title: Survey of the husbandry, health and welfare of 102 pet rabbits.
abstract: One hundred and two pet rabbits were examined and their husbandry, health and welfare were reviewed. The most common breed was the dwarf lop (n = 38). The most common problem was dental disease, which affected 30 rabbits although only six of their owners were aware of the problem, which was significantly associated with feeding a rabbit mix. All the rabbits were housed in ;hutches' at some stage, but 89 had access to the outside and 47 came inside the home at times. Hutches bought at pet shops were significantly smaller than home-made hutches. Forty-five of the rabbits were housed alone; the relationships between rabbits with rabbit companions were described by their owners as ;very friendly' for 84 per cent of them and ;quite friendly' for the rest.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Veterinary Science, University of Bristol, Langford House, Langford, Bristol BS40 5DU.
authors.forename: S M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Mullan
authors.forename: D C J
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Main
mesh_terms: D000822:Animal Husbandry / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards; D000827:Animal Welfare; D000818:Animals; D000829:Animals, Domestic; D001522:Behavior, Animal; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D004032:Diet / Q000662:veterinary; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006799:Housing, Animal / Q000592:standards; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D010808:Physical Examination / Q000662:veterinary; D011817:Rabbits / Q000502:physiology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014076:Tooth Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000662:veterinary; D006113:United Kingdom / Q000453:epidemiology