Rabbits are the third most commonly used laboratory animal species globally, and application of the 3Rs framework offers significant opportunities to reduce their numbers and improve their welfare.
Laboratory rabbits face welfare harms from isolation, fear of handling, and experimental procedures. Solo housing is common despite evidence that rabbits prefer and benefit from companionship. Fear responses during handling raise heart rate and cortisol, compromising data quality and animal welfare simultaneously. Pain from experimental procedures is underestimated and undertreated in rabbits compared to other research species. The Rabbit Grimace Scale provides a validated tool for objective pain assessment that supports better analgesia decisions. Replacement of pyrogen testing with in vitro alternatives has already reduced rabbit use substantially, demonstrating that the 3Rs approach can achieve large-scale welfare improvements without sacrificing research goals.