thoughts on rabbit dress-up

Something controversial: Rabbits in Clothes. Let’s have a healthy discussion about the cute outfits some owners responsibly choose to have their rabbits wear (me as a father included). Only peer-reviewed articles will be included as evidence.

In an article by Bartley and Johnson , the use of human infant pants as an alternative to e-collar is recommended for medical purposes. Unfortunately, this is the closest we get to peer-reviewed research evidence for rabbits in clothing (all other 1000+ articles reviewed for today's post had no relevance), and not for the complete dismissal of rabbits in clothes. But I do have some recommendations on how to approach clothing if you choose so.

1) As always, the trust between rabbit and parent/owner must be there. This means your rabbit is comfortable being handled (showing no signs of distress when picked up - normal breathing, heart rate and pupil size) by you, whether that interaction is on the floor or in your arms. If your rabbit is already distressed to touch, I recommend building your trust.

2) The clothing you're choosing needs to fit well - anything loose and flowy may result in injury if they try to remove it themselves and anything too tight may suffocate them. I always recommend showing clothes and encouraging exploration before I ever put clothes. Gentle exploration (licking, sniffing, sitting on) are always rewarded with treats. More aggressive exploration (digging, biting, pushing) means they are not into that fabric and it's time to return that item (Marshmallow has had me return many items).

3) Must be done under supervision. Do not leave your rabbits in their clothes without your supervision and for long periods of time (unless there is a medical reason).

4) Watch for changes in behavior. Your rabbit's consent is everything. They may seem, fine then all of a sudden show sign of distress (increased breathing and/or heart rate, increased pupil size, attempts to remove clothing, running away in the outfit) - clothes time is over.
Ultimately, you know your rabbit best. Be familiar with their behaviors so you know what uncomfortable and angry looks like when it does happen. Every rabbit is different, and our normal may be the exception (& vice versa).