The aim of the study was to investigate the effects of common hutch sizes and access to an exercise area on the welfare of pet rabbits kept in pairs. The study showed rabbit pairs were more active when run access was restricted to three hours. Irrespective of the hutch size, physical activity including play jumps increased significantly when the pairs with restricted access were released into the run. The researchers suggest this activity rebound demonstrates the rabbits’ need to move every day, and their welfare is compromised when they can only do so at midday.
The research team found there is a significant interaction between hutch size and run access on activity and stress hormone levels, which were highest in the pairs kept in small hutches with restricted run access. When rabbits had unrestricted access to the run, midday was the rabbits’ least active time.
Paper: 'Run access, hutch size and time-of-day affect welfare-relevant behaviour and faecal corticosterone in pair-housed pet rabbits' by Nicola J. Rooney et. al in Applied Animal Behaviour Science