Use of rabbit-appeasing pheromone in mist form helps pet rabbits cope with transport.

Spraying rabbit-appeasing pheromone in transport crates reduces fear behaviors and promotes adaptive stress coping in rabbits.

This controlled experimental study evaluated the efficacy of rabbit-appeasing pheromone (RAP) delivered in mist form to reduce transport-associated stress in pet rabbits. Twenty-four 5-month-old New Zealand White rabbits were divided equally into RAP-treated (n=12) and control (n=12) groups and subjected to a standardized 30-minute car trip. Behavioral assessment via video recording and serial corticosterone measurements (baseline at 2 days pre-transport, immediately post-transport, 2 days post-transport, and 8 days post-transport) were used as outcome measures. Behaviorally, control rabbits exhibited significantly prolonged ear-back posture (mean difference 512.88 seconds), a recognized indicator of fear and negative affective states in rabbits, while RAP-treated rabbits maintained erect ear posture significantly longer (mean difference 544.47 seconds), suggesting greater alertness and reduced fear. Controls also trended toward greater agitation. Neuroendocrinologically, RAP-treated rabbits paradoxically showed a tendency toward higher post-transport corticosterone levels, though this difference was not statistically significant and levels normalized by day 2 and day 8. The authors interpret this corticosterone pattern as indicative of a shift from a passive, fear-based coping strategy in controls toward an active, adaptive coping strategy in RAP-treated animals. The combination of calmer behavioral profile with a transient corticosterone response suggests RAP facilitates engagement rather than suppression of the stress response. RAP application to transport crates represents a non-invasive, practical intervention for reducing transport-related welfare concerns in pet rabbits.

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