Rabbit

Management of morbidity and mortality in a New Zealand white rabbit model of steroidinduced osteonecrosis of the femoral head

Steroid-induced osteonecrosis of the femoral head (SONFH) is a condition documented in humans and animals exposed to chronic steroid administration. The rabbit has become a preferred animal model for investigating the pathogenesis and treatment of SONFH due to its shared...

Year Published: 2021Topics: Disease/Experimental Model, Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Rabbit

Citation: Casey, K. M., Gore, F., Vilches-Moure, J. G. et al. 2021. Management of morbidity and mortality in a New Zealand white rabbit model of steroidinduced osteonecrosis of the femoral head. Comparative Medicine 71(1), 86-98.

Behavioral effects of cage size and environmental enrichment in New Zealand white rabbits

One of the goals of environmental enrichment is to encourage species-typical behaviors, while discouraging abnormal behaviors or stereotypies. Assessing the effectiveness of various enrichment modalities can be challenging, particularly for prey species such as rabbits that exhibit freezing responses in...

Year Published: 2020Topics: Environmental Enrichment, HousingAnimal Type: Rabbit

Citation: Coda, K. A., Fortman, J. D., García, K. D. 2020. Behavioral effects of cage size and environmental enrichment in New Zealand white rabbits. JAALAS 59(4), 356-364.

An inexpensive approach to social housing enrichment for laboratory rabbits and guinea pigs

We analyzed our current enrichment protocols in order to develop and implement social experiences for our rabbit and guinea pig colonies. This article describes the development of an exercise pen for rabbits and a custom-made social housing enclosure for guinea...

Year Published: 2013Topics: Social Housing & CompanionshipAnimal Type: Guinea Pig, Rabbit, Rodent

Citation: Rose, A. M. 2013. An inexpensive approach to social housing enrichment for laboratory rabbits and guinea pigs. Laboratory Animal Science Professional 1(4) (December), 46-48.

Rabbits: Good Practice for Housing and Care (3rd edition)

This report describes what rabbits need in terms of social housing, enclosure size and type, and environmental enrichment. It also describes potential husbandry-related welfare problems and how to resolve them.

Year Published: 2011Topics: Environmental Enrichment, Housing, Husbandry & Management, Social Housing & CompanionshipAnimal Type: Rabbit

Citation: Research Department, RSPCA. 2011. Rabbits: Good Practice for Housing and Care (3rd edition).

A new beginning for retired laboratory rabbits

This article describes the rehoming of 10 laboratory female rabbits now living as a group in a private shelter.

Year Published: 2019Topics: Relocation & Transport, Social Housing & CompanionshipAnimal Type: Rabbit

Citation: Animal Welfare Institute. 2019. A new beginning for retired laboratory rabbits. Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) Quarterly 68(4) Winter, 10-11.

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.