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

Abstract

Wild European rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) give birth in an underground nursery burrow where the kits are hermetically closed into the nest chamber for several weeks except for the three minutes of daily nursing. Given this confinement, the nest quality seems to be crucial in affecting the kits’ survival. The situation is less critical in rabbitries where the domesticated descendants are kept and give birth in separate nest boxes where the temperature and humidity conditions are less extreme and nests consist of fur and wood shavings or straw. However, nesting behaviour of domestic does still reflects several aspects of the ancestors, and providing conditions close to their biological needs is advised. The present study aimed to understand the factors contributing to the nest material choice of rabbits by analysing the composition of wild rabbit nests and testing naive domestic does in controlled laboratory settings for their preferences in constructing their nests. We were able to collect 21 just abandoned nests in their natural habitat and found they contained rabbit fur and hay, of which 85% was dry grass, mostly long leaves of Calamagrostis sp. Using domesticated rabbit does, we then tested if there is a preference for the features of the wild rabbit nests or whether the above-mentioned finding was either an accidental consequence of grass availability or ageing of the nest material. Two-way choice tests revealed that primiparous domestic does preferred the dry grass over green and long leaves over short grass bunches for nest building. Ageing of the nest material was rather negligible and did not contribute to the high level of dry grass content. We concluded that long dry grass is recommended as it seems to fulfil basic needs of this domesticated animal.

Housing European Ground Squirrels (Spermophilus citellus) for an Ex Situ Conservation Program

“…The thermal insulation capacity of the nest depends largely on the structure of the nest-building material [36,37]. Materials with a fibrous structure proved to be better for creating the appropriate nest shape for rabbits [34] and mice [38], where the animals preferred materials used in nature. After hay, paper nesting material was preferred by ground squirrels over Lignocel.…”

“…The composition of the nests was examined based on the studies of Szenczi et al [33] and Bilkó et al [34]. We determined the composition of the materials used for the completed nests by the end of the seventh day by pulling out 20 threads haphazardly from the completed nests and homogenising them.…”

Nest construction in mammals: a review of the patterns of construction and functional roles

“…A nest is constructed using vegetation collected from outside but is lined with fur plucked from the female's belly [44]. Bilkó et al [45] showed that rabbit nests were 43% fur and 55% plant material, which was almost entirely long dry grass (rather than fresh grass) of various species. In addition, brush-tailed phascogales ( Phascogale tapoatafa , Dasyuridae) of Australia build elaborate maternity nests in nest-boxes that are made of soft bark strips interwoven with feathers and fur [46].…”