Why does the bunny push away newborn bunnies?
Breeding rabbits has its own characteristics that all novice breeders should know. Some of them concern the behavior of animals and the maternal instinct of females. Novice farmers are often worried about why the rabbit scatters the rabbits immediately after the birth.
Why does the rabbit repel and scatter the bunnies
According to experienced livestock breeders, such an unusual phenomenon often manifests itself due to the influence of external unfavorable factors. But the question of what they are connected with requires careful study on the part of the livestock breeder. In addition, the rabbit can scatter her offspring and due to the influence of instincts.
Features of the maternal instinct of rabbits
The rabbit is a human domesticated animal. Farmers in hundreds of countries are engaged in its cultivation. The main goal of the activity is to obtain tasty dietary meat, offal and soft wool. But the very breeding of these animals has its own difficulties. They are often associated with knowledge in the field of breeding. In addition, the help of nature is no less important, which endowed all living beings on the planet with instincts. In farming, the maternal instinct of rabbits is important.
Like many animals, female rabbits are sensitive to their babies. Do they protect them from the threat from other individuals, provide the necessary comfort and coziness, without leaving them for the first few days more? than 1-2 minutes. But, as practice shows, the female does not always behave in a natural way. Most often, the rabbit does not experience difficulties with labor, especially if the breeder knows how to help the animal. Often, problems come after the okrol.
Features of the behavior of rabbits
The female can behave aggressively towards her babies: beat them, push them away from herself, leave the litter of the nest, etc.
No less important for a novice farmer is the question of why the bunnies scatter their bunnies. According to experts, the problem can be solved only when the exact reason for this behavior is clear, so the breeder should figure out whether he is providing proper care to his pets and whether he has made any mistakes.
The reasons for the unusual behavior of the rabbit
Experienced farmers advise looking for the answer to the question of why the bunny scatters the bunnies, first of all, in their own mistakes in caring for and attitudes towards animals.
If the rabbit scatters her babies from the nest, then this may also indicate:
- problems with the nest;
- violation of lactation in the female, as well as mastitis;
- unfavorable temperature in the cage;
- hunting instincts;
- stress;
- non-viability of offspring.
According to experienced rabbit breeders, animals are very sensitive to any external influences. They are often exposed to stress both from the person himself and from other pets kept on the farm.Replacing the nest after or before nesting can also cause aggressive behavior of the female, therefore, experts advise not to interfere with the life of animals during this period.
To avoid problems, you should immediately make a separate place for future births. Most often, an ordinary cardboard box is used for this, at the bottom of which hay is laid out. It should be brought to the nursery no later than 2 weeks before the birth, because it is from this period that the rabbit begins to prepare for the upcoming birth. She prepares the nest and nibbles the fur around the nipples. If she does not have time to do this, she will become dissatisfied and aggressive.
If the reason is sexual desire
The cage equipped for the encirclement is the basis for future babies. But sometimes the answer to the question of why the bunny immediately scatters the bunnies is not this.
Rabbits are sexually attracted to members of the opposite sex. Hunt manifests itself as an instinct about once a month and lasts up to two days. Sometimes it begins in the period immediately after labor. As a result, the maternal instinct is supplanted by the stronger hormonal action of sexual desire.
The maternal instinct is supplanted by the rabbit's sexual desire
You can recognize this period in advance if you pay attention to the behavior of the rabbit. During this period, she:
- aggressive;
- excited;
- naughty: throws food around the cage and spills water.
In addition, such a reaction can manifest itself not only after, but also before the round.
The dullness of the maternal instinct leads to the fact that females abandon their own nests and give birth in any other place, after which they throw out their babies and leave. They are especially excited if they smell the male, so it is recommended to keep pregnant animals separately from the rest of the herd. If this is not done, the behavior of the female can even lead to the death of the offspring due to the violence of their own mother.
Young females are more susceptible to such problems. If one of them threw out the rabbits immediately after the birth, you should remember how many months or years she is. The fact is that in rabbits, puberty begins at 6 months, and by 8 they are able to bear babies. In such females, the maternal instinct is weak and unstable. In addition, when coinciding with the hunting period, the young female not only leaves her cubs, but also scatters and beats them.
If the reason is animal nutrition
Sometimes bunnies get rid of their babies by pushing them out of the nest and due to inaccuracies in nutrition. Any human error leads to discontent and hunger. As a result, the rabbits are stressed. It is he who leads to aggression and lack of attention in females to their own offspring. Most often, the fact that the female throws out the rabbits is affected by such nutritional problems:
- lack of succulent feed;
- lack of vitamins and minerals;
- lack of clean water.
If the farmer notices the strange behavior of the rabbit a few days before giving birth, problems should be expected, therefore, you should immediately start action: provide a complete, balanced portion of food.
The disgruntled female is constantly excited and takes care of her own nest. In one day, it can destroy and rebuild it several times, and when everything happens naturally, it fits very quickly. This is what novice breeders should pay attention to.
Effect of mastitis on animal behavior
The female also scatters the rabbits because of a reaction to acute symptoms of mastitis, which may appear due to:
- hypothermia;
- actions of infectious diseases;
- disruptions of the endocrine system.
It is not difficult to define this disease. An animal can refuse to eat, show aggression even towards a person, and prevent nipples from being touched. If such signs are observed, you should contact your veterinarian.
A veterinarian can diagnose a rabbit's disease
You can help the rabbit on your own. Experienced breeders advise to force the animal on its side and massage the mammary glands. After a couple of minutes, a baby is applied to the nipple. Provided that such procedures are carried out regularly, the cub will receive the necessary milk, and the female will not show aggression towards him. But you should know that the occurrence of mastitis requires veterinary care. It is difficult to cure an animal on its own, and massage of the mammary glands only temporarily relieves acute symptoms.
The harmful influence of external factors
Every rabbit breeder knows that these animals are very shy. In addition, any external influence of a person, inappropriate living conditions or feeding can harm the nervous system of pets. And even if the female scatters her newly born babies, this can also indicate stress. It can be caused by:
- location next to the farm of highways and railways;
- barking dogs;
- games of children with animals;
- the appearance of new individuals in the cell;
- penetration of rats and other rodents into the cage.
Any noise, new "guests" and even children who like to play with eared ones, lead to stress, so you should take care of the maximum calmness of the animals, providing them with silence, peace and safety from the threat of predators.
We must not forget that even a human smell intuitively can cause an animal to feel threatening danger. That is why experienced breeders advise tidying up the cages and handling rabbits only with odorless rubber gloves.
What a breeder should do
There are a few simple rules that a breeder must follow when born rabbits are scattered around the cage by their mother. Their main task is to return the babies to the nest. To do this, you should:
- put on gloves;
- remove the female to another cage;
- collect the rabbit's fluff and wrap the babies with it;
- put all the rabbits in the nest;
- cover with fluff on top.
After the rabbits are in the nest, you should make sure that all the babies are healthy and alive. Their aggressive mother is best allowed to the nest in at least half an hour. After she returns to the offspring, you need to make sure that the rabbits suck on the nipples. If they do not do this, massage and hand over the pups should be done.
There are also cases of complete absence of maternal instinct in animals. Such animals must be discarded. It is advisable to carry out this procedure only if the rabbit has no interest in her offspring for 2 or more rounds.