Rabbits are highly trainable and can become excellent indoor companions when provided appropriate housing and litter training. Understanding their needs transforms welfare outcomes for millions of pet rabbits.
Litter training is transformative for rabbit welfare because it enables indoor free-roaming housing, which is dramatically superior to the hutch confinement that remains the norm in many countries. Rabbits confined to small hutches cannot perform their natural locomotor behaviors — running, jumping, and binkying (spontaneous leaping) — which are linked to positive affective states. Indoor rabbits with litter training can access larger, more enriching environments while maintaining hygienic living conditions. The process itself leverages natural rabbit behavior: they already prefer fixed latrine sites and tend to eat and toilet simultaneously. Providing appropriate litter materials (paper-based or hay) and placing some hay in the tray makes the transition straightforward. Successful litter training also benefits the human-rabbit bond, as owners can interact with rabbits at floor level and observe their full behavioral repertoire.