Companion rabbit welfare has been revolutionised by updated understanding of their social, spatial, and dietary needs far beyond what traditional pet keeping provided.
Companion rabbit welfare has undergone a revolution in understanding over the past two decades, driven by organisations like the Rabbit Welfare Association and Fund (RWAF) and updated veterinary guidance. The traditional small hutch with commercial pellet food and solitary housing — still the default purchase model in many pet shops — is now recognised as causing chronic welfare harm: physical restraint, social isolation, and dental disease from inappropriate diet. The welfare prescription is clear but requires owner commitment: large linked enclosures with indoor and outdoor access, bonded companion, unlimited hay, appropriate vegetables, and veterinary registration before purchase. Rabbits routinely present to vets in late stages of dental disease, GI stasis, and reproductive tumours that would have been prevented by appropriate diet and veterinary care from the outset.