Do Rabbits Eat Their Babies? Why and How to Stop It
Last Updated on December 18, 2022 by Ellyn Eddy
It’s pure magic to peek into a fur-lined rabbit nest and see it full of sleeping babies. But sometimes, the happy anticipation turns to horror as the nest contains nothing but a few spots of blood. So what caused this tragedy?
Did the kits escape? (Don’t rule this out — newborn rabbits can travel amazingly far!) Did the mother rabbit eat her young? Probably not, but it’s possible.
Rabbits don’t often eat their babies. When it does happen, reasons for cannibalism in rabbits include birth defects or dead kits in the litter, lack of protein, lack of resources, stress, inexperience, and territorial instincts.
Are rabbits cannibals?
In a perfect world, rabbits would not be cannibals. Unfortunately, there are extreme circumstances like stress or lack of nutrition that might make a mother eat her young. Let’s take a look at why this can happen and what you can do to prevent it.
Do rabbits eat meat?
Did you know that all rabbit mothers — even the best ones — consume a little bit of meat when they’re giving birth? Mother rabbits eat the placentas when their babies are born to keep the nest clean and to help keep down the scent of the babies. Rabbits are prey animals, after all; they don’t want to leave bloody afterbirth lying around and risk attracting predators.
However, sometimes the instinct to clean goes too far and first-time rabbit moms accidentally remove an ear (or two!), a tail, or even a leg from a baby rabbit. In other scenarios, female bunnies may kill and consume their babies entirely.
Why do rabbits eat their young? 6 Common Reasons
There are multiple reasons a mother rabbit may kill and eat her babies, and figuring out why is important in making sure it doesn’t happen again.
1. Birth Defects and Stillborn babies
Did you know that rabbits can be born with birth defects? In certain dwarf rabbit breeds like Holland Lops and Jersey Woolies, baby rabbits can get a “double dwarf” gene, leading to kits born that are half the size of their siblings (called peanuts). Sadly, this is fatal. When a peanut passes away, or if a baby bunny is stillborn, sometimes the mother will eat the corpse.
Mother rabbits can not pick up their babies, unlike dogs or cats who have no trouble moving their children around whenever the urge strikes them. Unfortunately, the only option left is to eat the baby that has passed. She does this to keep the other babies healthy and so the smell of rot doesn’t bring predators to the nest, risking the lives of both Mama and her healthy baby rabbits.
Sadly there is no way to prevent birth defects or stillborn babies, but checking the nest soon after your doe gives birth and removing any dead babies will prevent the mother from giving in to the instinct to clean the nest herself.
2. Poor Dietary Protein
Although rabbits are herbivores, meaning they eat only plant-based foods; that doesn’t mean they don’t need protein! They mostly get it from plants and good-quality hay, but a pregnant doe needs more protein than your average rabbit.
It is important for the health of her babies as well as for her to produce plenty of milk to keep the baby rabbits healthy. If her diet is lacking, it may lead to her seeking meat-based protein to ensure she has the energy to survive. Make sure to feed higher protein in the form of high-quality alfalfa hay after she is bred to help reduce cannibalism due to low protein.
3. Lack of Resources
In a situation in which there is a lack of resources (water or food), female rabbits may consider eating their babies the only way to survive. Sacrificing her babies will help keep the mother alive, especially because producing milk burns significant calories that she may not have to spare.
In a pet home or show herd, make sure your mother rabbit has access to plenty of clean water and food. I increase the amount of daily feed so that the female rabbit doesn’t feel a strain in her own health as she takes care of her little ones.
4. Stressed Mother Rabbits Eat Their Babies
Speaking of stress, rabbits are very low on the food chain, meaning almost everything looks at a bunny as a quick meal! Our domestic rabbits still carry these prey animal instincts. Mother rabbits may eat their babies if their home or the area around them becomes unusually loud or if there is a lot of extra activity.
Place your mothers in a quiet area of your home, or establish a routine in your barn. I leave a radio on so that the rabbits were used to certain levels of noise. It was especially helpful to reduce stress when a neighbor would shoot fireworks off unexpectedly or brought home a new barking dog because they were already used to a certain noise level.
5. Inexperience
As I mentioned earlier, new mothers sometimes clean their babies too well and may take off an ear, a tail or a leg. In other cases, the doe may eat the baby entirely as she also cleans up the placenta.
Thankfully, a tragic first litter doesn’t mean that she will always be a terrible mother. Most of the time, the does seem to get the hang of cleaning and do a better job the second litter. I’ve had female rabbits with tragic first litters become the best mothers for other litters, so give your breeding doe another chance at having a litter without eating her babies.
6. Territorial Instincts
If a doe gives birth in a cage with other rabbits, or if your other pets crowd her, could lead to a tragic outcome for the babies. Pregnant does should be given their own cage or secure space to give birth.
Will male rabbits kill their babies?
Male rabbits (bucks) usually will not kill or eat their babies, however a buck may impregnate the doe as soon as the same day she gives birth! A back to back pregnancy can affect her body condition and milk, making it harder to take care of her current litter. Even if she does not get pregnant again, the buck’s presence may stress the mother out or cause her to become territorial. This can lead to the mother killing and eating the babies.
How do I stop my rabbit from eating her babies?
Wait until six months of age to breed your doe. Babies having babies are more likely to have issues resulting in the loss of a body part or loss of life. Your doe should have access to clean, fresh water, plenty of hay, food and her own secure place to give birth and raise her family.
Will a mother rabbit eat her babies if I touch them?
It is a very popular old wives’ tale that if you touch a baby bunny, the mother will abandon the nest. I’m happy to say that not only is this not true, it’s actually very important to handle your baby bunnies from birth! So don’t worry, your scent on the babies will not cause them any harm, not even if they are wild rabbits!
Should Mother rabbits be separated from their babies?
In most cases, no! Baby rabbits should stay with their mothers until they are at least eight weeks old. Only in rare cases in which there is danger to the babies should they be separated- for instance, some breeders bring the nest boxes in at night when temperatures drop to extreme cold temperatures. In that case, return the nest box first thing in the morning so that the doe may feed and care for her babies.
My rabbit is stepping on her babies, is she trying to kill them?
I’m sure you’ve seen this behavior. Be sure that she is actually stepping on her babies, not simply jumping in the box to give them the chance to crawl under her and drink her milk! If a rabbit is stepping on her babies, make sure her cage is large enough that she can move freely and comfortably.
Why does my rabbit keep killing her babies?
As much as I hate to say it, some does are terrible mothers. If you have done everything to ensure a stress-free environment in which all her needs are met, and your experienced doe is still eating babies, there may not be much you can do for her.
Many breeders breed groups of does at the same time so that if something happens to one mother, another is available to foster the babies. If your experienced doe continues to eat her babies, moving them to a foster nest as soon after birth as possible may be necessary.
Why do rabbits eat their babies? A summary.
There is usually a good reason for a rabbit to eat her young. By taking proper care of your doe, providing plenty of quality food, and keeping a check on the babies once they are born, you can greatly reduce the chances of a litter ending in cannibalism.
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