Rabbit

Effects of perforated cage dividers on rabbit behavior.

Based on study observations and the natural history of wild rabbits, bucks engage in affiliative social behaviors, but current caging may not allow enough space for the expression of species-typical behaviors, thereby resulting in continued aggression. In this study, we...

Year Published: 2026Topics: Environmental Enrichment, Housing, Social Housing & CompanionshipAnimal Type: Rabbit

Citation: Martin, J., Newell, M., Deemer, S. 2025. Effects of perforated cage dividers on rabbit behavior. Laboratory Animal Science Professional 13(6) (November/December), 24-28.

Companionship counts: Investigating social housing conditions and welfare in privately owned rabbits

Rabbits are among the most popular companion animals. Despite being a social species, most companion rabbits are solitary housed due to challenges with pairing and cohabitation, which may compromise their welfare. This study therefore aimed to investigate the effects of...

Year Published: 2026Topics: Social Housing & CompanionshipAnimal Type: Rabbit

Citation: Skovlund, C. R., Corneliussen, N. M., Kofod, L. B. et al. 2026. Companionship counts: Investigating social housing conditions and welfare in privately owned rabbits. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 294, 106864.

AnaesthesiaSkills in Veterinary Medicine: Perioperative Management in Small, Companion and Domestic Animals

This book is designed as a practice-orientated text covering monitoring and equipment, established protocols, pain management, complications and underlying disease. The strength of the book is the inclusion of a relatively wide spectrum of species – dogs, cats, rabbits, ferrets,...

Year Published: 2024Topics: Analgesia, Anesthesia & SedationAnimal Type: Cat, Cattle, Dog, Equine, Ferret, Gerbil, Goat, Guinea Pig, Hamster, Mouse, Pig, Rabbit, Rat, Rodent

Citation: Eberspächer-Schweda, E. 2024. AnaesthesiaSkills in Veterinary Medicine: Perioperative Management in Small, Companion and Domestic Animals. Thieme Medical Publishers, Inc, 512 pp.

Social housing of postoperative animals to support animal welfare

Single housing of animals, or social isolation, is a known stressor for many species. Generally, laboratory animals are housed in social groups as a default to support their behavioral welfare. In some research protocols, investigators may request exemptions from social...

Year Published: 2026Topics: Regulations & Ethical Review, Social Housing & CompanionshipAnimal Type: All/General, Cat, Dog, Macaque, Marmoset, Mouse, Nonhuman Primate, Pig, Rabbit, Rodent

Citation: Darbyshire, A., Beninson, J., Dyson, M. C. et al. 2026. Social housing of postoperative animals to support animal welfare. JAALAS 65(1), 11–18.

Efficacy of warmed inspired air for prevention of perianesthetic hypothermia in New Zealand white rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus)

Warmed inspired air circuits have proved to be effective in semiclosed heating modalities in veterinary species such as dogs, cats, and nonhuman primates, and thus, there is a gap in species requiring a nonrebreathing circuit. This study evaluated the efficacy...

Year Published: 2026Topics: Surgery & Post-OpAnimal Type: Rabbit

Citation: Balzer, A. H., Raiciulescu, S., Fugina, W. R. et al. 2026. Efficacy of warmed inspired air for prevention of perianesthetic hypothermia in New Zealand white rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus). JAALAS 65(1), 85–91.

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).