Farmed rabbits are among the least-regulated and most-overlooked farm animals, with millions living in barren wire cages that prevent natural behaviors.
Farmed rabbits experience severe welfare deprivation in conventional wire battery cages. Rabbits naturally run, jump, stand upright, dig, and have complex social interactions — none of which are possible in small wire mesh cages. Hock sores from wire floors are near-universal in caged systems. Fear responses, stereotypic behaviors, and poor health are common welfare indicators. Unlike pigs or laying hens, rabbits have attracted relatively little public attention or regulatory response, leaving billions of animals in conditions that would be clearly unacceptable for more charismatic species.