Behaviour of domestic rabbits during 2 weeks after weaning

Thirty three rabbits from five litters that were weaned at the age of 5 weeks were observed. The animals were kept in pens that were enriched with an elevation made of bricks. In total, 150 h of observations made at feeding time (07:30–10:00 and 18:00–20:30 LT, local time) were analysed. A number of affiliative, exploratory, comfort, eating, resting and locomotor behaviours were observed. Agonistic behaviour was not observed. Rabbits showed companion and location preferences: 56 % of animals had a preferred companion, and 84 % preferred a particular place in the pen. Significant effects of group size and time of day on the frequency of some forms of behaviour were found, e.g. rabbits performed comfort behaviours more often in the morning. Sex did not influence the rabbits' behaviour. Correlations were also found between different forms of behaviour, e.g. animals that performed more exploratory behaviours also showed more locomotor behaviours and affiliative interactions.