Behavioral effects of handling rabbits in infancy☆
1973; Elsevier BV; Volume: 10; Issue: 6 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1016/0031-9384(73)90179-0
ISSN1873-507X
AutoresVictor H. Denenberg, M. Virginia Wyly, Joan Kennedy Burns, M. X. Zarrow,
Tópico(s)Animal Behavior and Welfare Studies
ResumoDutch-belted and Florida White rabbit pups were handled on Days 1 to 20 of life in a fashion similar to that used in handling rats. In addition, the rabbit doe was locked out of the cage for 22 hr daily to minimize social interaction with her young. The doe was excluded from the nest box and her young until an hour after handling, by which time the pups were in a quiescent state. The objective of this experiment was to determine whether handling effects could be obtained in the rabbit when there was no interaction of the mother with her pups immediately subsequent to the handling experience. Handling was found to increase open-field activity in both strains. Handling also had a strong effect in increasing the exploratory behavior of the Dutch-belted rabbit; the handled Florida White rabbit explored more as well, but the magnitude of difference was less than that found with the Dutch-belted strain. The Dutch-belted rabbits approached and spent more time near a stimulus rabbit than did their controls, while no difference was obtained with the Florida White strain. These findings, in conjunction with other experimental data, strongly argue that handling in and of itself brings about differences in behavior independent of any maternal interaction with the pups. In addition, the results with the rabbits are remarkably similar to the results obtained with rats, suggesting that the handling technique has broad interspecies generality.
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