Rabbit

Rabbit enrichment items: Getting bang for the buck (and doe)

A recent discussion on the Laboratory Animal Refinement and Enrichment Forum (LAREF) focused on new enrichment ideas for rabbits. Contributors shared their experiences about which toys and treats get rave reviews from rabbits.

Year Published: 2019Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Rabbit

Citation: Animal Welfare Institute. 2019. Rabbit enrichment items: Getting bang for the buck (and doe). AWI Quarterly 68(1) Spring, 24-25.

Human infant pants for postoperative protection during social housing of New Zealand white rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus)

Elizabethan collars (E-collars) are commonly used in various species to safeguard healing wounds. However, E-collars inadvertently restrict the expression of normal species-typical behaviors, including coprophagy, self-grooming, and social housing. To maintain social housing in accordance with recommendations in the 8th...

Year Published: 2019Topics: Disease/Experimental Model, Social Housing & CompanionshipAnimal Type: Rabbit

Citation: Bartley, K. A., Johnson, C. H. 2019. Human infant pants for postoperative protection during social housing of New Zealand white rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus). JAALAS 58(4), 510-516.

Capnography-guided endotracheal intubation as an alternative to existing intubation methods in rabbits

Rabbits provide a unique challenge for routine endotracheal intubation in clinical practice because of various distinctive anatomic and physiologic features. Many previously proposed methods for endotracheal intubation in rabbits are limited by several factors, including the needs for expensive equipment...

Year Published: 2019Topics: Cannulation, Catheterization, & IntubationAnimal Type: Rabbit

Citation: Lee, L. Y., Lee, D., Ryu, H. et al. 2019. Capnography-guided endotracheal intubation as an alternative to existing intubation methods in rabbits. JAALAS 58(2), 240-245.

Refinement and successful implementation of a scoring system for myxomatosis in a susceptible rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) model

Myxoma virus is a member of Leporipoxviridae whose tropism is tightly restricted to lagomorphs. In susceptible Oryctolagus rabbits, the virus causes a highly lethal disease known as myxomatosis, which begins as a localized infection but rapidly disseminates throughout the animal,...

Year Published: 2018Topics: Disease/Experimental Model, Humane EndpointAnimal Type: Rabbit

Citation: Wolfe, A. M., Rahman, M., McFadden, D. G. et al. 2018. Refinement and successful implementation of a scoring system for myxomatosis in a susceptible rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) model. Comparative Medicine 68(4), 280–285.

Behavioural anxiety predisposes rabbits to intra-operative apnoea and cardiorespiratory instability

Rabbits are prone to complications from both anaesthesia and anxiety. Given that anxiety can often impact quality of anaesthesia, we developed a novel cage-side anxiety assessment, and sought to determine whether it correlated to pre- and intra-operative cardiorespiratory changes. We...

Year Published: 2019Topics: Anesthesia & SedationAnimal Type: Rabbit

Citation: Krall, C., Glass, S., Dancourt, G. et al. 2019. Behavioural anxiety predisposes rabbits to intra-operative apnoea and cardiorespiratory instability. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 221, 104875.

Anaesthetic and perioperative management of 14 male New Zealand white rabbits for calvarial bone surgery

Calvarial bone surgery on rabbits is frequently performed. This report aims to document a simple and practical anaesthetic and perioperative management for this procedure. Fourteen male New Zealand white rabbits were included in the study. Subcutaneous (SC) dexmedetomidine, ketamine and...

Year Published: 2019Topics: Analgesia, Anesthesia & Sedation, Disease/Experimental ModelAnimal Type: Rabbit

Citation: Raillard, M., Detotto, C., Grepper, S. et al. 2019. Anaesthetic and perioperative management of 14 male New Zealand white rabbits for calvarial bone surgery. Animals 9(11), 896.

The use of environmental enrichments affects performance and behavior of growing rabbits housed in collective pens

This study assessed the effects of an elevated plastic-slatted platform and/or a plastic hiding tube in collective pens with large group sizes (27 or 36 rabbits/pen; 16 rabbits/m2) on the performance and welfare of rabbits kept from weaning (at 33...

Year Published: 2019Topics: Environmental Enrichment, Social Housing & CompanionshipAnimal Type: Rabbit

Citation: Trocino, A., Zomeño, C., Filiou, E. et al. 2019. The use of environmental enrichments affects performance and behavior of growing rabbits housed in collective pens. Animals 9(8), 537.

Effect of a new housing system on skin lesions, performance and soiling of fattening rabbits: A German case study

The aim of the present study was to develop and evaluate a new housing system for fattening rabbits. Data were collected on a farm with rabbits housed either under new conditions (NC) or established (conventional) conditions (CC). NC housing was...

Year Published: 2019Topics: HousingAnimal Type: Rabbit

Citation: Rauterberg, S. L., Bill, J., Kimm, S. 2019. Effect of a new housing system on skin lesions, performance and soiling of fattening rabbits: A German case study. Animals 9(9), 650.

Aggressiveness, mating behaviour and lifespan of group housed rabbit does

Aggressiveness is one of the main problems in group housing of rabbit does. The aim of the experiment was to investigate the frequency of aggressiveness and mating behaviour as well as the lifespan of does depending on group composition. The...

Year Published: 2019Topics: Social Housing & CompanionshipAnimal Type: Rabbit

Citation: Gerencsér, Z., Matics, Z., Szabó, R. et al. 2019. Aggressiveness, mating behaviour and lifespan of group housed rabbit does. Animals 9(10), 708.

Investigations on the influence of floor design on dirtiness and foot pad lesions in growing rabbits

In Germany, an animal welfare ordinance for the housing of rabbits was issued which did not take into account the current investigations on floor design. The aim of the investigations was to study the effects of floor design on dirtiness...

Year Published: 2019Topics: HousingAnimal Type: Rabbit

Citation: Masthoff, T., Hoy, S. 2019. Investigations on the influence of floor design on dirtiness and foot pad lesions in growing rabbits. Animals 9(6), 354.