The traditional outdoor hutch is widely regarded by welfare scientists as inadequate for rabbits, which require space, social contact and environmental complexity for good welfare.
Rabbits in small hutches cannot perform their natural locomotory repertoire, develop musculoskeletal problems from inactivity and suffer social deprivation when kept alone. Exposure to extremes of temperature, predator visibility (cats, foxes outside the hutch) and noise causes chronic stress. Dental disease from inappropriate diet and obesity from inactivity are common welfare outcomes of hutch-only living. Indoor rabbits or large permanent outdoor runs substantially improve welfare outcomes.