Rabbits are widely used in safety testing and research, where specific welfare challenges including social needs and handling stress require dedicated management to meet 3Rs principles.
Laboratory rabbit welfare has improved substantially through application of 3Rs principles but continues to face significant challenges. Single housing, historically standard, is now increasingly recognized as causing chronic social deprivation in a highly social species. Handling fear causes acute physiological stress that constitutes genuine suffering during every research interaction. Procedures including blood collection, injection, and recovery from surgery cause pain that requires appropriate analgesia. The gradual adoption of alternative methods for eye and skin irritancy testing has eliminated millions of tests that previously caused significant suffering. Ongoing application of the 3Rs continues to improve rabbit welfare while often improving research quality simultaneously.