Behavioural data were collected on 10 New Zealand White rabbits to assess the efficacy of a post-operative analgesic regime. Rabbits were subjected to an ethically approved medical experiment requiring abdominal surgery and implantation of a telemetry device. Prior to surgery rabbits were anaesthetised using an oxygen isoflurane mix and given carprofen (2mg/kg) as a peri-operative analgesic. Rabbits were housed individually in standard laboratory cages throughout. Data were collected for 24-21h prior to surgery (T1) as a behavioural control, 0-3h immediately post-surgery (T2) as the period of maximum anaesthetic recovery and analgesic activity, 3-6h (T3) as anaesthesia declined whilst analgesia remained active. Data were analysed using ObserverXT to identify behavioural changes, the significance of which was assessed using a Friedman's test for several related samples. Those behaviours absent or of low occurrence in T1, elevated in T2 and persistent into T3 were considered useful pain indicators. Behaviours which began to decline between T2 and T3 were considered to indicate withdrawal from anaesthesia. A number of behaviours were also found to be expressed in T1 but extinguished in periods T2 and T3 suggesting that absence of behaviours may also be associated with pain. Given these criteria, significant behavioural changes that we conclude are indicative of pain include reduced "grooming" (p=0.001), "eating" (p=0.004), "stretching" (p=0.001), "hopping" (p=0.004) and "rearing" (p<0.0001) and an increase in "full-body-flexing" (p=0.001), "tight-huddling" (p=0.024), "hind-leg-shuffling" (p=0.019) and "postural change frequency" (p=0.037). Those behaviours which are significantly associated with anaesthesia recovery are increased "ventral lying" (p=0.002), "drawing-back" (p=0.001), "staggering" (p=0.002) and "closed eyes" (p=0.001). We postulate that peri-operative pain management used in this study does not entirely ameliorate the pain effects of abdominal surgery. Additionally, for the effective application of best-practice post-operative care, the above behaviours can provide routes by which carers may identify any requirement for additional post-operative analgesia.