Cages, harnesses, wheels: a German study puts pet-shop supplies under the microscope
Published by Planète Pets · managing editor: Clément Lacaille · how our guides are written
Seeing an accessory on a pet-shop shelf is no guarantee it suits the animal it is sold for. Bläske, Schwarzer, Ebner, Gerbig, Reese, Erhard and Wöhr set out to check this at scale for small mammals, in a study published in 2022 in PLOS ONE (see the study). Our supply comparisons sit in the rabbit accessories section.
Contents · 4 sections
A country-wide inventory
The authors catalogued small-mammal products sold in Germany by searching twenty-eight retail websites and visiting fifty pet shops as well as thirteen garden and home-improvement centres. The categories reviewed cover cages, hay racks, exercise wheels, exercise balls, harnesses and leashes, tube systems, and small-rodent bedding — a range that overlaps heavily with the supplies sold for rabbits.
More than eight cages in ten rated unsuitable
Of the two hundred and eight cage models assessed against animal-welfare criteria, 82.7% (172 models) were rated unsuitable for housing. Exercise wheels fared even worse: 86.1% of the one hundred and one models examined (87 models) were rejected. Wheels mostly concern rodents, but the same evaluation logic — insufficient size, risky materials, a design that ignores the animal's build — applies directly to cages sold for rabbits, a point we also cover from the angle of minimum space in our article on the wire cage as a false good idea.
On harnesses and leashes, the authors note that German small-mammal welfare guidelines broadly advise against their use in rabbits, because of the stress associated with the physical restraint they impose — a caution that matches the one in our guide to harnesses and outdoor time.
What the study does not show
This is a snapshot audit of the German market at one point in time: product availability and design vary from one country to another and change over time, so the same percentages will not necessarily hold elsewhere. The study judges product design against criteria the authors defined, not welfare actually measured in animals using the products day to day. And a product rated suitable on paper can still be misused or poorly maintained once it is at home.
Frequently asked questions
Should every pet-shop cage be treated with suspicion?
This German study rated 82.7% of the 208 cage models it examined unsuitable against welfare criteria: it is worth checking minimum recommended dimensions before buying rather than trusting the shelf display alone.
Is a harness really discouraged for rabbits?
The German guidelines cited in this study broadly discourage it, because of the stress that physical restraint places on a prey animal.
What is the better way to choose rabbit supplies?
Compare actual dimensions rather than marketing photos, and lean on checked second-hand equipment rather than the cheapest new option, as our guide to second-hand rabbit supplies sets out. Find our full picks in the rabbit starter kit and all our guides on the rabbit hub.
An accessory from our shop for this use: 2-in-1 felt tunnel and hideout for rabbits and ferrets (44 × 60 cm) (€37.90) · the whole shop
This guide is part of Planète Pets’s Rabbits universe. Our advice is general in nature: for any health concern, your veterinarian remains the only reference.
