Effect of breed, cage type, and reproductive phase on fecal corticosterone levels in doe rabbits.

Fecal corticosterone concentration (FCC) is increasingly being used as a noninvasive indicator of stress in assessment of nonhuman animal welfare. The aim of this study was to evaluate effects of breed, cage type, reproductive phase, and their interactions on FCC levels in doe rabbits. A total of 252 doe rabbits were randomly assigned to 2 groups. Does were individually housed in either standard dimension cages (SC) or in cages with a volume more than double that of the SC. Bigger cages (BC) were equipped with a plastic foot mat. Breed, cage type, and reproductive phase significantly affected FCC. New Zealand hybrids showed higher FCCs (p < .001) when compared with the autochthonous breed (27.77 ± 0.47 vs. 24.61 ± 0.36 pg g(-1), respectively). Increased cage size coupled with a plastic foot mat resulted in a significant decrease in doe FCC. The highest FCCs were detected at partum (BC: 30.40 ± 0.81 pg g(-1); SC: 33.36 ± 0.86 pg g(-1); p ≤ .05), followed by postweaning (BC: 25.09 ± 0.95 pg g(-1); SC: 27.63 ± 0.95 pg g(-1); p ≤ .05). These results support the hypothesis that measurement of FCC provides a useful indicator of chronic stress in doe rabbits.