Rabbits are the third most commonly used laboratory animal and face significant welfare challenges from individual housing, limited space, and inability to perform natural behaviors including jumping and grooming.
Laboratory rabbit welfare is compromised by housing systems that prevent normal locomotor and social behavior. Rabbits kept alone in small cages cannot binky, groom a companion, or engage in the natural social behaviors that characterize healthy rabbit life. Spinal injuries from sudden movements in confined spaces reflect the mismatch between rabbit biology and standard cage dimensions. As prey animals, rabbits suppress pain responses, making illness and discomfort difficult to detect without active monitoring. The regulatory frameworks providing minimum housing standards for laboratory rabbits have improved but implementation varies significantly across institutions.