What could be nicer than a fluffy rabbit? Only a little rabbit. They are beautiful, funny and watching them is a pleasure. What kind of shock for a breeder can be the fact of eating and destroying her newborn cubs by the cute mom and rabbit. In this article we consider the main reasons for such cruel behavior of the female.
Why rabbit
To begin with, it should be noted that genetically, in female rabbits of any breed, the maternal instinct is very well developed. After giving birth, they take care of the offspring, teach independence. It is necessary to remember that without a reason the female does not behave this way. And the reasons for this may be a lot. The most common is nutritional deficiency. Imagine if a rabbit elementarily hungry, having survived the stress for the body in the form of childbirth, she may be disoriented and simply not be recognized in the babies of her children. Then the feeling of hunger takes over. 
The main reason for the rejection of baby rabbits is the presence of foreign odor. Therefore, a person should not touch the newborn. In addition, an inexperienced mother rabbit can just trample their children. Of course, not on purpose. In an effort to protect or warm them, it simply does not calculate its dimensions. Let's take a closer look at the reasons for this behavior of rabbits after giving birth in order to secure their farm as much as possible.
Refusing to baby rabbits
Consider why the rabbit may refuse to feed her cubs, as well as the reasons for such behavior and its consequences. And most importantly: how to still feed the kids and prevent their death. Each rabbit breeder, sooner or later, may be confronted with the fact that after giving birth the rabbit does not allow newborns to come to feed. The risks in this case are obvious. Without mother's milk, rabbits will die. Let's look at the likely causes and how to deal with them to save the lives of kids.
Did you know? Rabbit appetites are amazing. Thus, the average eared can eat at one meal the volume of grass about 40 * 40 * 15 cm, which exceeds its own dimensions.Many experts describe the frequent cases where the female immediately after childbirth wants mating again. In this, it would seem, there is nothing bad, but it is because of the increased activity that she can not only trample the rabbits, but also does not want to feed them at all. No wonder, because her head is occupied with completely different things, and all her instincts are directed exactly in that direction. In this state, the rabbit can be up to three days. But only if 3 days do not feed the offspring - it will not survive. What, then, is recommended by experienced breeders?
First of all, it is necessary to secure the rabbits. Most often, they are simply transferred to the nest of another rabbit and sprinkled with its down. This is necessary in order for her to recognize her smell. Thus, the babies will be taken care of. But the rabbit, who is "naughty," you can safely hook the male. Best of all, if it is a rabbit with low productivity. So you will be saved from unwanted and too fast re-pregnancy, and the bunny will calm down.Another reason is called the hardened nipples of the female. The result is pain. In this case, the rabbits are settled in the nest to another nurse, and in the meantime you can lubricate the nipples of the newly made mother with oil (vegetable) or a special ointment and gently massage the skin around. Such a method brings results rather quickly, and children can be returned to their mother.
Important! Be sure to pay attention to the process of feeding, especially in the early days. This is due to the fact that if the baby is undernourished, it can be susceptible to disease, and if it overeats, it can rupture its internal organs. Mother, in turn, needs milk to be used as much as possible. If it remains, then in the future the female's body will not produce it in sufficient quantities to feed all the rabbits. Residue milk can also provoke mastitis.In addition, rabbits, like any animals, are very sensitive to odors. If the female smells a strange smell that is unpleasant to her, she will be disturbed, start to get nervous and refuse to feed the cubs. To secure the brood, you should make sure that in the place where the cage stands, there are no smells from the following list:
- petrol;
- alcohol;
- perfume;
- acetone;
- other animals.
But there are also cases when the rabbit simply does not have enough nipples for all rabbits. In this case, experts recommend dividing the nest. This means that the number of cubs in several nests is equalized so that the babies receive enough nutrition. In addition, you can still translate rabbits to artificial feeding, but to do it without emergency is undesirable.Trampling rabbits
Everyone knows that rabbits are fearful. And anything can scare them. Most often, the rabbitts trample their cubs, not because they want so much, it is an absolutely unconscious action.
Important! It is important not to give the rabbit sugar and sweets. It's all about heart rate. Thus, the normal pulse for different species of eared animals and in a different disposition of the spirit is 130-325 beats / min. For comparison, the rate of human pulse is 60-70 beats / min. With the consumption of sweet glucose levels in the blood increases with the pulse. The result may be a heart failure. Do not give sugar to rabbits!
The reasons for trampling can be several:
- Lack of space. No wonder the breeders strongly recommend that the pregnant female be moved to a larger cage. If the female does not have enough space to just turn around in a cage, of course, the little ones can suffer from this.
- Scare. If the rabbit scares something or she feels some kind of threat, she can start tossing around the cage restlessly.
- Inexperience. Young rabbit after the first birth may or may not calculate strength, or do not have sufficient skills to handle children with care.
- Disease. Science knows diseases in which the female becomes uncontrollable and can harm the baby rabbits.
In any case, if the breeder notices that the rabbit is behaving restlessly, you must immediately take the necessary measures to save the rabbit and be sure to find out the reasons. After all, only by knowing the cause, you can qualitatively deal with the consequences.Video: rabbit trampled rabbits
Eats his little rabbits
There are cases when, after some time after giving birth, you approach the cage and see there only a rabbit. Why does she behave this way? There are several reasons for this:
- the first thing that comes to mind, and that was described above - thirst, not just during the period of pregnancy and lactation, the female needs good nutrition and clean fresh water with no restrictions.
- the rabbit eats a part of her cubs and in the event that knows about the lack of milk to feed everyone;
- The most common reason experts call birth of dead rabbits: the smell of a cadaver is very strong and attracts a large number of predators, having got rid of such sources, the rabbit protects live offspring.
Find out why the rabbit scatters rabbits right after the field and behaves aggressively.
What to do to prevent such incidents
In order for the number of surviving rabbits to be maximum, you need to follow a few simple rules:
- As soon as the females pregnancy was confirmed - immediately move her to a large cage.
- The cage itself should be in a quiet place, with unlimited access to fresh air.
- Translate the rabbit to an intensive diet (there are special norms for pregnant rabbits for each breed).
- Do not forget that the female should always have fresh water in unlimited quantities.
- Avoid loud and harsh sounds.
- Never touch newborns unless absolutely necessary.
If such a need arose, then do the following:
- Wash your hands thoroughly with soap.
- Rub a little hay between your palms to make the smell more natural.
- Make sure you don't smell any chemicals, other animals, or alcohol.
