Platforms and plastic tubes for rabbits: what a fattening study reveals
Published by Planète Pets · managing editor: Clément Lacaille · how our guides are written
An elevated platform and a hiding tube are two accessories often assumed to help simply by being placed in a cage or pen. Angela Trocino, Cristina Zomeño, Eirini Filiou, Marco Birolo, Peter White and Gerolamo Xiccato tested both separately and together in a study published in 2019 in Animals, on rabbits housed in groups of 27 or 36 in collective pens, from weaning at 33 days to 68 or 75 days (see the study). Our accessory guides are gathered in the rabbit accessories section.
Contents · 4 sections
The platform: more activity, but also more injuries
The elevated plastic platform let rabbits climb, rest in a more comfortable position and explore more, without harming growth. But by the end of the trial, the share of injured rabbits was 8.9 percentage points higher in pens fitted with a platform than in pens without. The authors don't detail the exact nature of these injuries, but the result is enough to nuance the idea of a cost-free accessory.
The tube: barely used, yet costly in growth
The plastic hiding tube, for its part, was very rarely used by rabbits throughout the trial, without meaningfully changing their behaviour or injury rate. Its one measurable consequence: daily growth was 2.2 grams per day lower in pens fitted with one, likely because it takes up floor space in an already dense pen without delivering a proportionate behavioural benefit in return.
What this means for a pet rabbit
- A platform remains a genuine plus when it's stable, free of sharp edges and a reasonable height: our guide on elevated platforms and fall risk covers how to limit the risk documented here.
- An open tunnel rather than a closed tube: a pet rabbit usually has more room than a collective fattening pen, but a tunnel open at both ends still gets used more than a dead-end hideout, as shown in our article on tunnels and hideouts for rabbits.
Frequently asked questions
Should a pet rabbit go without a tube or tunnel?
No: the study covers a closed tube in a dense collective fattening pen, not an open tunnel in a home with one rabbit or a small number of companions. The context differs enough that the conclusion doesn't transfer directly.
Should platforms be avoided?
No either: it confirms the behavioural value documented elsewhere, but the result is a reason to pick a stable, secure design rather than stacking levels without thinking about construction.
Why does the tube slow growth without changing behaviour?
The authors don't settle on an exact cause; the most cited hypothesis is that the space the tube occupies cuts access to the feeder or to movement within a dense collective pen, an effect that may not carry over to a rabbit with an entire space to itself. Find all our guides on the rabbit hub.
An accessory from our shop for this use: Natural loofah chew carrot for rabbits and rodents, 20 cm (€17.90) · the whole shop
An accessory from our shop for this use: Modular plastic playpen for puppies and rabbits, 4 or 6 panels (from $87.90, ships from the US) · the US shop
This guide is part of Planète Pets’s Rabbits universe. Our advice is general in nature: for any health concern, your veterinarian remains the only reference.
