Sexual behavior of male New Zealand white rabbits in an intensive production unit.

Abstract

Sexual behavior in the male white New Zealand rabbit in intensive production units is not fully documented. Therefore, the objective of this work was to provide further information about the sexual behavior of this species in intensive production systems. Fourteen 6- to 12-month-old rabbits were studied for 6 months (July/December) when housed individually under natural photoperiod (19 degrees latitude north). They were mated once a week. When mated they were exposed at 6-min intervals to five oestrous females. The number of mounts, time between mounts, time and number of ejaculations, time between ejaculations, and also enuresis, grasping and kicking were recorded. Mounts (n=222) were observed and recorded. Males mated one to five times during each evaluative session. Enuresis was present only in one observation. Sexual aggressiveness such as grasping and kicking was present during 142 and 133 matings. Time for mounting and ejaculation in accumulated means (minutes, seconds, tenths) from the first to the fifth mount were noted and an accumulative average of 4.20 min for the fifth mounting was noted. Minimum times for ejaculation and next mating was 00:17:00 min and maximum was 05:33:03 min. It was concluded that sexual behavior in white New Zealand male rabbits remained unchanged through the duration of the period of study.