Abstract. The domestic rabbit is deprived of the protection of burrows and of a social hierarchy and live in a limited space which is a fraction of a metre of a hard sanitized space, removed from odours, markers and social interaction. Hot climate was the main cause for abnormal maternal and sexual behaviour. Exposure to high ambient temperature induces rabbits to try to balance their excessive heat load by using different means. The doe that was capable to produce 10 litters a year may give only 4 to 5 litters in hot climate Noise in rabitries causes adverse effects including nervous and behavioural abnormalities and can cause a startled response and traumatic injuries to limbs and back. Particularly, most concern about noise effects has traditionally focused on impairment of reproductive and maternal behaviours, although few controlled studies have been done to support the observations of animal caretakers that noise inhibits production. Moon phases are one of the main causes of abnormal sexual behaviour in females. Crowdness causes that rabbits become aggressive and bite one another during the first few days of nest sharing, while successive litters live together. Keeping rabbits singly in cages is not compatible with the demand of housing with respect to animal welfare, since the singly caged rabbit is exposed to natural external stimulus, has no social contact and has no conditions for suitable locomotion. This may be the reason in that caged rabbits show nervous behaviour and altered forms of movement and low relaxed resting-behaviour, that may be due to the narrowness of the cage and the wire floor. Social deprivation in rabbits interferes with the development of normal adult behaviours. However, among group-housed rabbits, survival at weaning was estimated to be 39% instead of 87% in individual cages. The behaviour and welfare of caged rabbit can be positively affected with repeated handling by familiar people. Minimal handling reduces timidity, particularly when performed during the first week of post-natal life. Higher growth rate and higher activity levels were recorded in rabbits handled daily for 10 minutes from 10 days to 10 weeks of age. Abuse and pushing the animals hard because of the method of production are cases in which the animals do not get optimal facilities necessary to fulfill their behavioural (ethological) needs.

Rice husks (RHs) was used as a substrate for biosynthesis of high-value Silica nanoparticles (SiO 2 NPs). An isolate of Trichoderma harzianum MF780864 ( T. harzianum ) was isolated and identified based on the Internal Transcribed Spacers (ITS) sequences; it showed the potentiality to induce SiO 2 NPs in the process of RHs biotransformation. SiO 2 NPs were produced extracellularly and their size was of about 89 nm. SiO 2 NPs characterized by oval, rod and cubical particles by using Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM).The Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) confirmed the presence of various functional groups of biomolecules and capping protein, encapsulating SiO 2 NPs. Water and fish samples were collected from private fish farms in El-Sharkia Governorate, Egypt. Lead (Pb) was detected from water and fish samples at its highest concentration at about 0.088 mg/L. The adsorption capacity of Pb by SiO 2 NPs was evaluated by testing different concentrations of SiO 2 NPs viz. 1, 2, and 3 mg/L, wherein 1 mg/L revealed the highest Pb adsorption efficiency. Within laboratory trials, the results indicated that highest Pb adsorption efficiency revealed through the increasing of SiO 2 NPs concentrations until 120 h. In vivo trial that lasted for 8 weeks, Nile tilapia ( Oreochromis niloticus) (29.78 ± 0.36 g body weight) supplemented with 0.088 mg/L Pb was divided into four experimental groups having three replicates (15 fish/replicate; 45 fish/group). The results showed that SiO 2 NPs supplementation through water revealed significant increase in growth and hematological parameters of O. niloticus . Moreover, enhancement of antioxidant capacity (TAC), and immune related gene expression of IL-1 β were increased in the presence of SiO 2 NPs compared with the groups of Pb exposure. Moreover, Pb residue level in fish muscles was noticeably decreased in the SiO 2 NPs treated groups. Thus, this research opens up other possibilities in the field of using SiO 2 NPs as a lead adsorbent for water bioremediation.

Abstract. Recently, much work has been done to record the diurnal peak of does receptivity. It was found that the highest was in the morning and before allowing suckling. Such studies suggested that mating should be achieved in the morning or before suckling to avoid the negative effect of the circadian peak of prolactin on receptivity that occur around 15.00 to 19.00 h and after each suckling. Some cases of pseudo-pregnancy might be prevented by double mating; the second mating should be within at most five hours after the first, since mating later than this would have no effect. Total parturition time would be 10–14 minutes for a large litter and 5–7 minutes for an average litter, although parturition could be induced to allow prompt attention to does with poor maternal instinct and to those kindle for the first time kindling and to avoid situations such as: kindling at night or in cold weather and/or to avoid the variability in gestation periods (29 to 34 days). Mother-litter separation during night can influence species specific nursing behaviour and may lead to lower weaning weights of pups. Applying good management programs, as well as, change of place, gentle handling of the stressed dams, correcting nutritional deficiencies and inadequate drinking water and provision of adequate amount of straw, may well eliminate stress, correct behavioural disorders and certain types of maternal anomalies which appear to be not under the control of hormonal or genetic factors. Welfare for caged rabbits can be improved by feeding the animals in the afternoon rather than in the morning. Aggressive behaviour was greater in rabbits on nipple drinkers than in those on troughs. In conclusion, better understanding of rabbits natural behaviour under the different conditions, maintains optimal production compatible with welfare demands. Below, description of rabbits behaviour and its relation with modern commercial production conditions, were discussed.

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