Farmed rabbits are one of the most overlooked farm animals despite being produced in large numbers, with housing systems that commonly prevent basic behavioral expression.
Farmed rabbits occupy an uncomfortable gap in animal welfare attention — produced in enormous numbers but receiving far less welfare research and regulatory attention than pigs, cattle, or poultry. Conventional wire cage housing prevents rabbits from performing their full locomotor repertoire including running, jumping, and standing upright, and provides no substrate for natural gnawing and foraging behaviors. This represents a systematic, preventable welfare deficit affecting over a billion animals annually. Farmed rabbit welfare improvements are achievable through enriched housing systems that have been developed and trialed successfully.