Domestic rabbits are the third most popular companion animal in many countries yet are among the most frequently welfare-compromised, with solitary housing, inadequate space, and improper diet causing widespread preventable suffering.
Domestic rabbits are systematically misunderstood as low-maintenance starter pets when they have complex social, spatial, and dietary needs. Solitary housing is a source of chronic psychological stress for an animal with strong pair-bonding drives. Inadequate space prevents expression of natural locomotion that is essential for cardiovascular and skeletal health. Muesli diets cause dental disease that leads to painful malocclusion and abscess formation. Each of these welfare problems is preventable through correct information at the point of sale.