Behavior of a female rabbit before giving birth

Livestock » Rabbits

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Kira Stoletova

Calving is always an anticipated event on the farm. In order for the birth of baby rabbits to be successful, a number of preparatory actions should be carried out. A queen cell, a rabbit’s nest, is installed in the cage, which the female insulates with her own fur.

The female rabbit tears down the fluff, but does not make a nest

The nest must be ready for birth, otherwise the babies may freeze. However, pet owners often face the problem that the rabbit nest is not ready for birth. What to do when the female refuses to insulate the queen cell?

How to recognize pregnancy

Not every mating ends with a positive result.
It is impossible to immediately determine whether it was possible to fertilize the female. Some rabbit breeders note that a successful attempt slightly changes the behavior of the rabbit. She begins to behave aggressively with males, selects fluff from her abdomen and eats food more actively. The effectiveness of mating can be reliably checked only after 2 weeks. The female rabbit, turning her head towards herself, is taken out of the cage onto a flat surface. If the animal tries to escape and behaves extremely restlessly, then you need to lightly stroke it on the stomach. Then the female is held by the withers with one hand, and the belly in the pelvic area is gently palpated with the other. Pregnancy is indicated by the presence of oval compactions measuring 1-2 cm, located in a chain in both horns of the uterus.

How to prepare for childbirth

It is necessary to prepare for the birth in time. Very often, proper preparation is not carried out, and this is a big mistake. Pregnant and lactating females need large amounts of food and water

Make sure your rabbit always has fresh water and food in her cage. It is very important to properly prepare the nest for birth. Firstly, before placing the nest in the cage of a pregnant rabbit, it must be thoroughly disinfected in order to protect the expectant mother and her offspring from infectious diseases

You can use hot water and a solution of potassium permanganate for disinfection. The nest should be thoroughly cleaned with a brush. If you used a disinfectant, you will need to rinse the cage with hot water after the disinfectant has dried to prevent the baby rabbits from licking it off. Usually the nest is placed with the female 4-5 days before the birth. If you place the nest too early, the female rabbit will most likely use it as a toilet. If the nest is laid too late, she will not have time to get used to it. The female needs time to get used to it. For the nest, place fresh, clean hay in the cage, which must be checked for the presence of foreign objects. It is best to use soft hay. A little hay should be put in the nest, and the rest should be scattered around the cage so that the rabbit herself can arrange the nest as she wants. However, some rabbits really don’t like it when hay is placed in the nest; they will deliberately throw it out of there. Rabbits love silence, especially for pregnant rabbits. Warn your family not to make noise near the cage or make sudden movements. Also, if possible, try not to transfer the rabbit into a new cage, especially if she is already in the late stages of pregnancy. A change in her usual environment can frighten her. Before the rabbit goes into labor, it is better for the owner to have a good rest, because when the rabbit is ready to give birth to cubs, she will no longer have to sleep. Many problems during birth can be avoided by checking your rabbit hourly. If you see that she is about to give birth, it is better to approach her every 10 minutes. Do not plan trips, do not make other plans if your rabbit gives birth on these days. The female may need your help and care. Hourly checking can save the lives of babies if they are born not in a nest, but on the floor of the cage. It may also happen that the rabbits are too large and the female rabbit cannot give birth to them without outside help. Developmental conditions during the uterine period significantly affect the viability and breeding qualities of rabbits. Therefore, the pregnant rabbit needs to be provided with adequate nutrition, a sufficient amount of fresh water, and kept in a bright room. You should not give her moldy and frozen food, as well as antibiotics. You need to treat a pregnant rabbit especially carefully and calmly. It is necessary to avoid anything that can cause her fear - in a panic, the rabbit makes sharp, unexpected leaps that can result in a miscarriage. If pregnancy is combined with lactation, then her diet must be composed most carefully.

How is the birth going?

The birthing process itself is very simple. Before giving birth, the female settles into the nest and begins to prepare for it. It is positioned in such a way that it is convenient to immediately lick the rabbits. When leaving the birth canal, the babies end up between the mother's hind legs. As soon as all the offspring are born, the mother eats the released placenta and carefully licks the cubs.

Baby rabbits are born with their hind legs first. Newborn babies are completely helpless, blind and bare-skinned. However, immediately after birth they are already able to suck mother's milk. As we said above, childbirth takes place within one hour, but usually this process is completed much faster - in 15-20 minutes.

Females do not need the owner's help during childbirth. Strong maternal instincts allow them to successfully cope on their own. The only thing a person needs to do right away is to examine the born offspring for the presence of dead rabbits. If there are any, they must be immediately removed from the nest. The remaining cubs need to be examined and made sure that they are all moving and not a single rabbit is frozen.

How long before giving birth does a female rabbit begin to tear up fluff?

If a female rabbit tears up the fluff to lay it in the nest (in other words, in the queen cell), this is a clear signal that labor will begin soon, literally in a few days. Most mother rabbits are good and conscientious mothers. Having plucked warm and soft fluff from her belly and chest in advance, the pregnant rabbit places it in a warm nest. This makes it possible to provide the newborn offspring with a fairly comfortable temperature and does not allow them to freeze, since the baby rabbit uses the mother’s down as a kind of blanket.

If, according to your calculations, the litter is already very close, and the female rabbit does not want to build a nest, you need to pluck out her fluff with your own hands and spread it in the queen cell.

The main reasons why a female rabbit does not tear up the fluff before giving birth and refuses to make a nest are:

underfeeding;
inexperience of the female (first pregnancy);
the animal is stressed or frightened by something.

If a female rabbit, pregnant for the first time, is preparing to give birth, but does not prepare the nest before giving birth, she needs to be monitored especially carefully. Often such “mothers” scatter the born babies throughout the cage and even eat the offspring.

When a female is carrying future offspring, the following rules must be observed:

there should be no drafts in the cage of the expectant mother;
the cage should be protected from sharp and loud sounds (for example, dogs barking and the roar of a tractor) and access to it by strangers should be limited;
if the birth time occurs in the summer, it is better to darken the cage a little;
the temperature inside the cage should not be higher than 33 degrees;
To prevent newborn babies from becoming infected with coccidiosis, you need to carefully monitor the cleanliness of the maternity ward and change the bedding regularly, once every two to three days.

With proper care and compliance with the rules listed above, childbirth usually goes quickly and easily. Their duration ranges from 10 to 15 minutes, occasionally (in especially large rabbit breeds) they last up to one hour. One litter can contain from one to twelve cubs.

This depends on many external factors: the age of the rabbit, the individual characteristics of her body, breed, diet, and so on.

Females usually give birth before dawn.

This is due to the natural characteristics of these animals: the rabbit is a very timid animal, and at night it is much quieter and calmer than in the daytime. The end of childbirth is characterized by a hollow abdomen and swollen nipples, and the female herself becomes much calmer. After birth, you need to carefully examine the baby rabbits and remove dead (if any) or sick babies. Frozen rabbits need to be warmed up.

Some females (especially during the first litter) scatter their cubs or separate them. In this case, the rabbits need to be taken away from her for one day. There is a possibility that she is in heat again and needs to be covered again. After a day, the mother usually calms down and accepts the offspring. While the cubs are weaned from their mother, they should be warmed up independently.

How to do it is very simple: pour warm water into a container (not hotter than 45 degrees) and wrap it in a towel. Place the baby rabbits on top of it and cover them with down. The towel should not have holes or snags, otherwise the rabbits may get caught on them and get damaged. Drop a small amount of condensed milk diluted with warm water into the mouth of each newborn. Cow's milk cannot be used, since it is very different from rabbit milk in composition.

After returning the children to the mother, examine her nipples. They should be swollen. Provide your rabbit with fresh water and adequate nutrition. Its milk productivity depends on this.

You cannot spy on the female in the nest, so as not to irritate the animal. She feeds the cubs once a day. The female never sits with the young rabbits in the nest all the time, since her characteristic smell is different from how the baby rabbit smells. This is an instinct to protect against predators (so that they don’t smell the babies).

12 hours after the mother has placed her babies in the nest, open the box and inspect the offspring.

If the bellies of the rabbits are dense and their skin is shiny, this means that they have enough milk. If the cubs' skin is cold, their stomachs are sunken, and their skin is dull in color, mother's milk is not enough for them. In this case, you need to either transfer them to artificial feeding or place them with a milkier female.

Postpartum care

Behind the rabbit

After giving birth, the female licks herself and the babies, feeds them, and then lays them down. A young rabbit going through her first birth may be confused: this is when her owner should help her. You need to gather all the cubs around the female and sprinkle them with fluff.

After giving birth, the animal drinks a lot because it has lost a lot of fluid. When there is a shortage of water, the female eats the cubs.

Giant rabbits never eat their offspring.

Sometimes, immediately after giving birth, the female rabbit goes into heat. Then she rushes around the cage, scatters the bedding and destroys the nest. You can immediately send her to the male for repeated mating. When this option is not suitable, you should close the queen cell from the female and let her in there once a day for feeding.

What to feed the female rabbit after giving birth? Her diet should be varied: it includes fresh vegetables and grass. A nursing rabbit is given milk daily.

For the little rabbits

After giving birth, the rabbit breeder must inspect the nest (the female should not see this!), count the newborns, and remove the dead and defective ones. There is no need to pull the babies out of the nest, touch them or stroke them. An unfamiliar smell may remain on them, which is why the rabbit will refuse them. All manipulations in the nest are done with clean hands!

When there are too many rabbits, you need to transplant some of them to another, less fertile female. The main rule is that cubs from both litters must be the same age. The rabbit breeder must pull out the extra little rabbits, clean them of fluff, carefully rub them with fluff from the new nest and place them with the new “brothers”.

It is necessary to monitor whether the cubs have enough food. If they are smooth and well-fed, everything is fine. If they crawl out of the queen cell and look thin and wrinkled, you need to place them with a new rabbit or start artificial feeding.

Nest box

2–5 days before the birth, a nesting box is installed in the cage and favorable conditions are created for the rabbit and newborns: the bedding should be dry, twilight and a calm environment in the cage is desirable. The cage must be reliably insulated from low temperatures and drafts, the nest box must be of a suitable size so that the female and her cubs can easily fit in it. If these requirements are met, childbirth outside the nest is excluded. But if it did happen, it means that something was not taken into account. For example, if the room temperature is 20 °C, and the cage has a solid bottom, then the female rabbit will probably give birth outside the box. A high-quality nest box is one of the important indicators of a successful birth. There are many options, but it is better to make an insert box that can be easily removed from the cage when the rabbits reach 25 days of age and if the room temperature is above 20 ° C and there are no drafts.

External signs of approaching labor

After mating, the female is placed in a separate cage. It is not advisable to keep her with a male to prevent repeated mating. The rabbit's uterus is two-horned, so a second fertilization is possible. Cubs from the second pregnancy are usually stillborn.

To make sure that the mating of the animals was successful, a week after mating, the female rabbit is again placed with the male. If the female behaves aggressively and allows the male to approach, it means she is pregnant.

The expectant mother is fed food rich in proteins, vitamins and minerals. Slightly dried green grass or hay, vegetables, root vegetables, grains and legumes, mixed feed - all of the highest quality, without rot and mold. The diet is increased approximately 1.5 times. At the same time, the female should not be overfed. In addition to a separate cage, they will equip a queen cell - a nest in which the female rabbit will give birth, and the cubs will spend the first weeks of life. The owner prepares a box inside the cage or builds a separate “room”, and the female rabbit makes a nest out of fluff.

The approach of childbirth is signaled by a change in the female's behavior. Either she becomes restless and even aggressive, or, on the contrary, timidly hides in the far corner of the cage

A few days before an important event in life, the expectant mother begins to insulate the nest. Pulls out fur on its chest, belly and lines the bottom of the queen cell

When the female rabbit begins to build a nest, there are 2-3 days left before giving birth. True, females also do this during a false pregnancy.

You can identify a pregnant female in the second half of pregnancy by carefully palpating the abdomen. It is better for an inexperienced breeder not to do this, so as not to harm the babies.

The rabbit is placed on her back and her fingers are gently moved along her lower abdomen. The animal's muscles should be relaxed. The embryos can be felt as a chain of small, dense balls.

A rabbit's pregnancy lasts from 28 to 34 days. The length of the period depends on the breed and the number of embryos. Large rabbits bear babies longer than representatives of dwarf breeds. Childbirth begins earlier if there are more than 8–10 rabbits in the litter. Delivery too early results in stillbirths. During pregnancy, the female's instinct to preserve offspring awakens. She becomes even more skittish

Therefore, it is important to provide the expectant mother with a quiet and peaceful place, away from noise sources. Miscarriage can occur due to any stress, strangers or other animals near the cage, a sharp sound and even bright light

If the rabbit has made a nest, but does not give birth, you need to carefully examine her.

If there are signs of pregnancy and the due date has passed, call the veterinarian. The female may not be able to give birth and will need a caesarean section. There is no time to waste here, otherwise both the cubs and the mother will die.
If the gestation period is short, 2–3 weeks, and the female has collected fluff but has not given birth, a false pregnancy is possible. In a few days the animal will return to normal and forget its “fantasies.” But of course she won’t have any rabbits. Experienced farmers claim that after a false pregnancy, the female can no longer bear healthy offspring. It is better to exclude such animals from breeding and not allow them to mate.

Summarizing

So, organizing a nest is an important moment for the future birth. There can be many reasons why a female refuses to build a rabbitry. Most often this occurs due to the loss of the maternal instinct, but stress or a poorly designed diet can also affect it.

The queen cell needs to be made with your own hands, but the female must bring it to fruition. If this does not happen, then you can artificially insulate the nest, but in this case, most likely the rabbit will abandon the offspring. To prevent this from happening, it is necessary to comply with sanitary standards for keeping a pet and protect the pregnant rabbit from sources of noise or strong odors. Therapeutic prevention also wouldn’t hurt: diseases can also be a source of stress for the animal.

Toxicosis

Early pregnancy in a rabbit can sometimes be accompanied by toxicosis. Manifestations of the body’s negative reaction to pregnancy can be weak and have almost no effect on the normal rhythm of the animal’s life. However, in some rabbits the toxicosis is very pronounced, and then the help of a veterinarian is often required. Toxicosis that requires medical treatment manifests itself as follows:

Frequent urination while maintaining the normal volume of urine output or its slight decrease;
Breathing disorders associated with difficulty;
Disturbances in the functioning of the central nervous system;
Severe depression;
A noticeable odor of acetone from the mouth.

If severe toxicosis occurs, which does not go away within 3 days, it is necessary to show the pregnant rabbit to a veterinarian.

How to find out if a rabbit is pregnant She constantly digs in the cage, this could be a sign

Green tea

Connoisseur, closed 5 years ago

She-wolf

Guru5 years ago

Pregnancy in rabbits lasts 28 - 35 days, but most female rabbits kitten at 31 - 32 days. Rabbits can become pregnant as early as 3 months old, and they can have offspring even when they are considered old. If the female rabbit has not met a male or she is sterilized, a false pregnancy may occur due to a hormonal imbalance. On the 25th day, the rabbits in the mother’s belly begin to move. This is a sure sign that we should soon expect an addition to the family.

If you know the date, that is, the mating was planned, then you begin to prepare on the 27th day of pregnancy. If you cannot determine the exact date, start preparing as soon as you notice fruit movement.

The rabbit's behavior changes. Some become aggressive, others, on the contrary, are too shy and want to hide in a hole. Still others behave as before. It all depends on temperament.

As the due date approaches, the female rabbit begins to tear out the hair from her chest and abdomen and collect it in one corner of the cage. She begins to circle around the cage with a bunch of hay or wool in her teeth. This is a sure sign that she is building a nest. For some females, the desire to build a nest arises 3-4 days before lambing, others begin this immediately before lambing, others do not build nests at all or start building after lambing.

She-wolf

Guru5 years ago

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How to determine the gender of a rabbit

To distinguish a boy from a girl rabbit, you will need special knowledge, without which this is often difficult to do. It's all about the structure of the organs of the reproductive system; it is this that makes it difficult for novice rabbit breeders to determine the sex of a rabbit. However, it is necessary to be able to do this, that is, to have dexterity.

As a result, breeding individuals may suffer losses, since the rabbit breeder will be forced to seek advice from a veterinarian, that is, he will spend a lot of time, effort and money. Therefore, for beginners, mating rabbits at home should be done taking into account the tips and rules.

Gender determination is carried out when the pet is 1 month old. If the rabbit is younger, then you won’t be able to tell if it’s a boy or a girl. Especially, you should not torture a newborn pet, since this may cause the female to stop feeding the baby with her milk.

However, even if a rabbit has reached the required age threshold, it is not a fact that its gender will be determined correctly. It happens that mistakes are made by those who breed these animals for years.

There are special rules you need to know:

When purchasing small pets, you don’t need to trust the sellers, as they may tell lies in order to sell the rabbit faster.
When purchasing, you should consult with someone who understands the breeding of rabbits and knows everything about these animals.
If you are unsure about choosing a pet, then it is better to think it over carefully and make a purchase later.
If you want to buy a rabbit, then you should choose one that is already 2 or more months old, since then you can determine the gender of the animal.

How to determine the sex of an adult rabbit

To determine the gender of your pet, you first need to calm the animal, since during the process the rabbit will struggle and may scratch with its claws on its hind legs. These animals have great physical strength, so the rabbit breeder needs to act carefully. Determining the sex of a pet includes the following steps:

The rabbit is placed on a flat surface and taken by the withers. The pet is raised slightly and sat on its hind legs. Immediately the animal is thrown onto its tail.

It is important here that the rabbit does not roll over on its belly. While the pet is in this position, you should feel the area where the organs of the reproductive system are located. If the pet is female, then when palpated, a sharp triangle similar to a tongue will appear

Otherwise, you may notice a penis that looks like a small bullet

If the pet is female, then when palpated, a sharp triangle similar to a tongue will appear. Otherwise, you may notice a penis that looks like a small bullet.

In addition, you can feel the boy's testicles, which protrude like tubercles. There must be two testicles, otherwise the pet is susceptible to the disease cryptorchidism, which is difficult to treat even with a vaccine.

Experienced rabbit breeders also advise placing the pet on its back on your lap and checking the genitals, however, this method is dangerous for humans, since there is a risk of serious injury from a frightened animal. This advice is especially not recommended if large individuals are bred.

How to determine the sex of little rabbits

Since young rabbits at a young age do not have fully developed organs of the reproductive system, they can be recognized using a magnifying glass

First you need to gently press on the central part of the area where the genitals are located. If the individual is female, then you won’t be able to see anything

In boys, you can see a bulge with a small hole.

To be able to correctly determine the sex of a small rabbit, it is worth practicing on older individuals.

In this case, you should pay attention to every little detail and minor differences. Only through experience can a rabbit breeder learn to classify rabbits by gender

The criterion that some rabbit breeders resort to is the behavior of the pet. However, this is not the most reliable method, since all young individuals are distinguished by playfulness, playfulness, and mobility. This is triggered by hormones and the desire of pets to always be on the move.

You can determine the sex of adults if you pay attention to the physical characteristics of the rabbit.

For example, a male pet is larger in size, his head is also large. This usually helps if the rabbit is a large breed.

It is also important to know everything about puberty in rabbits in order to be prepared for this and prevent unplanned mating

Problems with nest construction

If you follow the rules of caring for the animal, the female bears offspring for a month. 5 days before giving birth, the female rabbit makes a nest, sometimes this does not happen for the following reasons:

nutrition – lack or excess of food;
stress – the rabbit’s body reacts this way to many factors;
queen cell - its incorrect structure or absence.

One of the reasons that the female rabbit does not tear out the fluff to create a nest is stress. These mammals are one of the most timid animals. A pregnant animal experiences a feeling of fear more often

Because of this, you should not make noise near the rabbit; you should handle the animal carefully and protect it from possible stressful situations

Considering the characteristics of the nervous system of rabbits, it is important to provide comfortable conditions during childbirth - silence, peace, lack of lighting

When cleaning the nesting part of the cage, avoid noise, otherwise it will cause miscarriage. The female should not be picked up, because this is additional stress for the animal. You should not enter the rabbitry unless necessary, so as not to disturb the animal.

One of the main reasons why a female rabbit does not make a nest is an incorrect diet. The food should not contain nitrates or low quality products. Feed is given on a schedule so that the load on the digestive tract is reduced and the animal does not worry. Low quality feed should not be included in the animal’s diet. Because of this, the female begins to get sick and there is a risk of miscarriage. Her menu includes products containing vitamins and microelements.

In order for the female to prepare the nest box in time, follow these rules:

three days before birth, rabbits reduce the amount of food in their diet;
the animal should always have a container with fresh water;
During this period, it is worth giving the animal more green food.

One of the reasons that the female does not pluck fluff is the improper arrangement of her home. A queen cell is a small box

It is important that the animal does not feel cramped in it. They make it with their own hands

The entrance to the rabbit's home should be round in shape and slightly raised above the floor so that the rabbits cannot crawl out.

The mother rabbit needs a queen cell to successfully feed her offspring.

You cannot change the queen cell 2-3 weeks before giving birth, this causes unnecessary anxiety in the female. The birth of offspring should take place in a familiar environment. About 2 weeks before birth, the cage is washed well, and the queen cell is filled with hay. If the rabbit did not tear up her down, the nest box is not built correctly. Its size depends on the animal. In winter, during frosts, it must remain warm, and in summer, cool.

If a female rabbit tears up fluff for the nest, this means that offspring will be born in a few days. If the animal does not do this, you will have to tear out the fluff with your own hands and place it on the bottom of the box.

In order for the female to tear down the fluff and prepare the nest, the following rules are followed:

the nest is placed in a place protected from wind and drafts;
the animal is isolated from noise;
in summer the cage is shaded;
To prevent the offspring from contracting coccidiosis, the litter needs to be changed frequently.

If you follow the rules of caring for a pregnant female, calving takes 10-15 minutes. For larger animals this takes an hour. In one litter, from 1 to 12 individuals are born. More often than not, breeding begins early in the morning. This is due to the fact that these animals do not like noise, and night is the quietest period. The end of the litter can be seen by the swollen udder, the belly becomes sunken, and the female rabbit becomes calmer.

After the end of the birth, it is necessary to examine the offspring and remove the dead rabbits

It is important to warm those who are frozen

Female rabbits build a nest so that the offspring receive enough warmth and are protected. If the female does not tear her down, she should be closely watched. Such individuals are capable of scattering offspring throughout the cage

If the female has divided her litter, it is important to take all the cubs away from her for one day. After a while she will become calm and accept the cubs

During this period, it is worth ensuring good heating of the rabbits' nest. You can do this yourself. Warm water is filled into a bottle, wrapped in a towel and placed next to the babies. From above, the offspring are covered with rabbit fluff, which the female tore. The size of the box depends on the number of offspring.

A day later, the cubs are returned to the female. Her udder should be swollen, during this period she needs good food and access to clean water, this affects her milk production. Usually the female rabbit does not sit in the nest next to the cubs; she feeds the offspring only once a day.

Why doesn't a female rabbit make a nest before giving birth?

The lower the ambient temperature, the more fluff the pregnant female tears up to build the queen cell. Sometimes the female rabbit does not make a nest before giving birth. There are three probable reasons.

Poor or insufficient nutrition. The lack of certain nutrients does not give confidence that the rabbit can feed the cubs. Therefore, she abandons the brood in advance. A pregnant female is fed 3–4 times a day. The daily ration is increased by half. If the rabbit did not make a nest and gave birth, you need to help her. To remedy the situation, gently tug a little fluff on her belly and chest. It is permissible to add cotton wool to the queen cell, but under no circumstances should you line the nest with the hair of other animals. The rabbit will be afraid of someone else's smell and may even show aggression towards the newborns.
Lack of water . If there is no drinking water in the drinking bowl or it is stale, this also serves as a signal to the expectant mother that the offspring will not survive and should be disposed of immediately.
The queen cell is too tight or absent . If the female does not create the necessary conditions for raising babies, she will also not feed the newborns.

Take care of tender babies

So, the births have already taken place... Now the owners need to carefully monitor the behavior of the suckling rabbits. If two-week-old babies begin to leave the nest and look for food, it means that the female has little milk. In high-milk rabbits, the offspring feed exclusively on mother's milk for up to 18-20 days. The female needs to increase the diet taking into account the offspring, especially from the time when the rabbits begin to leave the nest and try the food that their mother eats. Some feeds are best given in crushed form. The hay in the feeder should have a large number of leaves, and carrots are preferable to beets in diets. In the summer, baby rabbits grow best on good, high-quality greens.

The period when the young rabbits leave the nest is critical in the development of the young. Right now, children are especially at risk of getting sick and dying.

As you know, only after reaching 28 days can young animals be fed concentrates and root vegetables. In newborn rabbits, milk teeth appear on the 21st day of intrauterine development, and their replacement occurs during the first month of life. If at this time babies are given coarse hay, beets, whole grains and even granulated feed, then they may experience non-infectious stomach disorders (catarrhal inflammation). Therefore, rabbits up to a month will benefit from only highly nutritious, vitamin-rich and easily digestible food.

Feed your rabbits “baby porridge” for babies and vitamin mash, and also drink milk (fresh or based on a milk powder substitute for animals). You can also prepare a special milk mash by adding crumbly (not granulated) feed into the milk, or make oatmeal jelly with milk or skim milk with the addition of fish oil, 0.5 g of the latter per animal per day. And only gradually, within 10 days, transfer the young animals to the established norms and diets.

But it also happens. Established feeding standards are maintained, rations are strictly observed, but the baby rabbits still die. We must look for the causes of the trouble. And there can be many of them. The most common mistakes made are:

due to errors in breeding technology, rabbits are often born weak and with further rearing there is an increased mortality rate among them, therefore it is very important to recruit breeding stock from high-milk females;

there may be poor quality food in the feeders (expired shelf life, moldy or dusty hay, wet grass); Excess beets, tops, root vegetables, cabbage, unripe alfalfa and clover in the diet are harmful to rabbits; poisonous grass and sprouted potatoes are dangerous;

there are errors in keeping rabbits (drafts, cold, dampness, large accumulations of dust, dirt and manure both in cages and in rabbit hutches);

There are animals on the rabbit farm that are sick with infectious diseases.

Change feed in animal diets carefully and gradually. A completely acceptable option for feeding rabbits is to use the same feed throughout the year.

At the same time, the unfortunate transition periods for animals (spring and autumn) disappear. For example, you can constantly give rabbits feed and hay or grain mixture and legume hay. For any type of feeding, water should be in the cages at all times.

How to cure a false pregnancy in a rabbit

Most often, females who have experienced false pregnancy do not produce healthy offspring as a result of subsequent successful pregnancies. There are several ways to rid an animal of pseudomaternity:

Kill the animal. This method is most suitable if you keep rabbits solely for the sake of offspring. If the target raw material is skin or meat, the female rabbit can be placed in a separate cage from other individuals and raised until the necessary products are collected from her. In this case, there is a possibility of complications in the health of the reproductive system of the mammal.
Sterilize the female rabbit. Such a surgical intervention will save the rabbit from possible side effects of false pregnancy in the form of uterine and mammary cancer, ovarian suppuration or endometrial hyperplasia. If this method is chosen, the patient's reproductive organs are removed. After the operation, the female’s hormones calm down, she becomes calmer, and the false maternal instinct no longer occurs.
Wait. False pregnancy ends within 15 days. During this period, the female manages to build a cozy house. You should not break it, otherwise the animal will start all over again. In such situations, you should observe the behavior of the female rabbit and not interfere as long as the actions do not harm her health and the comfort of other members of the herd.

What to do if a mother rabbit scatters her babies

We have figured out the main reasons why a mother rabbit throws her babies out of the nest. Now let's try to talk about how to deal with this phenomenon. First, you need to properly prepare the breeding cage. She should not stand in a draft. The bedding should be made soft so that the female can find enough material for bedding. A week before the expected birth, the cage should be thoroughly washed. If the rabbit does not arrange the nest herself, you need to do it for her. In late autumn, it is better to refrain from mating to avoid giving birth during the coldest winter months. Moreover, in October-November rabbits have low sexual activity.

When the female rabbit becomes restless and sexually aroused, she needs to be transplanted into a cage with a male. She will calm down and begin to show interest in her bunnies again. Babies should be examined after birth and dead and weak ones should be removed. This must be done with clean hands, washed with laundry soap, so as not to leave your own smell on the rabbits. There is no need to look into the nest and touch the cubs unless absolutely necessary. If you do this too often, they will pick up someone else's scent and the rabbit will not recognize them.

If the question of why a female rabbit throws out her young cannot be resolved, the young animals can be placed with another female. To do this, the age of all rabbits must be the same. In order for someone else's rabbit to accept the babies, she is placed in another cage for a while. The cubs are pulled out with clean hands (you can rub your palms with wormwood). After this, they are thoroughly cleaned of fluff and bedding and placed in the nest. It is advisable to place the baby rabbits in the center, between the siblings. After about twenty minutes, the female is returned to it, during which time the rabbits have already managed to pick up the smell, and the foster mother cannot distinguish them from her own.

When there is no suitable female, you can try to raise the rabbits yourself. Whole cow's milk or a mixture of it with condensed milk in a 3:1 ratio is suitable for feeding. The rabbits are first fed from a pipette, 4-6 times a day. After twenty days they can drink from a nipple, and from a month onwards they lap perfectly from a saucer. You can watch the video on the Internet to see how to properly feed baby rabbits.

Features of care

During pregnancy, female rabbits require proper care. The success of the birth and the quality of the young livestock largely depend on it. Throughout the entire period while the cubs are being born, the female should be isolated from the rest of the rabbits and be in peace and quiet. It is also prohibited for the animal to have bright light. The female body is especially susceptible to stress, and therefore any negative impact can easily frighten the female rabbit, causing her to have a miscarriage.

A pregnant female requires proper care

The cage in which the rabbit is kept should be comfortable, spacious enough, with a house and be in a place protected from drafts.

Proper feeding of a pregnant female

During pregnancy, the rabbit needs to be provided with high-quality nutrition so that the embryos in the uterus are fully formed. The diet of a pregnant female should include:

Cabbage;
Beet;
Carrot;
Forbs hay;
Cereals;
Fish fat;
Vitamin and mineral complexes for pregnant rabbits.

If fed improperly, the females will suffer from low milk production, and the rabbits will be born weak and often not viable.

The diet of a pregnant rabbit must be filled with healthy vitamins

Water must be present in the cage at all times

It is especially important to monitor the fullness of the drinking bowl at the time of giving birth, since if the female cannot quench her thirst, which is very strong at the time of birth, she will eat her offspring

Cage preparation rules

A cage for a pregnant rabbit is prepared for birth in stages. You will need to clean it very often, as otherwise the risk that the female will get sick increases significantly. It is optimal to clean the cage every other day. The nest in which the rabbits will be born is installed 5 days before the expected birth date. If you place the nest earlier, the female will ruin it, mistaking it for a new toilet. If the nest is installed later, the rabbit will not have time to get used to it.

A pregnant female should always have access to water and a cleaned cage.

A few days before the birth of the rabbits, it is necessary to disinfect the cage using hot water and manganese or special antiseptics for rabbitry. Without this, there is a high risk of infection of the mother rabbit and newborn rabbits.

You can make a nest for your rabbit from scrap materials or let her make her own

It is convenient to make a nest from a cardboard box. The size of the nest is required to be 10 cm larger than the size of the rabbit in a lying position. The entrance to the box is cut so that there is a threshold. The hole should be comfortable for the rabbit so that she can easily fit into it.

Nest made by a rabbit

The bottom of the nest is covered with soft and clean hay. A little of the same hay is placed in the cage so that the female can drag it into the nest herself and begin to settle down. If it is impossible to find high-quality hay, use sawdust or even scraps of newspaper. The rabbit will cover the box herself with her down.

False pregnancy

Sometimes the reason why a female rabbit does not give birth is a simple thing - there is simply no one to give birth to her.

Conception does not occur, but the follicles of the eggs burst, releasing the corpus luteum. It provokes the production of progesterone in the rabbit’s body, a hormone characteristic of real pregnancy.

In these cases, the female is also engaged in the construction and arrangement of the nest, plucks out the fluff on her chest and belly, collects and puts it and straw in a place for the “future offspring.” At the same time, her behavior becomes aggressive, she boldly defends the nest from everyone, including the owners. In these cases, it is worth limiting yourself to minimal intervention. You should not try to remove the nest from the cage, as this may get you bitten. If the rabbit was too diligent in tearing out her fluff and caused damage to herself, the wounds need to be disinfected (for example, with hydrogen peroxide). Make sure that the wool does not get into the animal’s digestive system.

Usually this process begins a few days before the birth, that is, 27-29 days after fertilization. If the female rabbit began construction on the 17-18th day after mating, most likely there are no offspring in her womb.

In some cases, females begin to mark everything - the territory, other domestic animals and the owner himself.

It is during this time that the function of the corpus luteum fades away. If this happened once and does not happen again, you don’t have to worry too much.

The last resort in such cases is sterilization, which allows you to reduce the hormonal levels of the rabbit. This is practiced quite rarely and is possible in the most extreme cases, for example, if there is a risk of sepsis in the uterus. The operation must be entrusted to a highly qualified specialist.

Reasons for throwing baby rabbits out of the nest

Just before giving birth, the female rabbit begins to arrange a nest for her future offspring.
To do this, she takes out soft straw or scraps of hay from the litter, and then begins to drag them into the queen cell or, in its absence, simply into a secluded corner of the cage. In order to insulate the nest, the female plucks out the fluff on her chest and belly and places it on top of the soft bedding. At this time, the owner can “participate” in the construction of the nest, providing the pet with the necessary materials (for example, feathers or soft moss). It must be remembered that soft yarn or threads are absolutely not suitable for this, since babies can get entangled in them, and this can lead to the death of the cubs. Rabbits prefer to give birth in the dark, when external influences are minimized. The birth usually lasts about twenty minutes, although it can last an hour. Usually the birth is easy, without complications, after which the mother eats the afterbirth and licks the rabbits, placing them in a warm nest.

Among the main reasons for this behavior of would-be mothers, experts identify the following:

the birth of weak and non-viable offspring;
the atmosphere in the cage is too cold;
the female has low milk production, which forces the cubs to approach the nipples too often, causing severe pain to the mother;
breast disease (mastitis);
the rabbit’s youth and inexperience or poorly developed maternal instincts;
the onset of heat in the female immediately after giving birth;
accidental loss of the baby from the nest (most often the baby rabbit does not have time to let go of the nipple and falls out along with the mother who comes out);
incorrect human behavior.

The female can scatter the rabbits that are too weak or simply dead around the cage. At the same time, they take excellent care of the rest of the offspring and carefully feed them.

With this disease, the nipples swell too much, there is redness and inflammation, and the body temperature rises. The rabbit refuses to eat, becomes lethargic and inactive.

Rabbits are forced to suck it often and for a long time, which leads to excessive irritation of the nipples. The mother doesn’t like this, she starts to get angry and may abandon the offspring. A deficiency of breast milk is most often associated with an incorrect diet and insufficient water to drink. Often, weak milk production is characteristic of young rabbits giving birth for the first or second time.

Experienced rabbit breeders know that the female comes into heat already on the second day after giving birth.

Well, and finally - the last reason on the list, but not the least common one. Wrong human behavior.

Main reasons

So, first you need to deal with two questions. The first is when does the female rabbit tear up fluff for the nest? According to all the rules, she should begin preparing for construction approximately 3-5 days before the start of the litter. The female rabbit builds a nest quickly, especially if there is a sufficient amount of hay.

This procedure is a signal to action for the rabbit breeder. Now he has to check every evening to see if the deadline has come.

But how to determine deviation? Here you need to take into account that pregnancy in rabbits lasts about a month. If 27-28 days after mating she does not begin to prepare the nest, it is time to take action and urgently correct possible shortcomings.

So why might a female rabbit refuse to make a nest? Reviews from rabbit breeders highlight three main reasons:

Stress;
Lack of diet;
Unequipped or missing queen cell.

Each of the three options must be prepared in a timely manner, or corrected as quickly as possible.

Additional nuances when building a nest

In some cases, the female tears the down so much that she can accidentally injure herself with her sharp teeth. Such wounds are treated with a 3% hydrogen peroxide solution. If this happens, the animal may stop making the nest and feel uncomfortable for a while. However, usually by the time the rabbits are born, they still finish building a shelter for the babies.

If the female was unable to make a nest, an artificial one needs to be recreated. The hay is kneaded with hands dressed in damp disposable gloves. After this mass is mixed with animal fluff and placed in the queen cell. There is no guarantee that the female rabbit will like such a replacement, but still the chance of a successful litter increases. If the female refuses to give birth in an artificial rabbitry, then you should be prepared. Immediately after giving birth, the babies most likely need to be fed to another rabbit, otherwise they will die.

Diet problems

The first point that leads to a rabbit’s refusal to fulfill her maternal duties is an incorrectly composed diet. If a female does not have enough substances to preserve and give birth to any healthy rabbits, she subconsciously gives her body a signal to refuse and does not build her nest.

This will lead to the fact that the born offspring of rabbits will be exposed to the cold and die immediately. Such an outcome is unacceptable in any scenario, and must be avoided at all costs.

In terms of diet, this concerns the correction of three points:

Diet volume;
Regularity of nutrition;
Saturation of products with necessary substances.

The diet of pregnant rabbits should have a full range of vitamins and microelements. Food should be given juicy and fresh. The exception to the last point is green food for rabbits, which is always given a little withered. But feed must be selected especially carefully.

The amount of food consumed by pregnant rabbits is approximately 150% of the norm. Less is not enough, more means the risk of obesity and the birth of sickly rabbits. The same applies to regularity of nutrition. During this period, the feeding regimen should be made most strictly measured. This will make the digestion process much easier for the rabbits.

How to find out if a female rabbit is feeding her offspring

Rabbits fed by their mother have round, dense bellies, while hungry ones have sunken bellies. The skin of hungry rabbits will lie in folds due to dehydration of the body. They weaken, hardly respond or respond very sluggishly to your touch. If the babies are weak and have signs of dehydration (dehydration), it is better to seek help from a veterinarian. You can put a drop of honey or fruit jam in the baby rabbits' mouths to raise their blood sugar levels and keep them there until you can get to the vet or be able to provide mother's milk again. If the babies are hungry, check to see if the mother has enough milk. The nipples should be slightly swollen and free of hair: the female rabbit rips out some hair from her chest and belly not only to line the nest with it, but also to make it easier for the babies to get to the nipples. When you lightly press the nipples and imitate sucking movements, a small amount of milk or clear liquid should appear. If the female is lactating, return her to the babies and let her calm down. Check the baby rabbits the next day to make sure the mother has started feeding them. If the female rabbit is not producing milk or has not done anything to build a nest, take her to an experienced veterinarian immediately. Your veterinarian will likely give your rabbit a small dose of oxytocin (a drug that stimulates the mammary glands). The mother rabbit should begin feeding within the next 24 hours. If you are concerned about whether the mother rabbit is feeding her babies on the first day of their lives, do not do anything until the next day. Some females begin only in the evening of the 1st day or even on the 2nd day. If almost two days have passed and you see that the babies are still hungry, contact your veterinarian. Oxytocin does not work if more than 48 hours have passed since the birth. While waiting for the veterinarian to arrive, you can let the babies suck on the female's mammary glands, as sucking movements can sometimes cause milk to appear. The mother rabbit feeding her offspring stands, and the babies lie on their backs under her.

The process of rabbit birth (birth)

Births in rabbits usually occur at night. Usually the rabbit gives birth on her own and does not need outside help. Instinct tells her when to gnaw the umbilical cord, eat the afterbirth and lick the newborns. When necessary, the female pulls the cubs with her teeth, helping them emerge into the light. Females giving birth for the first time can injure their babies. Bite through the belly, bite off a paw, or even eat the baby along with the afterbirth.

There are also complications during childbirth. If the rabbit cannot give birth, she is given a caesarean section. Immediately after giving birth, dead and weakened cubs must be removed from the nest; because of them, the female may refuse to feed the entire brood. If she does not feed the babies within 12 hours of birth, they will die. Usually the female has 8 teats. If there are more rabbits in the litter, there will not be enough milk. The weakest babies will remain hungry and die. The “extra” cubs are taken away and placed on another lactating female or supplemented with goat’s milk and formula from a pipette.

Important! Experienced rabbit breeders breed several females at the same time, so that a spare nurse is always at hand.

Poor quality male what to do

Sometimes false pregnancy is not the result of problems with the female, but the result of poor-quality semen from the male. After sexual intercourse, the activity of the rabbit's sperm is not enough to reach the egg and fertilize it. In such cases, after mating of rabbits, it is necessary to carry out control sexual intercourse 5 to 6 days later. If at this time the female begins to hide from the rabbit, shows no signs of interest and categorically avoids contact, most likely the first mating was successful.

In order not to waste time and to ensure that the female is fertilized, many rabbit breeders use the principle of mixing sperm. In a short period of time, the female rabbit is covered by two males. This method allows you to increase the chances of a mammal becoming pregnant and create stronger offspring. Farmers also recommend taking into account the age of animals when mating. The male should be 2 - 3 months older than the female. This is due to the fact that males reach sexual maturity much later. Changing partners will also help to avoid single mating. If the rabbit has not impregnated the female rabbit, it is better to carry out control sexual intercourse with another male.

As the birth approaches, the female should be provided with the most comfortable environment for her and not be disturbed again. Stressful situations or severe shocks can provoke the birth of stillborn rabbits. A pregnant rabbit should be placed in another cage, away from males or other females. In this case, housing must meet the following requirements:

absence of noise, loud sounds;
dim lighting, no bright lights or flashes of light;
absence of irritating aromas and odors (alcohol, tobacco, perfume);
constant access to fresh, clean water.

It is very easy to frighten an expectant mother, which can result in a miscarriage. Therefore, at this time, you should take maximum care of her health, but in such a way that it does not bother her.

Did you know? Rabbits have a bifurcated uterus, which makes it possible to carry two litters at the same time, conceived at different times from different males. However, this is not desirable for the health of the animal.