Rabbits are farmed in large numbers for fur and meat, often in conditions that severely compromise their welfare. As highly sensitive animals with complex needs, they suffer substantially in industrial settings.
Factory-farmed rabbits live in conditions fundamentally at odds with their nature. Bare wire cages deny them the ability to run, dig, hide, or exhibit any natural behavior. The inability to flee from perceived threats causes chronic fear in these highly reactive prey animals. Hock sores from wire flooring are nearly universal in battery systems. Angora fur farming involves procedures causing intense acute pain. Higher welfare rabbit systems with group housing, bedding, hiding boxes, and gnawing materials demonstrate that meeting rabbit needs is feasible — and these systems exist commercially in several European countries.