Preference of rabbit does among different nest materials

Abstract

Nest quality is important for the survival of new-born rabbits. Nesting material in rabbit farms generally consists of wood shavings, which is completely different from the dry grass used by the European wild rabbit (<em>Oryctolagus cuniculus</em>). The aim of the experiments was to examine which nest materials are preferred by rabbit does when building their nest. In experiment 1, the choice of multiparous rabbit does (n=37) among nest boxes bedded with different nesting materials was monitored. In each pen (1.0×1.83 m) 1 doe and 4 nest boxes (0.37×0.23×0.31 m) with different nest materials (meadow hay [H], wheat straw [S], fine fibre material [Lignocel<sup>®</sup>, L] or wood shavings [W]) were placed 3 days before the expected parturition (gestation length is about 31 d in the Pannon White breed). Some 48.6% of the does kindled in nest boxes that contained pure materials (L: 40.5%, S: 5.4%, H: 2.7%), and 51.3% of the does kindled in nest boxes where the nest materials of different nest boxes were mixed by the does (S with L: 21.5%, S with L and H: 5.4%, W with L: 8.1%, L with H and S: 5.4%). Does preferred kindling in the nest box bedded with L, and most of them refused the nest box with W. In experiment 2/a (n=32 does) and 2/b (n=25 does), each pen (1×0.91 m) was equipped with 3 and 2 hay racks and filled with H, S or L, and H or S, respectively. The experiments lasted from the 27<sup>th</sup> day of pregnancy until the day of parturition and 24-h video recordings (10 does/experiment) were evaluated throughout the experiment. The events of carrying the nest materials from the hay racks were registered. In experiment 2/a, the frequency of nest material carrying was highest on the day of parturition. The preferred nest material was L (compared to H and S) on each experimental day except day 30 of pregnancy. At the day of kindling, 87.5, 6.3 and 6.3% of the nests contained pure L, mixed L-H and L-S, respectively. In experiment 2/b, the frequency of nest material carrying (mostly S) was highest on the day of parturition, and on days 27 and 30 of pregnancy. More does built nests with only S (72%) than H (16%), and in 12% of the cases the S and H were mixed. For the purpose of nest building, material S was the most frequently used (72%) compared to other possibilities (H: 16%, S-H: 12%). It can be concluded that rabbit does showed the following clear preferences for specific nest building materials: L>S>H>W.

Stress reactivity near birth affects nest building timing and offspring number and survival in the European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus)

“…They found a positive correlation between burrow-digging and elevated progesterone levels as well as increased intraspecific aggressive behavior in response to administered progesterone. A similar phenomenon was described by Farkas, et al [35], who successfully identified two peaks in relation to the gathering of nest material in domesticated rabbits. The first peak designating the carrying of nesting material, was on days 27 and 28, nearly identical to the normal (LR) does in our experiment.…”

Health and welfare of rabbits farmed in different production systems

“…Farkas et al. () concluded that rabbit does showed the following preference for nest materials: Lignocel ® (fine fibre material for pet animals made of wood) > straw > hay > wood shavings. Based on literature, although rabbit does may have different preferences for the nesting materials mentioned above, they can express their normal maternal behaviour whatever the nesting material.…”

Composition of the Wild Rabbit Nest and Its Implication for Domestic Rabbit Breeding

“…Cottontail rabbit (Sylvilagus floridanus) females were also seen collecting dry long grass and forming an outer grass layer lining the excavated nest cavity [56]. In Blumetto et al [52] studies, mother rabbits preferred straw to wood chips as a nesting material, and elongated dry material was also preferred in a highly inbred rabbit stock [35]. The functional significance of using dry grass as nest material is not yet fully understood, heat insulation property [2,13,53,57] or/and its high capacity to bind water [53] are likely candidate features enhancing the survival of wild rabbit kits developing in a closed underground chamber for weeks [18].…”

“…The functional significance of using dry grass as nest material is not yet fully understood, heat insulation property [2,13,53,57] or/and its high capacity to bind water [53] are likely candidate features enhancing the survival of wild rabbit kits developing in a closed underground chamber for weeks [18]. Even though it might be problematic to incorporate hay as a nest material in rabbit production systems [35] as fungal toxins can induce health issues [58,59], the welfare status can be improved by mimicking natural situations in the rearing environment [60][61][62] In summary, by performing laboratory experiments to understand the functional significance of the preference of wild rabbits for dry elongated grass nest material we found that, similarly to their wild ancestors, even unexperienced domestic rabbit females collect dry and long grass preferentially. The even larger proportion of dry grass found in the final nests and occasional observations of the does in the nest chamber suggest a modification of the nest composition after the collection phase by eating some of the green grass (see Experiment 2 and 3), and thus the final composition of the nests was strikingly uniform and similar to the composition of the nests found in the field and made by the wild ancestors.…”

“…On the last night, the mother plucks fur from her belly and incorporates that into the construction [33]. Both the grass and the fur were found to be necessary for the survival of the young [32,34,35] even in laboratory settings, where wood shavings or straw are often provided for practical reasons [23,36]. The importance of nesting material has also been demonstrated for wild rabbits in captive condition [37].…”