Rabbit chin-marking

Hudson, R., Gonzalez-Mariscal, G. and Beyer, C. (1990) Chin marking behavior, sexual receptivity, and pheromone emission in steroid-treated, ovariectomized rabbits. Hormones Behav. 24, 1-13. 

Rabbits, 0. cuniculus, chin-mark (Fig. 6.4) near their warren entrances and at boundaries to neighboring groups. Only the dominant male marks. This has been demonstrated by comparing gas chromatograms of the chin gland... 

FIGURE 6.4 A domestic rabbit scent marks by chinning . (Photograph ... 

Domestic female rabbits mark more when in estrus and prefer to over-mark scent marks by males. They also prefer to mark over chin marks, as opposed to urine and control odors, and prefer to over-mark chin marks from donors living in a long daylight cycle over those from short-day animals (Hudson and Vodermayer, 1992). 

Hudson, R. and Vodermayer, T. (1992). Spontaneous and odour-induced chin marking in domestic female rabbits. Animal Behaviour 43,329-336. 

Keeper substances in a scent secretion, and/or the nature of the substrate such as rock, wood or soil, impart longevity to a scent mark. In our own studies, scent marks of captive pronghorn, A. americana, were still noticeable to the human nose 4 months after all animals had been removed from a pen. Similarly, scent marks of the aardwolf, Proteks cristatus, last for up to 6 months (Apps etal, 1989). 2-Phenoxyethanol in the secretions from the chin gland of the rabbit is typical in dominant animals, serving as a fixative to extend the life of the signal (Hayes etal, 2001). 

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