Rabbit welfare protocols under Brazilian conditions: The applicability of welfare protocols in rabbit farms for different purposes – First results

Abstract

In Brazil, scarce data are available, and little is known about rabbit welfare. This study aimed to apply welfare protocols for growing rabbits, bucks, does, and kits on farms with different rabbit production purposes: meat, pets, and teaching/research. Two separate protocols based on the 4 principles of Welfare Quality (good feeding, housing, health, and behavior) were used, one for growing rabbits and one for does, bucks, and kits. Twelve farms, comprising a total of 1,557 rabbits (843 growing rabbits, 190 bucks, 149 lactating does with their kits, and 375 non-lactating does) were assessed. Within the good feeding principle, the most critical problem was the excessive height of the drinkers (above 22 cm) for young rabbits (around weaning) and the limitation to just one drinker per cage. Regarding the good housing principle, the absence of a daily record of the environmental temperature, the absence of an elevated platform in the cages, and the absence, or poor condition, of the footrests were the main problems. Based on the good health principle, a high presence of moderate pododermatitis (affecting more than 20% of affected rabbits) and a low weaning age used by 5 farms were observed. The principle of appropriate behavior evaluation revealed the isolation of the animals at some farms (pet and research). The lack of environmental enrichment was an issue for all types of rabbit farms. It was observed that some parameters were influenced by the number of rabbits, particularly for farms with fewer rabbits. An adaptation of the protocols, mainly for the number of evaluated rabbits and breeds, could be utilized to elucidate the reality of Brazilian rabbit production. It is necessary to provide incentives and improve divulgation regarding the actual recommendations of rabbit welfare for rabbit farmers.