Farmed rabbits are among the least protected farm animals in many countries, but colony housing systems that allow natural behaviors are demonstrating better welfare outcomes than traditional individual cages.
Farmed rabbit welfare has historically received less regulatory attention than poultry, pigs, or cattle, leaving a large farming sector operating with minimal welfare standards. Individual wire cages prevent the expression of virtually all natural rabbit behaviors including running, jumping, social grooming, and complex foraging. The wire mesh flooring common in conventional systems causes pododermatitis, a painful inflammation of the foot pads, in many housed rabbits. Colony systems that allow group housing on solid or partially slatted floors substantially improve welfare by enabling social interaction, movement, and natural resting behavior. The higher management complexity of colony systems is offset by welfare gains that are increasingly recognized in progressive markets as a commercial differentiator.