Improving welfare conditions for rabbits used in biomedical research through enrichment and social housing.
Laboratory rabbits in traditional individual housing experience chronic welfare compromise. Social isolation prevents expression of natural grooming, play, and comfort-seeking behaviors, while barren cages provide no outlet for foraging and exploratory motivation. Research has demonstrated that pair housing is achievable without compromising experimental integrity in most study types, and the welfare benefit is substantial. The scientific community has a documented obligation under the 3Rs framework to implement available refinements — and paired, enriched rabbit housing is precisely such a refinement: available, evidence-based, and significantly welfare-improving.