For a big rabbit, space itself is the exercise
Unhurried free-roam time is the gentle daily exercise that suits an elderly Californian rabbit with stiff joints. Californians are among the larger rabbit breeds, with real weight behind every movement, so the kindest workout is simply a room or secure pen where she can wander, graze, stretch out and wander again for hours rather than minutes. Movement spread across the day in small voluntary bouts keeps stiff hips and hocks working without the strain of a single intense session. A senior Californian who chooses her own route will pace herself far more sensibly than any schedule you impose.
Taking height and slick floors out of her world
Adapt the roaming area so an elderly Californian rabbit never has to jump, climb or scrabble. Remove ramps to hutches and platforms, or replace them with a ground-level entrance she can walk through, and cover laminate, tile or wood with runners and rugs, because a heavy rabbit sliding on a slick floor can badly strain already stiff joints. Cardboard boxes should have doors cut at floor level on two sides so they become walk-through tunnels rather than obstacles to hurdle. Keep her litter tray low-sided too, since stepping over a high lip several times a day is hidden exercise of exactly the wrong kind.
Making wandering worth her while
An elderly Californian rabbit moves most when the room rewards moving. Set hay at more than one station so she travels between grazing spots, hide small pieces of favourite herbs or leafy greens in a cardboard forage box filled with hay or shredded paper, and rotate which corner holds her tunnel, digging box or willow chew so the landscape stays mildly interesting. Fresh handfuls of hay placed across the room through the day create repeated short journeys. Company helps as well: a rabbit who can amble over to sit near her people, or near a bonded companion, will cover more ground than one parked in an empty pen.
Warmth, rest and the shape of her day
Let an elderly Californian rabbit with stiff joints set the rhythm of each day rather than waking her for exercise. Rabbits naturally graze actively in the morning and evening and rest through the middle of the day, and a senior's stiffest moments often come right after long sleeps, so gentle wandering once she has stirred and stretched is better timed than exercise on demand. Give her a deeply bedded, warm resting spot on the floor of her area, out of draughts, because cold and damp settle into arthritic joints and a chilled rabbit simply stops moving. Short, frequent voluntary strolls around her active periods are the goal.
Signs her joints need more than exercise tweaks
Watch an elderly Californian rabbit's movement quality as closely as its quantity. Reluctance to move, a shuffling or hopping gait that changes, difficulty cleaning her own rear end, or sore, bare patches developing on her hocks all say the current routine is not enough support. A senior rabbit who stops eating, produces fewer or smaller droppings, or sits hunched and grinding her teeth needs a vet promptly, since rabbits decline quickly once appetite fails. Sore hocks with broken skin should never wait for the next routine visit. When several people share her care, logging each day's roaming, appetite and gait notes through KinsLe Care Teams keeps those small changes visible to everyone instead of scattered across conversations.