The Impact of Transportation on the Cortisol Level of Dwarf Rabbits Bred to Animal-Assisted Interventions
Institute of Animal Husbandry, Kaposvár Campus, Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences, 40. Guba S. u., 7400 Kaposvár, Hungary
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Animals 2024, 14(5), 664; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14050664
Submission received: 8 January 2024
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Revised: 29 January 2024
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Accepted: 17 February 2024
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Published: 20 February 2024
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Companion Animal Welfare: Focusing on the Future)
Simple Summary
Rabbits’ participation in Animal-Assisted Interventions is increasing. Rabbits are loveable animals, their handling is quick to learn, their body language is simple to read and they can be easily transported into several institutions from kindergarten to palliative care homes. While the positive impact of interventions on humans is indisputable, there is little available information about the effects on animals themselves. Regularly transporting the rabbits to the place of the intervention can be a source of stress, but we assume that they can be trained, and animals can get used to it by offering feed (hay, carrot and apple) and providing appropriate circumstances. Cortisol hormone secretion is initiated as the response to stress and metabolites of cortisol can be isolated in feces samples by laboratory analysis. Using this method we can obtain adequate information about the experienced stress caused the transportation, without disturbing the animals. According to our results, based on the laboratory analysis, repeated transportation causes a significant rise in stress hormone metabolite levels in feces samples regardless of the offered treats during the transport. Those owners who use rabbits for Animal-Assisted Intervention purposes need to take into account that transportation itself is a stressful experience for the animals.
Abstract
(1) Background: the popularity of rabbits has increased during the last decade and become the third most common companion animal in the EU. Rabbits’ participation in Animal-Assisted Interventions (AAIs) is growing. It is highly important to ensure the well-being of the animals in AAIs. Whereas the needs and the advantages of people involved in AAI are becoming more and more evident, the needs of animals are not clearly defined, therefore, it is a great field of inquiry. Animals who are used for AAI need to be transported regularly, which itself might be a source of stress. (2) Methods: the stress of rabbits—caused by transportation—was measured in a non-invasive way: cortisol levels were determined from feces, based on their breakdown products. Eighteen animals were involved in the study. Rabbits experienced a 30 min transportation every second day for two weeks (altogether six times) while 126 samples were collected. (3) Results: rabbits could handle the transportation procedure the first time but subsequently the stress hormone metabolites in feces samples increased regardless of the offered treatments (hay, carrot and apple) during the carriage. (4) Conclusions: those owners who use rabbits for Animal-Assisted Interventions need to take into account that transportation itself is a stressful experience for the animals.
Keywords:
rabbits; animal-assisted interventions; AAI; stress; transportation; cortisol
