Pet rabbits are commonly kept in small hutches that fail to meet their welfare needs. Understanding what adequate rabbit housing actually looks like is essential for responsible ownership.
The traditional rabbit hutch — a small wooden box sold in pet shops as suitable accommodation — is one of the most common welfare failures in companion animal keeping. Rabbits kept in hutches cannot run, jump, perform the binkies (energetic leaps and twists) that indicate positive welfare, or exercise the locomotor behaviours they are physically adapted for. The result is muscle atrophy, bone density loss, spinal problems, and the psychological distress of chronic restriction. Outdoor hutches add further welfare risks: predators that cannot be seen but can be smelled and heard create sustained fear responses even without direct attack. Fly strike during summer can kill a rabbit in hours. Minimum welfare-positive housing involves a combined space of at least 3m x 2m connected to a larger run, appropriate for the species and readily accessible at all times.