Neville Vikki, Hinde Keith, Line Elaine, Todd Rae, Saunders Richard Anthony
a Rabbit Welfare Association and Fund , Taunton , United Kingdom.
b Department of Clinical Veterinary Science , University of Bristol , Bristol , United Kingdom.
J Appl Anim Welf Sci. 2019 Apr-Jun;22(2):105-115. doi: 10.1080/10888705.2018.1438287. Epub 2018 Mar 6.
To identify implicit causes of companion rabbit relinquishment, this study investigated whether there was annual and seasonal variation in the number of advertisements and ages of rabbits posted as free or for sale on classified websites in the United Kingdom. The number of advertisements posted decreased from 2014 to 2016. There was an increase in the number of advertisements for free rabbits in winter compared with other seasons, which could be a result of caregivers' reduced willingness to interact with their rabbits and carry out husbandry during periods of inclement weather. Rabbits advertised as free were older than rabbits advertised for sale, and rabbits relinquished due to human-related reasons were older than those relinquished because of rabbit-related factors. It is recommended that further research is undertaken to elucidate whether providing education to prospective rabbit caregivers regarding the life span of rabbits and their substantial husbandry requirements, especially in winter, would deter the purchase of rabbits by caregivers unable or unwilling to care for them in the long term.
为了确定伴侣兔被遗弃的潜在原因，本研究调查了在英国分类网站上发布的免费或待售兔子广告数量以及兔子年龄是否存在年度和季节性变化。2014年至2016年期间，发布的广告数量有所下降。与其他季节相比，冬季免费兔子的广告数量有所增加，这可能是由于照顾者在恶劣天气期间与兔子互动和进行饲养的意愿降低所致。免费广告的兔子比待售兔子年龄大，因人为相关原因被遗弃的兔子比因兔子相关因素被遗弃的兔子年龄大。建议进一步开展研究，以阐明向前瞻性兔子照顾者提供有关兔子寿命及其大量饲养要求的教育，特别是在冬季，是否会阻止那些无法或不愿意长期照顾兔子的照顾者购买兔子。
