Hide and tunnel setup for anxious rabbits

An anxious new rabbit — especially an English Spot — really needs hides and tunnels positioned correctly from day one, or that nervousness can stick around for weeks. Before I give you a specific setup recommendation, a couple of quick questions: is your rabbit housed indoors or outdoors, and how large is the enclosure you're working with?

That's completely normal for day two — English Spots are alert, curious rabbits but they startle easily and need to feel the space is safe before they explore. Two days in a corner is not a problem yet. Does she have any hides at all in the pen currently, or is it fairly open?

That's actually the most common mistake — rabbits feel most secure when their hide is pushed right into a corner against two walls, not floating in open space. In the wild they're prey animals, so having solid walls on two sides removes the feeling of being exposed from behind. Move that hide into one of the far corners so two sides are covered. Then the second thing that makes a real difference for English Spots specifically is a tunnel connecting the hide to the rest of the space — it gives them a route to explore without ever fully committing to being out in the open, which is exactly how they build confidence.

For an indoor pen that size I'd go with the Rosewood Naturals Large Willow Tunnel — it's about 50cm long, wide enough for a full-grown English Spot to move through comfortably, and the natural willow construction means she'll also nibble on it, which is self-soothing behaviour for nervous rabbits. Unlike fabric tunnels it holds its shape so she can see through both ends before committing to going in, which matters a lot for an anxious rabbit. Place one end close to the corner hide and let the other end point toward the centre of the pen. Avoid positioning it so she has to hop past her food bowl or litter tray to reach it — those are already established zones and she'll treat the path between them as higher-traffic and therefore more stressful.

For a 2x1 metre pen, one corner hide and one tunnel is exactly right for now. Two hides can actually slow settling because the rabbit splits her time between them without committing to either as her safe base. Once she's coming out voluntarily during quiet periods — usually by day five to ten — you can add a second low structure like a willow ball or a grass mat tunnel at the opposite end to encourage her to extend her territory. Keep foot traffic past the pen low for the first week and avoid reaching into the hide to interact with her — let her come out on her own terms and the confidence will follow.