Sex effect in mutual olfactory relationships of individually caged rabbits

Figures & data

Figure 1. Experimental cage consisting of three contiguous individual compartments delimited by a solid tin wall that impair the animals seeing each other, and provided with small holes allowing the olfactory perception of the contiguous rabbits

Note: The rabbit at right is smelling at the wall.

Table 1. Frequency of sniffing occurrences of males showing a preference for one of the does set at both sides of the buck’s cage

Day	Buck 1		Buck 2		Buck 3		Total
	Preference	No preference	Preference	No preference	Preference	No preference	Preference	No preference	p
1	38	8	7	7	11	7	56	22	0.001
2	15	7	9	3	10	4	34	14	0.004
3	5	2	7	4	16	2	28	8	0.001
4	13	5	9	3	6	5	28	13	0.019
5	7	7	6	4	11	1	24	12	0.046
6	14	6	6	6	11	5	31	17	0.043
7	7	7	9	5	3	2	19	14	0.384
1–7 (media ± DS, sample)	14.1 ± 11.2	6.0 ± 2.0	7.6 ± 1.4	4.6 ± 1.5	9.7 ± 4.2	3.7 ± 2.1	31.4 ± 11.9	14.3 ± 4.3	0.001
1–7 (media, all the time)	70.5	30.0	38.0	23.0	48.5	18.5	157.0	71.5
1–7 (%)	70.2	29.8	62.4	37.6	72.3	27.7	68.8	31.2

Figure 2. A buck is displaying an olfactory behavior towards a doe located in a contiguous cage delimited by a solid tin wall provided with small holes

Figure 3. Duration of occurrence of males sniffing and scratching at the separation wall after being put into the cages

Figure 4. Percentage of occurrences of does showing a preference or no preference for the male (mean of three replications)

Notes: ^*—p < 0.05; ^**—p < 0.01; ^***—p < 0.001; n.s.—p > 0.05.