Rabbit: Frequency of Suckling in the Pup

Zarrow, M. X.; Denenberg, Victor H.; Anderson, Chelsea M.

doi:10.1126/science.150.3705.1835

Cited by 262 publications

(150 citation statements)

References 7 publications

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“…Comparison of the environmental conditions and the diet of wild rabbit and domestic rabbit kits during early development. [Zarrow et al (1965); Hudson and Distel (1982); Broekhuizen et al (1986);Gibb (1993); Hudson et al (1996a);Rödel (unpubl. ) A further possible reason for maladaptive behaviour in breeding does is that they are usually constantly exposed to acoustic and olfactory cues emitted by the kits when a permanently open nest box is used.…”

Section: Housingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Wild as well as domestic rabbits nurse their young once a day approximately every 24 h (Zarrow et al, 1965;Hudson and Distel, 1982;Broekhuizen et al, 1986;Hudson, 1995;Hudson et al, 1995Hudson et al, , 1996aHudson et al, , 1997, although the variation in nursing intervals appears to be larger in wild rabbits (Hoy, 2006;Rödel et al, 2012) than in domestic breeds under standardized conditions. In the domestic rabbit, it has been shown that milk yield decreases steeply during the late nursing period (Lincoln, 1974;Hudson et al, 1996a), and that increasing the number of potential nursing visits by does has no effect (Zarrow et al, 1965;Szendrő et al, 1993) or only a marginal impact (Seitz, 1997) on the pre-weaning growth and development of the kits.…”

Section: Dietmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Impact of rearing mangement on health in domestic rabbits: a review

Schlolaut¹,

Hudson

Rödel

2013

World Rabbit Sci.

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High mortality in rearing of domestic rabbits is not only an economic problem but also an animal welfare issue. Among the reasons for this high mortality are some common rearing practices. In this review, we point out several commonly used management practices, which neither represent adequate housing conditions according to the animals' behavioural requirements nor correspond to their nutritional needs. Sometimes, the doe has to build the nursery nest on the cage floor or in a box with a permanently open entrance, often not protected from the light. This can lead to perinatal mortality due to disturbed behaviour of the mother such as failure to build a proper nest, depositing the kits outside the nest, or infanticide. Furthermore, continuous housing of the doe with the kits does not conform to this species' pattern of unusually limited maternal care. Possibly stimulated by olfactory and acoustic signals emanating from the nest, the doe can disturb the inactivity of the kits by her frequent entries to the nest or attempts to close the entrance. Cooling of the kits caused by maladaptive maternal behaviour under such conditions can also contribute to increased mortality and morbidity during the nursing period. In addition, when the doe is left to nurse the kits longer than four weeks, which does not conform to the reproductive biology of the rabbit, kit morbidity can be increased by the following factors. Although the doe's milk has a high protective role against main digestive disorders, prolonged mother-offspring contact might increase the risk of the kits becoming infected with pathogens such as coccidiosis, EPEC and pasteurellosis persisting in the doe. Pre-disposition of the kits to bacterial enteropathies can be encouraged by the delayed development of the enzymatic system, the delayed establishment of a stable gut flora, as well as by consumption of the doe's feed. The increased energy demands of lactation as well as mastitis incidence due to prolonged suckling by the kits could decrease the fertility and the lifespan of the doe. Feed with a high content of non-fibre carbohydrates (compared to green forage) can promote bacterial enteropathies when given before the development of the kits' digestive functions is completed. The risk of the outbreak of such diseases is enhanced by intestinal coccidiosis and unstable gut flora. Enteropathies are also exacerbated by the use of deep litter as opposed to housing rabbits on perforated floors.

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Section: Housingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Dietmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of rearing mangement on health in domestic rabbits: a review

Schlolaut¹,

Hudson

Rödel

2013

World Rabbit Sci.

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“…The survival of individual newborns depends then on their ability to orient to the mother's abdomen, to locate nipples and to suck efficiently in a highly constrained time span. Indeed, rabbit females nurse their litter once a day for less than 5 min (Zarrow et al, 1965;GonzalezMariscal, 2007). To locate the nipples rapidly, pups rely on odour cues emitted on the surface of the females' abdomen and/or in milk (e.g.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The reactivity of neonatal rabbits to the mammary pheromone as a probe for viability

Coureaud

Fortun-Lamothe

Langlois³

et al. 2007

Animal

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Newborn rabbits depend on a daily nursing interaction with the mother to gain milk and to survive. During this interaction, they localise and seize the nipples displaying a typical behaviour triggered by maternal odour cues. The mammary pheromone constitutes such a signal in domestic rabbits: it elicits sucking-related movements in more than 90% of the pups. However, some newborns remain unresponsive to the presentation of the pheromone, even pups apparently healthy and highly motivated to suck. The main goal of the present study was therefore to explore the link between the unresponsiveness of rabbit pups to the mammary pheromone and their growth and survival in breeding conditions. To that end, 293 newborns from 30 litters were tested for their head searching-oral grasping responses to the mammary pheromone on days 1 and 3, and their milk intake and mortality were followed up from days 1 to 21. It was hypothesised that unresponsive newborns would have subsequent difficulties in finding nipples, sucking and surviving. Early weight and success in milk intake were further considered as mediating factors in growth and viability. The results showed that pups that were unresponsive to the mammary pheromone on day 1 were less successful in gaining milk and had a higher rate of mortality than the responsive pups. However, this impact was modulated by the weight of pups: it appeared only in the lightest newborns. Moreover, this impact vanished on day 3. On the other hand, the pup weight and sucking success on days 1 to 3 strongly influenced viability and growth during the period extending from days 1 to 21. Taken together, the results show that the day-1 responsiveness of rabbit pups to the mammary pheromone can be considered as an indicator of individual viability in pups having a small weight (,48 g on day 1). The predictive validity of the pups' pheromonal reactivity seems however time-limited as it works only during the first, but crucial, postnatal days.

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“…According to several authors (Deutsch, 1957;Ross et al, 1963;Zarrow et al, 1965;Lincoln, 1974;González-Mariscal et al, 1994;Hudson et al, 1996;Hoy and Selzer, 2002;Selzer et al, 2004) nursing in rabbits is limited to a few minutes (2 to 5) once or twice a day. The doe enters the nest and positions herself over the litter, remaining almost motionless and not giving the kits any direct support to suckle.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Different opinions about nursing frequency of rabbit does are put forward in the literature. According to several authors (Venge, 1963;Zarrow et al, 1965;Hudson et al, 1996) rabbit does nurse their kits only once a day, whereas other authors state that, in cages as well as under semi-natural conditions, nursing events are observed more than once a day (Hoy, 2006). Maticz et al (2001) reported that 25% of the does nursed more than once a day and Selzer et al (2004) reports an average nursing frequency of 1.32 per 24 h in standard cages.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Description of nestbox visits and suckling events in a group housing system for rabbit does as compared to individual cages

et al. 2012

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AbstrAct:Research was conducted to study nursing associated events of lactating rabbit does. Nest box visits and suckling events were investigated using 6 group pens (8 does/pen) and 12 enriched individual cages. Each group pen and individual cage was observed by video for one day per week until weaning at 35 d of lactation, with exception of the third week of lactation. In the first 2 wk of lactation, videotapes were analysed for the frequency and duration of nest box visits per day. The fourth and fifth week of lactation, suckling events on the floor of the group pens and nest box visits in the individual cages were analysed for one day per week. The first 2 wk of lactation, does visits to the nest boxes were less frequent (respectively 1.9±0.2 vs. 2.6±0.3, P<0.1) and shorter (respectively 113±9 s vs. 158±15 s, P< 0.05) in the group pens than in the individual cages. In the group pens, 32% of the does had intervals of >24 h between nest box visits. In the cages, all does visited the nest boxes at least once a day. In the last 2 wk of lactation, in the group pens suckling duration (mean±standard deviation) was 89±49 and 92.2±37 s in respectively week 4 and 5. In 79% of the suckling events a mix of the does' own and other kits were suckled. No difference was found in suckling duration between litters consisting of own and/or other kits. Thirty-two per cent of the does in week 4 and 62% of the does in week 5 did not suckle kits on the floor of the pen, whereas all the does in the cages still visited the nest boxes at least once every 24 h. Based on this study, it can be concluded that in group housing less frequent and shorter nest box visits as well as suckling events were found as compared to individual housing.

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Rabbit: Frequency of Suckling in the Pup

Cited by 262 publications

References 7 publications

Impact of rearing mangement on health in domestic rabbits: a review

Impact of rearing mangement on health in domestic rabbits: a review

The reactivity of neonatal rabbits to the mammary pheromone as a probe for viability

Description of nestbox visits and suckling events in a group housing system for rabbit does as compared to individual cages

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