Rabbits are very clean animals and there is little need to shave the hair on a surgical prep. A cotton applicator dipped in alcohol is sufficient to kill skin pathogens. Rabbits are considered one of Nature's most nurturing species, for instance a doe will spend most of her day nursing her young. Furthermore, a doe will pluck out most of the hair along the ventral surface of her body to make a soft nest for the bunnies. The doe is always taken to the buck's cage for mating, since the buck is highly territorial.
Staphylococcal infections are the primary upper respiratory pathogens for all laboratory species.
Bordetella bronchiseptica is of particular importance for facilities which house both rabbits and guinea pigs, since the pathogen is relatively innocuous for rabbits but quite deadly to guinea pigs. Bordetella bronchiseptica is a pathogen only for swine. The euthanasia method of choice for adult rabbits is the same as for other laboratory rodents, cervical dislocation. This method must be approved through the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee at the time the experimental protocol is reviewed. This method must be approved through the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee at the time the experimental protocol is reviewed.