Herein, male juvenile rats (23th postnatal days (PND)) were exposed to chlorpyrifos (CPS) (7.5 mg/kg b.wt) and/or iprodione (IPD) (200 mg IPD /kg b.wt) until the onset of puberty (60th day PND). Our results demonstrated that IPD and/or CPS exposure considerably reduced locomotion and exploration. However, CPS single exposure induced anxiolytic effects. Yet, neither IPD nor IPD + CPS exposure significantly affected the anxiety index. Of note, IPD and/or CPS-exposed rats showed reduced swimming time. Moreover, IPD induced significant depression. Nonetheless, the CPS- and IPD + CPS-exposed rats showed reduced depression. The individual or concurrent IPD and CPS exposure significantly reduced TAC, NE, and AChE but increased MDA with the maximum alteration at the co-exposure. Moreover, many notable structural encephalopathic alterations were detected in IPD and/or CPS-exposed rat brain tissues. The IPD + CPS co-exposed rats revealed significantly more severe lesions with higher frequencies than the IPD or CPS-exposed ones. Conclusively, IPD exposure induced evident neurobehavioral alterations and toxic reactions in the brain tissues. IPD and CPS have different neurobehavioral effects, particularly regarding depression and anxiety. Hence, co-exposure to IPD and CPS resulted in fewer neurobehavioral aberrations relative to each exposure. Nevertheless, their simultaneous exposure resulted in more brain biochemistry and histological architecture disturbances.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of cage floor type on different behavioural patterns, productive performance and carcass traits of growing rabbits. Twenty seven non sexed weanling growing New Zealand rabbits (4-5weeks of age) were used in this experiment. The animals were randomly divided into three groups of 9 rabbits according to the kind of cage floor. The first group was reared on wire mesh cage floor. While, the second group was reared on plastic hollow mat and the third one was on rubber hollow mat. A focal sample technique was used for recording the behavioural patterns throughout the experimental period (6 weeks). Rabbits were individually weighed at the commencement of the experiment and at weekly intervals along the experimental period. The feed consumption throughout the experiment was recorded weekly. The results revealed that the cage floor type had an effect on the drinking, aggression and abnormal behaviour time, but did not influence any other behaviours (feeding, ceacotrophy, comfort, social, resting and locomotion). The kind of cage floor had no impact on feed consumption, body weight, relative growth rate and carcass traits. While body weight gain, feed conversion ratio and feed efficiency were significantly better in the group reared on plastic cage floor (26.46±1.45g/day, 3.78±0.22 and 0.277±0.004, respectively). Cortisol level was significantly higher in wire caged rabbits than those reared on rubber and plastic cage floor (0.65±0.72 µg/dl vs 0.45±0.38 µg/dl and 0.37±0.12 µg/dl, respectively). It could be concluded that the application of rubber or plastic mat on the floor of wire cage reduced the aggressive and abnormal behaviour with lower cortisol level and improved growing rabbit productivity and potentially welfare.