European transitions from conventional rabbit cages to enriched colony housing reveal both welfare gains and implementation challenges, informing global rabbit welfare reform efforts.
Farmed rabbit welfare is one of the least discussed issues in European farm animal advocacy despite the scale of production, particularly in Italy, France, and Spain. Conventional cages impose severe behavioral restrictions on active, social animals. Colony systems restore fundamental behavioral freedoms but require careful management: rabbits are competitive and can injure each other in poorly designed systems. The transition evidence suggests that well-designed colony housing with adequate space, hiding opportunities, and stable social groups delivers genuine welfare improvement. Consumer and retail demand is currently driving change faster than regulation in rabbit production.