After mating, the female rabbit needs to create comfortable conditions for carrying rabbits and giving birth. Any stress and non-observance of food and living conditions can lead to the loss of offspring. In fact, everything is quite simple – do not touch the animal and let it endure the pregnancy in peace. Your task is only to pre-prepare the cage with the nest box and timely feeding. Let’s analyze in detail the basic principles of dealing with a rabbit rabbit.
Is it possible to check the pregnancy of a rabbit?
In some editions, it is recommended 12-15 days after mating to check the fertility of the rabbit by feeling the embryos. This is a completely wrong idea. For any rabbit, this procedure will be nothing but stress, after which the number of embryos may decrease or, in the worst case, an abortion may occur.
The physiology of rabbits is such that a female rabbit, having a certain number of embryos in her womb, can, in the event of negative factors, stop the development of the embryos and thereby reduce the number of future rabbits. As a rule, the development of some part of the embryos simply stops, and they are removed from the mother’s womb together with the living rabbits during childbirth.
The following can be attributed to negative factors:
- lack of sufficient amount of feed in feeders;
- extraneous noises that disturb the peace of the rabbit;
- transportation over long distances;
- possible diseases;
- sharp odors of a foreign nature, etc.
Can a lactating rabbit be mated?
The period of feeding the growing young must also be taken into account when planning round-fishing. This factor significantly affects the number of subsequent offspring in a rabbit.
Many rabbit breeders mate a rabbit during the period when she is still feeding the previous rabbits, and wean them from the mother 5-10 days before the next litter. In principle, there is nothing wrong with this, but, as practice has shown, it is best to reject the rabbits from the rabbit until the next mating. During the period of co-recreation, the rabbit has the opportunity to regain strength for further offspring.
In cases of so-called compacted birth control, the offspring are less viable and resistant to possible diseases due to the weakening of the mother’s physical condition. Basic immunities are inherited from the mother during feeding. However, what immunities can we talk about when the rabbit herself is barely able to maintain her own health, bordering on exhaustion from constant attacks.
Realistically, during the year, you can get an average of 4 litters from a rabbit without harming her health.
I am deliberately not talking about the possible profit that this or that rabbit will bring depending on the method by which it is contained. The natural state and health of the animals themselves should be in the first place during breeding. Only in this case can they expect good results in work and healthy offspring.
What to do after mating
So, after a successful mating, the rabbit is placed in a personal cage with a nest compartment, in which she will give birth in the future. First of all, it is necessary to maintain perfect order inside the cell. This is expressed in the periodicity of her cleaning, which is carried out carefully, without disturbing the peace of the expectant mother.
The cage should always have the necessary amount of feed and must have clean water. It is advisable to feed the rabbit with carrots during the periods of lactation and lactation, which contributes to a greater secretion of milk for the rabbits.
In the territory where the sukrol rabbits are kept, it is necessary to observe silence and not to make sharp noises that scare the rabbits. Extraneous noises can frighten the rabbit and, as a result, cause an abortion due to sudden movements as a result of fright.
Conditions for childbirth and after it
5-7 days before the expected hatching, place the nest box in the cage. Soft hay, preferably forest hay, is placed inside the nest box. After these measures, you need to observe the actions of the rabbit. Already with experienced females, as a rule, there are no problems, except for rare exceptions. Young females are the main problem. They require the closest attention during the period of possible leakage. It is necessary to monitor how she prepares the future nest.
Rabbits with a normal maternal instinct 5 days before parturition begin intensively preparing the nesting place, they drag bundles of hay in their mouths all day long, gathering it from hay mangers. In 1-2 days or on the day of hatching, the female begins to pluck down from her abdomen and sides, with which she lines the nest from the inside. However, some rabbits do this after birth.
Childbirth usually occurs early in the morning or in the afternoon.
After the birth, the rabbit feels very thirsty, so there must be a sufficient amount of water in the cage. In cases where the water was not found due to human fault, the rabbit can eat its own offspring. Manifestations of cannibalism in rabbits are possible with improper feeding and exhaustion due to a lack of vitamins.
The lack of vitamins is also manifested in cases when the rabbit eats its own fluff from the prepared nest. When signs of a lack of vitamins appear in the rabbit, it is necessary to coordinate the diet, provide it with the necessary vitamin supplements and vegetables. As a rule, a rabbit with well-developed maternal instincts gives birth quite calmly, she prepares a nesting place in advance, and after hatching, the baby rabbits lie in the nest calm and well-fed.