Environmental enrichment for rabbits reared in cages reduces abnormal behaviors and inactivity

• Main Authors: Maria Camila Ceballos, Karen Camille Rocha Góis, Monique Valéria de Lima Carvalhal, Franciely de Oliveira Costa, Mateus Paranhos da Costa
• Format: Article
• Language: English

Content Partner: Directory of Open Access Journals. ABSTRACT: The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of environmental enrichment with forage (as extra food) on the time spent in inactivity and expressing self-cleaning and abnormal behaviors by rabbits kept in cages. The study was conducted in 17 New Zealand multiparous females at the rabbit facilities in Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias, Universidade Estadual Paulista (FCAV-UNESP). Three species of forages were offered simultaneously as environmental enrichment, sugar cane ( Saccharum officinarum sp.), mulberry ( Morus alba ) and ramie ( Boehmeria nivea ). Behavioral observations were carried out before and after enriching the environment; this was done in four observational periods for each condition, two in the morning (from 06h00min to 09h30min) and two in the afternoon (from 15h00min to 18h00min). Rabbits' behaviors where recorded by direct observation with instantaneous records (with 2min sampling interval) and using animal focal sampling. The time spent in six behavioral categories (I = inactivity, SC = self-cleaning, AB = abnormal behaviors, CI = concentrate and FI = forage ingestion, and OA = other activities) were recorded before and after adding the environmental enrichment. Data were compared using Wilcoxon test. Animals used the environmental enrichment in both periods of the day, and it reduced significantly (P