Companion Animals

Pet Rabbit Enrichment: Meeting the Needs of an Underestimated Companion Animal

Rabbits are often kept in conditions that prevent them from meeting their fundamental behavioural needs. Appropriate enrichment transforms their welfare and quality of life.

Key Facts

Welfare Considerations

Rabbit enrichment is not a luxury — it is essential for meeting the fundamental behavioural needs of a species whose welfare is systematically underserved in companion animal keeping. Rabbits in appropriate environments show binkying, exploratory behaviour, social grooming, and active engagement with their environment. These behaviours are absent in rabbits housed in small hutches without enrichment or companions. The single most impactful enrichment decisions are: providing a bonded companion rabbit, ensuring sufficient space for running and jumping, and providing a hay-based diet that occupies foraging motivation for hours daily.

What You Can Do