Take a Look: Naturalistic Composition of the Maternal Nest in the European Rabbit Oryctolagus cuniculus Contributes to Offspring Growth and Survival

Sometimes we should take a closer look at the natural behaviour of even the most familiar domestic mammals. An example is the nesting behaviour of the female European rabbit Oryctolagus cuniculus and her offspring. After giving birth in a nest of dry grass and fur, mothers return to briefly nurse once a day and deposit faecal pellets there. In domestic rabbits, we examined the temporal pattern of mothers' defecation in the nest, the response of pups to these faeces and the effect of these and nest hay on pups' pre- and postweaning growth and survival. In Experiment 1, we tested primiparous and multiparous mothers given a nest box and hay and allowed access to their pups once a day to nurse. We recorded daily the number of faecal pellets deposited in the nest and the number nibbled by the pups until weaning on postnatal day 30. Mothers defecated in the nest until around postnatal day 12. The pellets and hay then started to be nibbled by the pups, and histological analysis showed that pups ingested plant material. We found no difference in maternal behaviour between primiparous and multiparous females. In Experiment 2, we investigated the growth and survival of pups before and after weaning: (1) with hay and mother's faeces present in the nest; (2) without hay; (3) without mother's faeces; and (4) without hay or mother's faeces. In condition 1, pups transitioned to solid food with little sign of digestive pathology, whereas in conditions 2 and 3, and particularly in condition 4, pups developed diarrhoea and several died. Thus, the presence of nest hay and mother's faeces appear to contribute to pups' transition to solid food. We conclude that rabbits show a well-coordinated pattern of behaviour between mothers and their preweaning offspring, likely relevant to the appropriate management of domestic rabbits.