Growth Performance and Behaviour Changes in Rabbits Housed in Cages With or Without Mirrior

摘要

The welfare of animals can undoubtedly be enhanced by enriching their environment and improving their housing and care. This leads to better growth and breeding performance (Morton et al, 1993). The current intensive rabbit rearing system for meat production holds small group of animals in the cages with a controlled environment. In India, the rabbits most often reared in back yard farming system. The rabbits are reared in individual cages to observe the performance, study the behavior, to reduce themortality (Dal Bosco et al, 2002) and to increase the carcass yield (Dal Bosco et al., 2002 and Dalle Zotte et al, 2008). The rabbits kept as laboratory and as pet animals are generally maintained individually, with social isolation can display the physiological symptoms of stress like stereotypic behaviour such as cage chewing, which are relieved by the presence of conspecifics (Held et al., 1995).