Testosterone And Dihydrotestosterone Production In Genetically Furless And Furred Male Rabbits And Effects On Growth
January 2008
in “
Proceedings of the 9th World Rabbit Congress, Verona, Italy, 10-13 June 2008
”
TLDR Furless male rabbits grew slightly faster and heavier than furred ones, but testosterone levels were not the cause.
The study examined testosterone (T) and dihydrotestosterone (DHT) levels in furless and furred male rabbits to see if these hormones affected growth. Blood samples from 40 male rabbits out of 96 weaned male and female fryers from 35 litters were analyzed after a 42-day growth period. The findings indicated no significant difference in the mean serum concentrations of T and DHT between the two groups. Furless rabbits showed a non-significant trend towards faster average daily gain (ADG) and heavier final body weights compared to furred rabbits. The research concluded that androgenic alopecia models do not explain the growth differences seen, suggesting other physiological factors may influence the better growth performance in furless male rabbits.
