Hair corticosterone concentration as a potential stress marker in pet rabbits.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: As a prey species, rabbits tend to hide their illnesses and injuries. Consequently, pet rabbit owners often do not notice that their pet may be suffering. METHODS: Data on the housing and health of 34 dwarf rabbits were collected from a total of 22 rabbit owners. A score from 0 (not stressed) to 3 (highly stressed) was assigned to each rabbit based on the owners' reports. Afterwards, the hair corticosterone concentration (HCC) of the rabbits was analysed as an indicator of long-term stress. RESULTS: The mean HCC of all rabbits was 1.54 ± 0.64 pg/mg. Animals with a stress score of 3 had a higher HCC (2.17 pg/mg) than those with a score of 0 (1.09 pg/mg) or 1 (1.44 pg/mg) (p < 0.05). HCC was not significantly affected by sex or age (p > 0.05). LIMITATION: Only a small number of rabbits were included in the study. Therefore, the findings need to be confirmed in a larger cohort of animals. CONCLUSION: HCC seems to be a promising stress marker in pet rabbits.