Traditional small rabbit hutches are now recognized as inadequate for rabbit welfare, driving a global movement toward minimum space standards and indoor housing reform.
The conventional small hutch represents a deep cultural misunderstanding of rabbit needs. Rabbits are prey animals whose safety in the wild depends on speed — requiring strong hindquarters developed through regular running. A caged rabbit that cannot run daily develops physical deconditioning alongside the psychological harm of environmental impoverishment. The scale of this welfare problem is enormous: millions of pet rabbits worldwide live in commercially sold hutches that the scientific consensus now recognizes as inadequate. Legal minimum space requirements, such as those in Germany, demonstrate that regulation can rapidly shift industry and owner practice.