As the popularity of rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) kept as pets is steadily growing, the applied aspects of rabbit-human interactions draws increased attention. Factors, such as human-directed aggression and friendliness, are important from the aspect of animal welfare and owner satisfaction. In...

The objective of the study was to investigate the effects of housing (deep litter + concrete floor vs. deep litter + ground soil with the possibility to dig burrows), and genotype (Mecklenburg or Hyplus) on aggressive behaviour, social contacts, does' and kits' injuries, and progeny mortality....

The present paper was designated to assess the perceived frequency of problematic rabbit behavior in a sample of pet rabbit owners and to characterize this behavior. For this purpose, a questionnaire was administered to 423 rabbit owners from Spain and Latin America. The collected data was...

Commercial rabbit farms commonly house breeding does in single-litter cages that generate concerns for animal welfare. Group housing increases the space per animal and allows for more natural behaviour. When housed in group, however, does exhibit aggressive behaviour around parturition and...

Housing breeding female rabbits in multi-litter instead of single-litter cages allows for more natural behaviour and social contact with conspecifics. Hierarchy fights among does, however, inhibit uptake on farms. Past focus on high reproductive performances in single-litter cages may have yielded ...

The housing of farmed animals is increasingly scrutinised by society and thereby subject to a change towards more animal-friendly systems. For rabbits, also kept as pets, there are no EC regulations regarding their housing under farming conditions. In many countries, studies have been carried out...

Continuous and part-time group housing systems have been tested to improve the welfare of reproducing rabbit does. Part-time group provides some improvements in locomotor and social behavior, some good reproductive results -still significantly lower than individual cages-, without making up for its ...

Group housing is becoming the standard for many farm animal species, as it is seen as a more welfare friendly way of keeping gregarious animals. Aggression between female breeding rabbits currently obstructs the implementation of group housing for this species. Lack of social experience during the...

Objectives: The GnRH analogue, deslorelin, is commonly used for hormonal suppression in a wide range of species. Case Description: A 5-year-old mixed breed spayed female pet rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) presented for evaluation of behavioral changes including inappropriate urination and sexual ...

In semi-natural mixed-sex groups, rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) organize their social life by forming a hierarchy, which is characterized by linearity and stability. Compared to the natural environment, many factors are different in contemporary breeding systems, such as space allowance and, in...