Rabbits are widely used in biomedical and safety testing, often in conditions that cause significant welfare compromise; refinement approaches can substantially improve outcomes.
Laboratory rabbits face welfare challenges that arise from both the housing conditions they are kept in and the procedures they undergo. Individual housing in small cages, standard in many facilities, prevents virtually all normal rabbit behaviour and causes chronic stress. Evidence shows group housing with appropriate enrichment and space significantly improves welfare without compromising experimental outcomes. Handling-induced stress is a major welfare concern in rabbits, which have strong flight responses and can sustain serious injuries attempting to escape restraint. Gentle, positive-reinforcement-based handling reduces this risk substantially. Many procedures for which rabbits have historically been used now have validated non-animal alternatives that have not yet been uniformly adopted.