Rabbits are the third most used species in biomedical research globally and face specific welfare challenges relating to their social nature and behavioral needs that housing standards are increasingly addressing.
Laboratory rabbits face welfare challenges rooted in both their social biology and their prey animal psychology. Isolated housing causes measurable psychological distress and produces abnormalities that compromise experimental validity. Handling by humans triggers intense fear responses in prey animals who have not been positively conditioned — a stressor that accumulates over repeated experimental procedures. Traditional housing designs prevent standing upright, a natural surveillance behavior, causing frustration and abnormal posturing. Progressive refinements including pair housing, positive handling training, and enriched environments can substantially reduce these welfare burdens while also improving experimental reproducibility.