Rabbits have specific behavioral needs including digging, foraging, gnawing, and exploration that must be met through appropriate enrichment to achieve good welfare.
Rabbit enrichment welfare is underprovided in most pet situations: a rabbit in a hutch with a food bowl and water bottle has its survival needs met but not its behavioral needs, resulting in a welfare state that meets basic physical standards while failing to provide the behavioral complexity rabbits require. Behavioral science increasingly recognizes that the opportunity to perform species-typical behaviors is a welfare requirement, not a luxury. Rabbits that cannot dig, gnaw appropriately, forage, and engage in social play show behavioral indicators of poor welfare including reduced activity, reduced curiosity, and increased fearfulness. The good news is that enrichment is largely free or low-cost: cardboard boxes for burrowing, paper bags filled with hay for foraging, apple wood twigs for gnawing, and interactive play with owners provide substantial enrichment at minimal cost. The social enrichment provided by a bonded rabbit companion is irreplaceable and represents the single most important welfare improvement for solitary-kept rabbits.