Rabbits are the third most commonly surrendered companion animal in many countries, often because owners are unaware of their complex behavioral and housing needs.
Rabbit welfare has been systematically neglected because rabbits appear calm in small hutches while actually experiencing significant behavioral deprivation. Their natural behavioral repertoire includes extensive locomotion, social interaction, foraging, digging, and surveillance activities that small enclosures completely prevent. Rabbits suppress behavioral indicators of distress as a prey species defense, making welfare compromise invisible to untrained owners. The welfare trajectory for companion rabbits is improving as welfare organizations communicate evidence-based housing standards, but the gap between current average practice and welfare-appropriate housing remains large.