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38763

Effect of environmental enrichment (gnawing stick) on the behavior and performance of rabbit does

Article

Last updated: 04 Jan 2025

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Abstract

This study was designed to investigate the effect of gnawing sticks as environmental enrichment on the behavior and productive performance of individually housed breeding rabbit does. Twelve white New Zealand rabbits (10 doe and 2 buck) were randomly distributed into two equal groups at 13 weeks of age (n=6, 5 does and 1 buck). The first group (enrichment group), was subjected to routine lighting schedule (16L: 8D), light from 0.00 and 16.00 h during 24 h period until the end of the experiment. Rabbits were housed individually in galvanized wire cages (45cm×50cm×30cm), equipped with automatic drinkers, feeding hopper and enriched with gnawing sticks (length=20 cm, diameter=3 cm) were placed horizontally at a height of 15 cm on the wall of the pens. Gnawing sticks were applied 20 days before parturition of pregnant does till weaning of here litters. The second group (control) was reared under the same conditions without enrichment. The doe weight, litter weight, litter size and reproductive index of doe were measured. Also, nursing behavior duration and frequency were recorded. From parturition till 4th day after parturition feeding, drinking, resting, grooming, scratching and sniffing behaviors were observed. Our results denoted that gnawing stick had no significant effect on doe body weight, litter weight; litter size, reproductive index and nursing behavior of doe. Rabbit does of enriched group showed less feeding and grooming durations and frequencies and longer resting duration compared to control does. The most differences in these behavioral activities occurred at AM period. Enriched does exhibited higher sniffing duration at AM period and frequency at PM period compared to unenriched control does.

DOI

10.21608/jcvr.2017.38763

Keywords

FMD, virus isolation, rRT-PCR, FMDV serotypes SAT-2, Ismailia-Egypt

Authors

First Name

Hamada

Last Name

Mahboub

MiddleName

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Affiliation

Department of Husbandry and Animal Wealth Development, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Sadat City

Email

hamada.mahboub@vet.usc.edu.eg

City

-

Orcid

-

First Name

Sameh

Last Name

Ramadan

MiddleName

-

Affiliation

Department of Husbandry and Animal Wealth Development, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Sadat City

Email

-

City

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Orcid

-

First Name

Enas

Last Name

Kamel

MiddleName

-

Affiliation

Department of Husbandry and Animal Wealth Development, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Sadat City

Email

-

City

-

Orcid

-

Volume

11

Article Issue

1

Related Issue

5759

Issue Date

2017-09-01

Receive Date

2017-01-10

Publish Date

2017-09-01

Page Start

14

Page End

22

Print ISSN

2636-4018

Online ISSN

2636-4026

Link

https://jcvr.journals.ekb.eg/article_38763.html

Detail API

https://jcvr.journals.ekb.eg/service?article_code=38763

Order

3

Type

Original Article

Type Code

799

Publication Type

Journal

Publication Title

Journal of Current Veterinary Research

Publication Link

https://jcvr.journals.ekb.eg/

MainTitle

Effect of environmental enrichment (gnawing stick) on the behavior and performance of rabbit does

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Type

Article

Created At

22 Jan 2023