A new study conducted by scientists at the Royal Veterinary College (RVC) has concluded that rabbits really do need the companionship of other rabbits, and recommends that pet shops, vets and animal welfare charities advise current and prospective owners accordingly to ensure rabbit welfare.

In the wild, rabbits are social but territorial, occupying individual burrows within a larger warren where the habitat allows, and defending them from intruders. However, recent surveys indicate that over half of pet rabbits are housed on their own, and 40% of prospective owners were planning to keep their new rabbit alone.

The study aimed to compare the welfare of single versus paired rabbits. The scientists studied the rabbits behaviour in their housing, the response of the rabbits to gentle handling on a table to take their body temperature and their ability to maintain a normal body temperature. The results have just been published in the UFAW journal Animal Welfare.  

Dr Charlotte Burn, Associate Professor in Animal Welfare and Behaviour Science at the RVC, said:

“It was really sad to discover that lone rabbits were so much colder than the paired ones, and that more than half of them were seen biting at the bars of their enclosures.

“It’s crucial that we take rabbits’ needs for a companion seriously. There is a culture of getting ‘a rabbit’ and this needs to change, meaning that pet shops, vets and animal welfare charities should advise owners on housing rabbits with a compatible partner. Part of the enjoyment of having rabbits is surely to see them playing and resting together, especially when we give them suitably large housing.”

Dr Burn added: We suggest that veterinarians, relevant charities and pet shop staff should help convey this message to current and prospective rabbit owners, ensuring that the rabbit’s need for companionship of its own kind is properly and responsibly met.”