Changing the Rules
California law treats rabbits as companion animals in one statute and as poultry in another. Blue's Bunny Kingdom works to close that gap through public education, published research and the evidence that cage-free housing works.
The same animal, two legal identities
In 2017 California became the first state to bar pet stores from selling dogs, cats and rabbits from breeders, and in 2021 it barred stores from selling them at all. Both times the legislature put rabbits alongside dogs and cats, as companion animals.
The Food and Agricultural Code classifies rabbits under poultry, in the division that governs meat and eggs.
Both are current law. Which one applies depends entirely on who is holding the rabbit.
Almost no rules govern rabbit slaughter
Rabbits sit outside the Federal Meat Inspection Act and outside the Poultry Products Inspection Act. They are not covered by the Humane Methods of Slaughter Act. USDA inspection of rabbit meat is voluntary and paid for by the processor.
There is no federal requirement that a rabbit be rendered insensible before slaughter. Most people are surprised by this, and that surprise is the beginning of the argument.
Research rabbits have no way out
California requires its public and independent colleges and universities to offer dogs and cats to rescue organizations before euthanizing them at the end of a study.
Rabbits are not included.
Extending that law to rabbits is a small change to an existing statute. We intend to be the place those rabbits go.
Disabled rabbits
Splay leg, head tilt, blindness, amputation. These rabbits are the first euthanized and the last adopted, and the reason given is usually housing.
A cage is a bad place for a rabbit that cannot right itself. Soft ground, low hides and no bars is a better one. Caring for disabled rabbits is not a side program for us. It is evidence that the housing model works.
How we work
We publish. We fund research. We testify when asked. We do not endorse candidates, and we do not build our case by attacking other organizations doing this work.
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Rabbits in American Laboratories: The Numbers
In fiscal year 2025, research facilities in the United States reported using 99,264 rabbits and holding 9,477 more, according to USDA APHIS. Rabbits are the second most used named species after guinea pigs. Use has fallen 25 percent since 2021. The share used in painful procedures with no pain relief has not changed.
How AI Is Ending Animal Testing
AI is replacing animal testing through computational toxicity prediction, human organ-chip models and real-world data. In April 2025 the FDA published a roadmap to phase out animal testing requirements, beginning with monoclonal antibodies, and named AI-based models among the methods replacing them. The science is arriving faster than adoption.
When the Testing Stops, Where Do the Rabbits Go?
Most rabbits released from laboratories have nowhere to go. California requires its public and independent colleges and universities to offer dogs and cats to rescues before euthanasia. Rabbits are excluded from that law. Blue's Bunny Kingdom is building the destination and working to change the statute.
For Partners Building the Replacements
Blue's Bunny Kingdom is the adoption-side partner to computational toxicology. We publish the rabbit-specific data nobody else compiles, push for the laws that release animals from laboratories, and will provide the sanctuary those animals need when they arrive.