Rabbits are highly social animals who live in pairs or groups in the wild — solitary housing causes measurable suffering that is still widespread in companion rabbit keeping.
Rabbits kept alone in hutches represent one of the most common and overlooked welfare failures in companion animal keeping. Their social nature means isolation is genuinely harmful; their housing in small hutches denies them the space and substrate diversity they need for physical and psychological health. Bonded rabbit pairs are visibly happier — they groom each other, rest together and show binkying and other positive welfare indicators. The shift from lone-hutch keeping to bonded-pair indoor or large-enclosure rabbits is achievable for most owners and dramatically improves quality of life. Better pre-sale information, adoption from rescues already housing bonded pairs, and raising minimum welfare standards all contribute to this shift.