Rabbit

Report of the 2024 RSPCA/UFAW rodent welfare group meeting

The RSPCA/UFAW Rodent Welfare Group has held a one-day meeting every autumn for the last 31 years. These meetings provide an opportunity for members to discuss current welfare research, exchange views on welfare issues and share their experiences of the...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Animal Training, Drug/Substance Administration, Environmental Enrichment, Handling, Housing, Husbandry & Management, Imaging & Electrophysiological RecordingAnimal Type: Mouse, Rabbit, Rat, Rodent

Citation: Stevens, C., Robinson, E., Jackson, M. et al. 2025. Report of the 2024 RSPCA/UFAW rodent welfare group meeting. Animal Welfare and Technology 4(3), 219–226.

When touch is stressful: Acute endocrine and behavioral responses of domestic rabbits to unfamiliar human handling

Background Rabbits are increasingly kept as companion animals, yet little is known about their stress responses during interactions with unfamiliar humans—situations commonly encountered during household visits or animal-assisted interventions. This study evaluated whether tactile interaction with an unfamiliar person induced...

Year Published: 2026Topics: Handling, Human-Animal InteractionAnimal Type: Rabbit

Citation: Součková, M., Frühauf Kolářová, M., Přibylová, L. et al. 2026. When touch is stressful: Acute endocrine and behavioral responses of domestic rabbits to unfamiliar human handling. Frontiers in Veterinary Science 13.

Small changes, big differences: Collaborative refinements in animal research

Our unit opened in 2017, during the procurement of new equipment we had the opportunity to purchase a digital ventilated rack system from Tecniplast UK. The cages are referred to as the Digitally Ventilated Cage or DVC. This system uses...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Drug/Substance Administration, Surgery & Post-OpAnimal Type: Mouse, Rabbit, Rodent

Citation: Onions, L., WIlkinson, G. 2025. Small changes, big differences: Collaborative refinements in animal research. Animal Technology and Welfare 24(3), 239–240.

The successful introduction of an early rabbit to human habituation programme to reduce stress and aggressive behaviour

Rabbits as a species, are naturally overly sensitive to stress which is a source of concern and consideration for the use in research settings; both in terms of their interaction with humans, and in terms of the quality of the...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Human-Animal Interaction, Rearing & WeaningAnimal Type: Rabbit

Citation: Mikkelsen, L. F., Rudolph, T., Ganivet, I. et al. 2025. The successful introduction of an early rabbit to human habituation programme to reduce stress and aggressive behaviour. Scandinavian Journal of Laboratory Animal Science 51, 33–37.

Outdoor rearing and behavioural patterns in diverse rabbit breeds: An exploratory study

EU regulations on organic rabbit farming are relatively recent, and scientific evidence on key technical aspects remains limited. Outdoor systems may improve health and welfare by allowing natural behaviours, but their effectiveness depends on management practices, environmental conditions, and breed....

Year Published: 2025Topics: HousingAnimal Type: Rabbit

Citation: Bosa, L., Bernabucci, G., Federico, F. D. et al. 2025. Outdoor rearing and behavioural patterns in diverse rabbit breeds: An exploratory study. Animals 15(24).

Different regrouping schedules in semi group-housed rabbit does: Effects on agonistic behaviour, stress and lesions

Although group housing of naturally social animals like rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) is desirable for ethical reasons, social conflicts can significantly increase the risk for injuries as well as stress incidences and negatively affect their welfare. A common housing system in...

Year Published: 2020Topics: Social Housing & CompanionshipAnimal Type: Rabbit

Citation: Braconnier, M., Gómez, Y., Gebhardt-Henrich, S. G. 2020. Different regrouping schedules in semi group-housed rabbit does: Effects on agonistic behaviour, stress and lesions. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 228, 105024.

Do rabbits need each other? Effects of single versus paired housing on rabbit body temperature and behaviour in a UK shelter

In the wild, rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) are social but territorial. Recent surveys suggest that over half of pet rabbits are housed singly. We aimed to compare welfare in single versus paired rabbits. We predicted singletons would show more abnormal or...

Year Published: 2020Topics: Social Housing & CompanionshipAnimal Type: Rabbit

Citation: Burn, C. C., Shields, P. 2020. Do rabbits need each other? Effects of single versus paired housing on rabbit body temperature and behaviour in a UK shelter. Animal Welfare 29(2), 209-219.

Effect of different management protocols for grouping does on aggression and dominance hierarchies

The study aimed at evaluating different management protocols of grouping does in regard to aggressive interactions and the establishment of a hierarchy under commercial conditions. Fifty-seven multiparous rabbit does of the Hycole hybrid maternal line were randomly distributed into three...

Year Published: 2020Topics: Social Housing & CompanionshipAnimal Type: Rabbit

Citation: Munari, C., Mugnai, C., Braconnier, M. et al. 2020. Effect of different management protocols for grouping does on aggression and dominance hierarchies. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 227, 104999.

Removing the blindfold in blind intubation: A summary of tips and tricks for successful rabbit intubation

Intubation in rabbits can be difficult due to their unique anatomical features. Large incisors, long narrow oral cavities, thick tongues, and limited mobility of the temporomandibular joint make laryngeal visualization difficult. It is the hope of the authors to share...

Year Published: 2020Topics: Cannulation, Catheterization, & IntubationAnimal Type: Rabbit

Citation: Szymczyk, K., Gabriel, S., Zegre Cannon, C. 2020. Removing the blindfold in blind intubation: A summary of tips and tricks for successful rabbit intubation. Laboratory Animal Science Professional 8(5) (September/October), 76-81.

Assessing the preference of rabbit does to social contact or seclusion: Results of different investigations

The aim of this study was to verify the motivation of rabbit does to social contact or seclusion. The results of two different research activities assessed in Italy (experiment 1) and Germany (experiment 2) through the use of motivational cages...

Year Published: 2020Topics: Social Housing & CompanionshipAnimal Type: Rabbit

Citation: Dal Bosco, A., Cartoni Mancinelli, A., Hoy, S. et al. 2020. Assessing the preference of rabbit does to social contact or seclusion: Results of different investigations. Animals 10(2), 286.