Methods of Pairing and Pair Maintenance of New Zealand White Rabbits (Oryctolagus Cuniculus) Via Behavioral Ethogram, Monitoring, and Interventions

Sarah Thurston; Lisa Burlingame; Patrick A. Lester; Jennifer Lofgren

doi:10.3791/57267

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Method Article

Methods of Pairing and Pair Maintenance of New Zealand White Rabbits (Oryctolagus Cuniculus) Via Behavioral Ethogram, Monitoring, and Interventions

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DOI:

10.3791/57267

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March 16th, 2018

Sarah Thurston¹^,² , Lisa Burlingame¹^,² , Patrick A. Lester¹^,² , Jennifer Lofgren¹^,²

¹Unit for Laboratory Animal Medicine, University of Michigan, ²Refinement and Enrichment Advancements Laboratory, University of Michigan

Summary

Though European rabbits are a social species, socially housing them can be challenging. Therefore, there must be a thorough understanding of behaviors and social structures of pair-housed laboratory rabbits. Here we present a protocol to identify pairing methods, species-typical hierarchy establishment behaviors and behaviors that warrant appropriate intervention.

Abstract

New Zealand White (NZW) laboratory rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus), as well as their ancestors the European Rabbit, are a social species that exhibit numerous benefits to being housed accordingly. Although these rabbits are innately gregarious, certain behaviors can still arise when kept in captivity, which if left unchecked, can confound research results or lead to wounding, which in extreme cases can be severe. To prevent these issues, there must be a well-structured plan for the monitoring and maintenance of paired laboratory rabbits. The purpose of this protocol is to present effective procedures for establishing newly paired NZW rabbits as well as methods for successful maintenance. Multiple methods have been tested for the creation of newly paired female rabbits from the vendor, but the most efficacious technique emphasizes capitalizing on the stress bonding from transport, urine marking, pairing in a neutral cage with no forced sharing of resources and a system of monitoring and intervention. To determine the best method of housing paired rabbits in a standard caging environment, data were collected to generate a behavioral ethogram. Behaviors were then quantified as positive, neutral or negative and were tracked across the lifespan of the pair to determine which behaviors indicated pair success or failure. With the newfound knowledge of socially housed laboratory NZW rabbit behavior, enrichment intervention was applied to alleviate aggression and prevent wounding, thus resulting in a higher percentage of successful pairs. Through several years of trialing different pairing methods, the development of the ethogram and the resulting enrichment interventions, understanding of the highly complex social constructs that dominate pair housed rabbit behavior has dramatically increased and allowed for the provision of more species-specific care and increased standards of welfare.

Introduction

The regulations governing laboratory animal care provide well-defined recommendations regarding rabbit social housing. Two of the three primary standards used by AAALAC International to evaluate animal care and use programs describe guidelines for species-appropriate husbandry and housing. The first of these guidance resources, the 8^th edition of the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals¹ (Guide) states that social species such as rabbits should only be singly housed as an exception and single housing should not be the housing standard. The second, the European Convention for the Protection of Vertebrate Animals U....