Breeding performance of newly acquired New Zealand white rabbits in Laboratory Animal Resource Unit (LARU), Institute for Medical Research (IMR) Malaysia

Inirah Che Ishak^1*, Syarifah Fatimah Syed Abdullah¹, Azlina Zulkapli¹, Siti Zubaidah Che Lem¹, Norazlina Md. Noh¹, Hasrizal Ahmat Indar¹, Panirselvam Karupiah¹, Logeswary Gopal Supprayan¹, Sivagami Sekar¹, Nur Izmawati Ab Razak¹ and Nur Iman Salehah Mat Il’¹

1. Laboratory Animal Resources Unit (LARU), Institute for Medical Research (IMR), Jalan Pahang, 50588 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

*Corresponding author: Inirah Che Ishak. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Tel: +6017-352 8074

CITATION: Che Ishak I, Syed Abdullah SF, Zulkapli A, Che Lem SZ, Md Noh N, Ahmat Indar H, et al. Breeding performance of newly acquired New Zealand white rabbits in Laboratory Animal Resource Unit (LARU), Institute for Medical Research (IMR) Malaysia. International Medical Research Journal. 2025 May 30;11(1):49–58. https://doi.org/10.63719/imrj.2025.11.01.005

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ABSTRACT
The rabbit breeding program conducted in 2021 at the Rabbit Breeding Unit of the Laboratory Animal Resource Unit (LARU), Institute for Medical Research (IMR), was designed to evaluate the reproductive performance of newly arrived New Zealand White rabbits within a structured breeding and management system. The key aspects of the study included random pairing and mating of rabbits every three weeks. All six rabbits in the program were housed under natural conditions, with ambient temperature and a uniform feeding regimen. The findings revealed that does with larger litters exhibited higher pre-weaning mortality rates, indicating a potential challenge associated with litter size. Interestingly, factors such as ambient temperature did not significantly impact gestation length, conception rate, kindling rate, or parental mortality rates. This suggests that the breeding success may be more closely linked to husbandry practices and overall management rather than external environmental conditions. Despite this being the first breeding cycle for all rabbits, the program's success underscores the importance of effective husbandry, management, and dedicated care in achieving positive reproductive outcomes. This study emphasised the importance of proper husbandry and management practices in ensuring breeding success while minimising stress on the animals.

KEYWORDS: rabbits, reproductive performance, comprehensive breeding and management, ambient temperature, breeding cycle