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Bovine babesiosis (BB) is a vector-borne disease (VBD) that affects cattle in tropical and subtropical areas, caused by the haemoprotozoa <i>Babesia bovis</i> and <i>Babesia bigemina</i>. It is transmitted by tick bites belonging to the genus <i>Rhipicephalus</i> and is clinically characterized by high fever, depression, anorexia, decreased milk and meat production, haemoglobinemia, haemoglobinuria, jaundice, and pregnancy loss. In this study, the propagation of <i>B. bigemina</i> was evaluated by intraperitoneally inoculating 3 × 10⁶ red blood cells infected with <i>B. bigemina</i> into rabbits. The study showed that variations in rabbit body temperatures are related to induced bovine babesiosis. A significant increase in temperature (39.20 ± 0.23 °C) was observed from day 4 onwards, with the maximum temperature (40.80 ± 1.01 °C) on day 9 post-inoculation. This study included susceptible cross-bred calves for in vivo attenuation, and they were compared with an infected group. The calves in the infected group showed a significant increase in temperature (38.79 ± 0.03 °C) from day 3 onwards and a maximum temperature (41.3 ± 0.17 °C) on day 11. Inoculated calves showed a gradual rise in temperature post-inoculation, but the difference was not significant. Inoculated calves did not show parasitaemia, whereas 32% of infected calves displayed parasitaemia. As compared to inoculated calves post-inoculation, packed cell volume (PCV) decreased (16.36 ± 1.30) for infected calves. However, there were statistically significant differences (<i>p</i> ≤ 0.05) in temperatures, parasitaemia, and PCV in both inoculated and infected calves. The current study aimed to attenuate <i>B. bigemina</i> in rabbit models and evaluate the pathogenic potential of this organism in naive calves. In conclusion, <i>B. bigemina</i> proliferation was attenuated in rabbits. The rabbit model can be used to study <i>B. bigemina</i> in vivo in order to reduce its pathogenicity.