Allevamento delle lepri in gabbie harem o in gabbie con coppie fisse

Abstract

Hare behaviour was video recorded during two years. In the first yearr the hares were video recorded during the whole day; in the second year the hares were video recorded February thriugh March, April through May, and June through July, from 8:00 AM to 10:30 AM, and from 4:00 PM to 6:30 PM (peaks of activity observed during daylight) Presence in display zone of the cages, rest, feeding, drinking, locomotion, reproduction, comfort and stereotypes were video recorded. Results showed that: presence in display zone decreased February through June. Repeated activities (stereotypes) were observed, in couple bred hares during the whole season while in harem bred hares mainly during the starting of the reproductive season. Aggressivness was mainly related to refuse of mating in couple-bred hares, and to feeding competitivity in harem.bred hares