases kill fast and vaccination is the only real protection. Bring a fresh dropping sample and a note of what the rabbit eats, since those details help the vet far more than a vague description. Also ask about neutering, because neutered rabbits are calmer, easier to litter train, and free from reproductive cancers that are common in unneutered females. Book the check before problems appear, and the first week ends with a health baseline you can trust for years.
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