Traditional small rabbit hutches fail to meet the welfare needs of rabbits, and campaigners across Europe are pushing to ban hutches below minimum size requirements and mandate daily exercise opportunities.
The image of a rabbit in a small hutch is so culturally embedded that many owners do not realise it represents a serious welfare failure. Rabbits are prey animals that mask discomfort, making their suffering in inadequate housing largely invisible to inexperienced owners. A rabbit that sits motionless in a hutch corner is not content; it is likely stressed, bored, or in pain. The social and physical needs of rabbits require companions and space far beyond what most commercially sold hutches provide. A campaign to ban hutches below a minimum size in the UK has gathered significant support, and retail welfare labelling of rabbit enclosures based on minimum size requirements has been proposed.