Declawing of neonatal rabbits destined for use in animal biosafety level 4 containment studies

To protect personnel and protective outerwear from damage by scratching, rabbits to be housed in an Animal Biosafety Level 4 (ABSL4) facility are declawed routinely. The objective of the study presented here was to establish a procedure for declawing all four feet of neonatal rabbits in preparation for use in ABSL4 studies. Combining procedures conducted in private veterinary practice to remove dewclaws of canine pups with those used to declaw cats, we declawed rabbit kits at 3 to 8 days of age. Declawing neonates was believed to be advantageous because they are non-ambulatory, have soft, cartilaginous digits, and do not have extensive hair growth. These features resulted in decreased surgical preparation and surgery time, minimal bleeding, and minimal aftercare. The optimal age for declawing a litter was 6 or 7 days. Declawing of neonatal rabbits is relatively simple and efficient to perform and offers advantages over declawing of older animals. By using the method described, rabbits can be introduced into ABSL4 facilities by 12 weeks of age with confidence that nail regrowth will not occur.