Advanced care approaches for companion rabbits addressing their complex social, behavioral, and medical needs as long-lived house pets.
Rabbit welfare in companion settings is frequently poor due to a gap between public perception of rabbits as low-maintenance pets and their actual complex behavioral and social needs. Single housing in small hutches, an arrangement still commonly sold in pet stores, causes measurable chronic suffering through social deprivation and movement restriction. The high surrender and abandonment rate for rabbits reflects this mismatch. Rescuers and veterinarians consistently identify the same welfare failures, suggesting that systemic change through education, retail reform, and adoption promotion is necessary alongside individual owner improvement.