Rabbits are widely used in biomedical and safety testing and are highly vulnerable to pain and stress. Developing better pain assessment tools is essential for improving their welfare in research settings.
Rabbits are particularly vulnerable to stress and pain in laboratory environments yet have historically received less welfare attention than rodents. Their prey animal instinct to suppress visible pain means that suffering is routinely underestimated and undertreated. The development and validation of the Rabbit Grimace Scale has been a significant advance, providing researchers with an objective tool to detect and respond to pain. However, adoption of these tools is inconsistent across institutions. Ensuring that pain management is a default component of all procedures involving rabbits, rather than an afterthought, requires both regulatory pressure and cultural change within research communities.