Rabbits behavioural response to climatic and managerial conditions – a review

Abstract

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.

Effect of housing system (wire cage versus group-housing) and in-house air quality parameters on the behaviour of fattening rabbits

“…The analysis of the in-house air quality data (Table 2) indicates that all the environmental parameters were within standard limits (Marai and Rashwan, 2004) and typical of the warm season.…”

Scientific Opinion Concerning the Welfare of Animals during Transport

“…Since rabbits do not sweat, at temperatures above 25-30 ºC they stretch out to lose as much heat as possible by radiation and convection, raise their ear temperature, stretch the ear pinnae and spread them far from the body to expose the surface to the surroundings in order to increase heat dissipation. Above 35 ºC, rabbits can no longer regulate their internal temperature and heat prostration sets in, while at 40 ºC, considerable panting and salivation have been shown to occur (Lebas et al, 1986 in Marai andRashwan, 2004). The average lethal ambient temperature is 42.8 ºC.…”

“…Adult rabbits exposed to ambient temperatures below 10 ºC curl up to minimise their total body surface area exposed and lower their ear temperature, and the ear pinnae are folded to avoid internal surface contact with air. At the same time, they drag the ear to bring it closer to the body (Marai and Rashwan, 2004). Since rabbits do not sweat, at temperatures above 25-30 ºC they stretch out to lose as much heat as possible by radiation and convection, raise their ear temperature, stretch the ear pinnae and spread them far from the body to expose the surface to the surroundings in order to increase heat dissipation.…”

“…Swallow et al (2005) also suggested that container height should be restricted for laboratory rabbits to prevent back injury caused by kicking out. However, since rabbits do not sweat, at environmentally high temperatures space is needed to allow rabbits to assume appropriate postures, such as sitting up or lying flat with ears extended in both of these positions to expose the surface to the surroundings in order to increase heat dissipation (Marai and Rashwan, 2004). In addition, rabbits tend to sit upright as a control "security and safety" behaviour (Lidfors et al, 2007).…”

“…Optimal climatic conditions for rabbits would be: air temperature 13 to 20 ºC (average 15 ºC), relative humidity 55 to 65% (average 60%) (Marai and Rashwan, 2004). Adult rabbits exposed to ambient temperatures below 10 ºC curl up to minimise their total body surface area exposed and lower their ear temperature, and the ear pinnae are folded to avoid internal surface contact with air.…”