Peanuts for a nursing mother for cannibalism prevention?

Just had my first litter born this morning. Am considering ways to prevent the mother cannibalizing her kits as I've read that is a common issue.

I've read this is often from lack of protein while nursing, and a rabbit breeder magazine i have recommends bacon pieces be put in her hutch.

What about peanuts? Not salted, just raw, non-roasted peanuts. They're high in protein, fibrous and healthier fats which i believe would be important for any nursing mother (rabbit or otherwise lol)

I'm suggesting 3 or 4 in her food a day, not an entire bowl or anything.

If this is okay or a reasonable suggestion, would you suggest shelling them first?

Thank you!

By the way...
Sorry if this is an old topic but the phrase "peanut" pulls up a LOT of unrelated things lmao

I've never given any of my rabbits peanuts nor have I ever heard of people feeding them to nursing rabbits so I can't say if it will help or not so I'm not going to suggest it. I will suggest feeding her pellets high in protein and feeding her alfalfa (alfalfa is high in protein)

I've never had problems with cannibalism. I feed my nursing rabbits unlimited pellets, hay, veggies, small amounts of alfalfa.

Awesome. Thanks for the suggestions. I didn't see it suggested, i was just considering preventative measures while at work eating peanuts and thought "hey! Maybe raw peanuts?" As a cheaper and more natural/organic alternative.

Cannibalism isn't a common issue in rabbits. The only time I've had kits that were bitten or chewed was in the case of a difficult birth, where the doe had trouble kindling and was trying to assist delivery.

I simply wouldn't breed a doe who outright cannibalized her kits. That's not the maternal instinct I'd want to reproduce.

Perhaps it's just more common in meat production where breeding is more rigorous and deformed kits aren't killed to prevent imperfect genes??

I can't really speak from my own experience, but I've read enough in various forums, breeding magazines, articles and testimonials to convince me it's not really a rarity... if it IS a rarity, and just a result of the breeder than the rabbit, my worries are for naught. If they're going to help sustain me, I'll **** sure sustain them.

Sounds to me like a place with that problem may be literally breeding their does to death. Not something that should be done IMO. I know several large scale breeders of meat rabbits who don't have this problem, but they allow their does breaks between litters. Most of their rabbits are for 4-H and FFA groups, not meat production.

Commercial rabbits are actually a lot less troublesome in almost every area, for the simple fact that they've been bred to produce. A doe that isn't productive or cannibalizes her babies would be removed from a commercial (or "meat") program very quickly. Breeders cull rabbits in commercial programs as intensely as show breeders do - the intention of any program is to strengthen future generations.

I'm not saying that an individual rabbit would never eat her kits. I've seen plenty of unique quirks in my rabbits over the years. But it's definitely not commonplace in the rabbitries I have contact with. The truth is that you can read all kinds of things, but what happens inside the barn brings you insight that you didn't have before. I've been raising rabbits for 13 years, and I'm still learning. As much as I think I know, the rabbits throw me for a loop often!

I've never heard of a rabbit cannibalizing her babies directly from a breeder. I'm really not sure where all those horror stories come from.

And excuse me, but BACON???????

Peanuts sound like a much better idea, simply because they are vegetarian. Rabbits are NOT omnivores and CANNOT eat meat. Even so, I would not give a rabbit any new food without first researching it at a reliable source. If you want your rabbit to have extra protein, which will help her when she is nursing, give her alfalfa. Not too much at once, though, at risk of diarrea.

ChocoClover said:

I've never heard of a rabbit cannibalizing her babies directly from a breeder. I'm really not sure where all those horror stories come from.

And excuse me, but BACON???????

Peanuts sound like a much better idea, simply because they are vegetarian. Rabbits are NOT omnivores and CANNOT eat meat. Even so, I would not give a rabbit any new food without first researching it at a reliable source. If you want your rabbit to have extra protein, which will help her when she is nursing, give her alfalfa. Not too much at once, though, at risk of diarrea.

Click to expand...

Sorry for the necro-post, but i wanted to show that I'm not just throwing some crazy idea out there (since it seems so crazy to you all, lol)
These are links. Clock to get the clear version and read the text.

I agree with Julie and Majorv on this one. I have never heard of that magazine before but one I would recommend is the domestic rabbit magazine. It is made by various breeders in the show ring and publishes a majority of topics from breeding to healthcare and of course showing. I believe to get it you have to be a member of ARBA but it is a great magazine for learning.