Winter feeding behaviour of European rabbits in a temperate zone habitat

Rödel, Heiko G.

doi:10.1016/j.mambio.2005.03.001

Cited by 18 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 19 publications

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“…A possible explanation for their, however, generally lower level of vigilance might be that subadult, and even 1 yr old rabbits, are in lower body condition and show a higher feeding activity than older individuals (Rödel et al. 2004; Rödel 2005). This might lead to the observed lower allocation to vigilance in subadults in favour of food intake, as also suggested in other studies (FitzGibbon 1989; Murray 2002).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fox Odour Increases Vigilance in European Rabbits: A Study under Semi‐Natural Conditions

2006

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The recognition of predator odours is a well‐known mechanism in many prey species which may lead to various behavioural and physiological responses. This has been shown for many mammal species under laboratory conditions, but efforts to validate the results in the field often have led to inconclusive results. We investigated the behavioural reactions and the physiological stress response of European rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) to the odour of a mammalian predator (red fox, Vulpes vulpes) under semi‐natural conditions. The study was conducted on a rabbit population living in an outdoor enclosure of 2 ha. We compared the rates of vigilance and exploration, the time allocated to self‐directed behaviours, the home range sizes and the physiological responses of an experimental and a control group. Only animals from the experimental group were confronted with fox faeces. These animals increased their vigilance rate whereas the control animals did not respond. The increase did not differ between adult and subadult individuals. Furthermore, the experimental animals frequently approached the odour of the predator which might indicate an increase in investigative behaviour. Home‐range size, feeding and other self‐directed behaviours did not change in response to fox odour. Moreover, the animals of the experimental and the control group did not differ in serum corticosterone concentrations (measured after adrenocorticotrophic hormone challenge) that we determined in the beginning and in the end of the experiment. We suggest that the observed behavioural responses represent a low‐cost strategy for lowering the individual risk of predation.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fox Odour Increases Vigilance in European Rabbits: A Study under Semi‐Natural Conditions

2006

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“…a leaf eater), optimizes the digestibility and protein content of the green forage by selecting leaves and shoots of ground vegetation (see a report on winter feeding behaviour in wild rabbits: Rödel, 2005). Larger (older) shoots and stems with a higher content of low-digested fibre (lignocellulose) are usually avoided if the animals have a choice.…”

Section: Dietmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…on herbs with many leaves, reduces the diversity of plant species in areas where wild rabbits are abundant (Worden and Leahy, 1962). Bark, twigs and grass roots are only browsed during periods when other food is scarce (Rogers et al, 1994;Rödel, 2005).…”

Section: Dietmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of rearing mangement on health in domestic rabbits: a review

Schlolaut¹,

Hudson

Rödel

2013

World Rabbit Sci.

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High mortality in rearing of domestic rabbits is not only an economic problem but also an animal welfare issue. Among the reasons for this high mortality are some common rearing practices. In this review, we point out several commonly used management practices, which neither represent adequate housing conditions according to the animals' behavioural requirements nor correspond to their nutritional needs. Sometimes, the doe has to build the nursery nest on the cage floor or in a box with a permanently open entrance, often not protected from the light. This can lead to perinatal mortality due to disturbed behaviour of the mother such as failure to build a proper nest, depositing the kits outside the nest, or infanticide. Furthermore, continuous housing of the doe with the kits does not conform to this species' pattern of unusually limited maternal care. Possibly stimulated by olfactory and acoustic signals emanating from the nest, the doe can disturb the inactivity of the kits by her frequent entries to the nest or attempts to close the entrance. Cooling of the kits caused by maladaptive maternal behaviour under such conditions can also contribute to increased mortality and morbidity during the nursing period. In addition, when the doe is left to nurse the kits longer than four weeks, which does not conform to the reproductive biology of the rabbit, kit morbidity can be increased by the following factors. Although the doe's milk has a high protective role against main digestive disorders, prolonged mother-offspring contact might increase the risk of the kits becoming infected with pathogens such as coccidiosis, EPEC and pasteurellosis persisting in the doe. Pre-disposition of the kits to bacterial enteropathies can be encouraged by the delayed development of the enzymatic system, the delayed establishment of a stable gut flora, as well as by consumption of the doe's feed. The increased energy demands of lactation as well as mastitis incidence due to prolonged suckling by the kits could decrease the fertility and the lifespan of the doe. Feed with a high content of non-fibre carbohydrates (compared to green forage) can promote bacterial enteropathies when given before the development of the kits' digestive functions is completed. The risk of the outbreak of such diseases is enhanced by intestinal coccidiosis and unstable gut flora. Enteropathies are also exacerbated by the use of deep litter as opposed to housing rabbits on perforated floors.

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“…However, an adequate and effective simulation of such conditions may be difficult to manage in the laboratory. Subordinate, 1-year-old wild rabbit females frequently experience conditions of long-term stress due to social challenges (von Holst 1998;von Holst et al 1999) and abiotic stressors (Myers et al 1977;Rödel et al 2004b), and suffer from notable body mass loss during the winter months (around 20% in first-year rabbits; Rödel 2000Rödel , 2005.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Abdominal odours of young, low-ranking European rabbit mothers are less attractive to pups: an experiment with animals living under natural breeding conditions

Rödel

Coureaud

Monclús

et al. 2008

J Ethol

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Lactating rabbit females (Oryctolagus cuniculus) emit abdominal, ventral odour cues that are involved in guiding the pups to the nipples. We tested the impact of the females' social rank and age on the emission of this odour signal; both factors are highly collinear in wild rabbits and we did not aim to disentangle them in our study. We predicted that the abdominal odours of young, low-ranking females, which are usually more stressed and have a comparatively lower body condition, should be less attractive to pups than those of older, high-ranking females. For the experiment, we caught females from a population of wild-type European rabbits living in a large field enclosure. Pairs of adult females were placed in boxes with wire-mesh floor fixed over an arena with three rabbit pups aged 4-7 days old. First, we evaluated the effectiveness of our two-choice design by testing lactating females (LF) against non-lactating (NLF) controls (n = 17 pairs). In accordance with recent studies, the pups showed a clear preference for lactating females by means of a higher exploration time and more local searching under the ventral region of these females. In a second experiment, the pups chose between lactating 1-year-old, low-ranking females (Y/LRF) and older, high-ranking females (O/HRF) (n = 10 pairs). These latter assays suggested a comparatively lower attractiveness of Y/LRF females to pups searching for milk. Although the pups showed no significant preference in exploration behaviour, they preferably directed local searching events to the abdominal region of O/HRF females. In conclusion, our study suggests that motheroffspring chemosensory communication is modified by the mother's age and social rank, i.e., by a complex of factors that are strongly linked in rabbit females in the wild.

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Winter feeding behaviour of European rabbits in a temperate zone habitat

Cited by 18 publications

References 19 publications

Fox Odour Increases Vigilance in European Rabbits: A Study under Semi‐Natural Conditions

Fox Odour Increases Vigilance in European Rabbits: A Study under Semi‐Natural Conditions

Impact of rearing mangement on health in domestic rabbits: a review

Abdominal odours of young, low-ranking European rabbit mothers are less attractive to pups: an experiment with animals living under natural breeding conditions

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