Light intensity and fur-chewing in rabbits

Abstract

Extract

Madam:-, Fur-chewing is a relatively common apparent behavioural problem of farmed rabbits. Unlike the preparturient doe, who pulls out fur from ventral body surfaces to line her nest, rabbits of either sex which fur-chew, bite off hair from any part of the body which is accessible and may partially denude more than 50% of their body surface. The condition often appears to be self-inflicted, and unlike whisker chewing in mice, or feather plucking in chickens, a rabbit may either chew its own fur or that of others. The condition is a serious problem for commercial producers of rabbit pelts and for those attempting to carry out nutritional studies which require analysis and comparison of food intake and faecal output. For instance, in digestibility studies, fur-chewing constitutes a confounding variable in relation to nitrogen analysis.