Find out what makes mother rabbits eat their kitts
Why mother rabbits eat their young
It
is very rare to witness a mother rabbit eating her babies just after birth.
When this happens, do not be alarmed, the rabbit is not doing it because it is inherent,
but rather to protect what she feels she can protect. I will discuss some of
the reasons why a mother rabbit eat her babies in this post to help us
understand why rabbits do this.
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| Mother rabbit and her Kitts in a protected serene environment |
Mother Rabbits eat their babies because of fright
Rabbits
are prey animals that exist at the bottom of the hierarchy. In the rabbit’s
perspective, everything out there has a huge set of fangs or a very sharp beak,
along with a very big appetite. However, that does not mean it just gives
itself up and lays down on the dinner plate. The doe does all she can to
personally survive and keep having babies for the good of the species.
If
she is in the process of giving birth or she already has babies and she is
being housed in a very stimulating or environment (i.e. full of dogs, cats or
too much noise), she will feel threatened,
get confused or frustrated. This lead to eating her babies, destroying any
evidence that will attract perceived predators (including you) or reduce her
chance of survival. This problem can be nipped by providing an environment
where the doe will feel safe and she will do very well raising her babies.
Mother Rabbits eat their stillbirths and defective babies
It
is not uncommon for rabbits to eat their stillbirths. This is nature’s way of
cleaning up the mistake. Sometimes the mother discovers that one or two of the
kits are injured, defective or too runty to survive, and she eats them to
preserve energy and milk for the remaining kits.
Nutritional deficiencies cause mother rabbits to eat their babies
Nutritional deficiencies is
one of the reasons a rabbit eats her babies. It is normal for these vegetarian
animals to eat the after birth, as it is for most other mammals as it provides
the mother with the much-needed nutrients lacking in her. If the rabbit eats
part of her first litter, that is understandable. You should consider improving
her diet.
Make
sure she is given fresh feed and plenty hay at all times. Supplement the feed
with wheat or barley, watermelon fruits and seeds, which will help her make plenty
of milk
Rabbits eating their babies may occur for
other reasons too, such as no drinking water, improper nesting, and
inexperience of the breeder. However, if a doe, especially after the second
litter, keeps eating or biting her babies it is better to stew her and
eliminate this bad characteristic.
Contrary
to what many assume, this behavior is not cannibalism and should not be
mistaken for cannibalism.
Note
that:
- Mother Rabbits do not eat their babies if you touch the babies. I advise you do not touch the babies until they are 12 days old.
- Mother Rabbits do not eat the babies just because the want to eat them. It is not inherent in rabbits to eat their babies. Most of the cases are due to a stimulating environment.
- They do not eat their babies when they are fully developed i.e. eyes opened, hair grown all over their body etc. This behavior is common only during birth or hours after birth. If you notice blood and scattered body parts on the floor, or missing baby rabbits 2 weeks after their birth, you should be 100% sure it was not the doe that did it. A cat, rat, dog, or an unknown predator that you need to find out for yourself is probably responsible.
- A buck will never attack the young rabbits after or during birth, but may stress the mother, get her confused and frustrated by attempting to mount her. The buck should be removed even before the doe gives birth.
