Rabbits are the third most popular mammalian pet in many countries yet among the most poorly understood, with solitary keeping and inappropriate housing causing widespread chronic welfare deficits.
Pet rabbit welfare is a systemic failure of pet industry guidance. Rabbits sold in small hutches with advice to keep them singly and feed them pellets-only are being set up for a life of deprivation: social isolation, space restriction, and inappropriate diet. Rabbits are intelligent, social animals that need companionship, space to run and jump, hay as their primary diet, and enrichment to prevent boredom. They are also prey animals who mask illness and stress, making it easy for owners to miss welfare problems until they are severe. Better buyer education at point of sale -- the welfare information rabbits deserve -- is the single highest-leverage intervention for this species.