Analysis of sexual behaviour in male rabbits across successive tests leading to sexual exhaustion

Abstract

AbstrAct:Various parameters of sexual behaviour were studied in 10 male rabbits daily tested with sexually receptive females (ovariectomized, given estradiol benzoate s.c. 5 µg/d). The aim of this study was to analyse rabbit sexual behaviour during successive tests leading to sexual exhaustion. We allowed copulation ad libitum and determined if sexual satiety was reached within 1 d and sexual exhaustion across several days. The pair was allowed to copulate freely until the male failed to show sexual interest in that female for 30 min. The female was then removed and replaced by another; this procedure was repeated using as many does as needed, until the male showed no interest in any female for 2 h. Scent-marking (chinning) was also recorded, before and after the copulation test. This whole procedure was repeated daily until the male showed no sexual behaviour at all on a given day. Within a test, copulation ad libitum led to a gradual increase in the time interval between successive mounts and ejaculations, regardless of the day of testing. Such increments predicted that the buck was reaching sexual satiety. The "miss" rate (i.e., the proportion of mounts that did not culminate in ejaculation) significantly increased from a median of 25 on the 1 st d to 55 on the last day of testing. The mean time to reach copulatory inactivity decreased from 4 h on the 1 st d to 1 h on the last day. The total number of ejaculations within a test decreased from an average of 22 to 6 (first vs. last day, respectively) and the number of chin marks was reduced by 69% compared with pre-mating values, regardless of the day of testing. All bucks eventually stopped copulating after a variable number of days (range=2-15 d). We concluded that, following copulation ad libitum with several females, male rabbits reach sexual satiety (i.e., they are unable to continue copulating on the same day) and, after several days, they also attain sexual exhaustion, a state in which copulation is totally arrested for at least 24 h. Some behavioural parameters can be used as reliable predictors that a buck is approaching sexual satiety and sexual exhaustion.

Aggressiveness, Mating Behaviour and Lifespan of Group Housed Rabbit Does

“…It generally lasts 16 to 18 days [30], after which period the progesterone concentration decreases to basic level [31]. High numbers of mounts were reported by Rubin and Azrin [32] and Jimenez et al [33]. Beyer and Rivaud [34] observed a second peak of mounting in the last trimester of the pregnancy of rabbit does.…”

Long‐lasting behavioral and neuroendocrine changes provoked in rabbits by cancelling a single nursing bout in early lactation

“…In contrast to control bucks, that performed the usual pattern of one mount, followed by one intromission, that immediately precedes ejaculation (Contreras & Beyer, ), deprived males showed multiple mounts not followed by intromission. This provoked an increase in their miss rate (Jiménez et al, ). These alterations are comparable to the effects found in male rats subjected (as a litter) to a 6‐hr maternal separation across postnatal days 2–10.…”

“…A sexually receptive doe (ovariectomized, primed with estradiol benzoate: 5 µg/day for 7 days) was introduced and the pair was allowed to interact until the male achieved three ejaculations or after 10 min. Across this time, we determined: the latency to the first mount and the first ejaculation, plus the “miss rate” = (mounts/mounts + ejaculations) × 100, as described by Jiménez, Serrano‐Meneses, Cuamatzi, & González‐Mariscal, . Half of the animals were tested in the morning (08:00–11:00 hr) and the other half in the afternoon (16:00–19:00 hr).…”

Artificial insemination in rabbits: factors that interfere in assessing its results

“…Sexual behavior of rabbit buck consists of performing a single mount, followed by a series of pelvic thrusts during which intromission occurs, and ultimately resulting in semen ejaculation inside the doe vagina (Coy et al 2012). Rabbit bucks have a remarkable capacity for sexual activity (Jiménez et al 2012) and their average frequency of mating 2.43 in 15 minutes (Gado et al 2015). Rabbit bucks with sexually used perfectly and high-quality semen are required throughout the year to achieve maximum productivity and libido, either through AI (Rodríguez-de Lara et al 2008) or natural mating (Saleh et al 2010).…”