This is a specific conversation about Rabbit supplies — what you actually need — ask about yours and get one honest answer for your exact situation.
inparticular.ai
A vet flag for weight in a four-year-old Mini Rex is worth taking seriously — rabbits are often underestimated as complex animals with real needs, and one of the biggest gaps people don't realise is space and movement. Mini Rex are compact but they still need room to binky, sprint, and graze properly, and a restricted living setup is one of the most common reasons weight creeps up. Before I suggest anything, can you tell me — is your rabbit kept indoors or outdoors, and what does their current setup look like? Do they have free roam time, or are they mainly in a hutch or cage?
She's indoors, lives in a fairly large cage but honestly doesn't get that much free roam time. The vet said she needs consistent daily exercise, not just occasional time out. I'm looking for a run I can set up inside that gives her proper space to move.
inparticular.ai
That's a really honest assessment and the vet is right — occasional free roam isn't enough if she's carrying extra weight. What you need is something you can set up consistently every day without it being a big production, ideally a pen that gives her enough floor space to actually run laps and explore rather than just sit in a slightly bigger box. How much floor space do you have to work with indoors? And is she litter trained, or would you need the run to be easy to clean underneath?
She is litter trained which helps. I've got a decent living room so space isn't a massive issue. I just want something sturdy that won't collapse if she throws herself at it — she's quite bolshy.
inparticular.ai
A bolshy Mini Rex who leans into things — yes, you need something with real structural integrity, not the flimsy pop-up style pens that buckle at the first nudge. My recommendation is the Midwest Homes for Pets Exercise Pen. It's a heavy-duty wire pen with eight interlocking panels, each around 61cm tall, giving you a large configurable floor area — you can set it in a rectangle, square or even a longer corridor shape which is actually brilliant for encouraging proper running rather than circling. The panels lock together securely, the base is open so she runs on your floor normally, and it folds flat when you're done. It's sturdy enough that a determined rabbit pushing against it isn't going anywhere. For a daily indoor exercise routine for a rabbit who needs to shift some weight, this is the most practical setup I'd point you to.
That sounds really good actually. Would I need to put anything on the floor inside it, or is bare floor fine for her joints?
inparticular.ai
Good instinct to think about that, especially at four years old. Bare hard floor — laminate, tiles — isn't ideal for extended exercise sessions because rabbits can't grip properly and it puts strain on their joints and spine over time. A cheap foam play mat or a washable fleece blanket laid inside the pen gives her traction without being expensive or fussy. If she's already used to a certain floor texture in her cage, matching that inside the pen helps her feel comfortable enough to actually move around rather than hunkering down. The Midwest pen works perfectly over a mat, and it won't slide around because the weight of the panels holds everything in place.
Perfect, that all makes sense. I'll go with that and grab a fleece mat too. Thanks for being so straightforward about it.
inparticular.ai
You're very welcome — it sounds like she's got a great owner looking out for her. Consistent daily time in the pen, even 30 to 60 minutes, will make a real difference alongside the dietary side of things your vet will have covered. Mini Rex are smart and curious so once she gets used to the space, you'll probably find she uses it properly. Good luck with the weight loss journey — she's in good hands.
