Technical note: the measurement of soft faeces production is affected by the type of collar

Abstract:

The present study aimed to compare two types of plastic collar, either a rigid and flat one or a flexible and conical one, for collecting sofl faeces. Measurements were performed in two successive series (separated by 5 days) on a group of 10 hybrid adult rabbits (mean live weight = 3590 g) fed ad libitum a commercial pelleted diet. Rabbits equipped with a flat collar showed a slightly higher (not significant) feed intake, and a higher hard faeces excretion (+ 10%). The quantity of soft faeces collected was 20% higher (P=0.05) in rabbits wearing a flat collar, compared to a conical one (resp. 28.2 vs 22.0 g dry matter/day). The use of a flat and rigid collar instead of a flexible one is recommended to obtain a more accurate total collection of soft faeces in adult rabbit.

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