Rabbit housing remains inadequate for millions of pet rabbits in the UK and beyond, with evidence showing that minimum hutch sizes cause chronic welfare deprivation.
The scale of poor rabbit housing represents one of the largest easily-correctable companion animal welfare problems in the UK. Millions of rabbits spend their entire lives in hutches where they cannot perform basic locomotion or postural behaviours. The resulting chronic restriction causes physical harm - bone and muscle problems from inactivity - and psychological harm from frustrated movement and social needs. Retailer policies banning the sale of small hutches have already demonstrated impact, and regulatory minimums would create further systemic change.