Historically, welfare assessments have focused on indicators of reduced welfare. However, positive welfare indicators in animals have recently captured the interest of researchers, animal owners and the general public. Regarding the behavior of pet rabbits, there are several positive welfare indicators described in scientific articles. There are for example expressions of joy in the form of so-called "binkies" and "zoomies", social rabbit companionship and what is called "allogrooming", exploratory behavior and a couple of different kinds of resting positions when the rabbit obviously feels relaxed, safe and secure. The Swedish animal welfare legislation would need to be adjusted to ensure that companion rabbits can display the behaviors that are classified as positive welfare indicators. Even if rabbits are kept in hutches with approved sizes, access to larger areas is required in order for several of the positive welfare behaviors to be expressed. In addition, today it is far too easy to circumvent the requirement for rabbit companionship. From an animal welfare point of view, it would also be advisable to call for supervision and attention more than just once a day. Given how common but complex pet rabbits are, more research is needed on their behavior and welfare needs, but also more information and knowledge for both current and future rabbit owners.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UPSALLA1/oai:DiVA.org:lnu-104848 |
| Date | January 2021 |
| Creators | Nilsson, Marcus |
| Publisher | Linnéuniversitetet, Institutionen för biologi och miljö (BOM) |
| Source Sets | DiVA Archive at Upsalla University |
| Language | Swedish |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Student thesis, info:eu-repo/semantics/bachelorThesis, text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
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