lots of bunny deaths

Question
Hi Lia,
we have been trying to grow our rabbitry and we are at a total loss as to why several of our female Californian does are neglecting or killing their litters. The age of these females are 7-16 months old. One of the does has had several successful litters before, but now for some reason she and the other does are having the litters outside of the nest box (with wood shavings and grass)and they don't pull any fur. All of the young seem to be born healthy but either they are dead within hours ( mother kills them?) or they are not fed by the mother, or stepped on, but otherwise it seems the mother totally neglects them or it seems she wants nothing to do with them. Some of the bunnies have had their ears, legs or heads chewed off.
For an example, one 1st time mother had six bunnies out of the nest box with no fur pulled in which all survived birth but she never fed them and she ate 3 bunnies ears off. All six died within days. On her 2nd litter she had 9 bunnies all out of the untouched nest box, no fur pulled, and all dead with a couple of them with their heads chewed off. The other does have similar litters. Out of approx. 25 bunnies we end up with 3.
I cant figure out what the problem is, they live in separate cages all inside a housing structure with the large door open so they can always see outside and to the best of my knowledge there are no predators that can get in to bother them. What would possibly cause them to kill or purposely neglect their young litter after litter??
Thanks for your help, Vito

Answer
Vito,

You situation is quite a mystery. Usually I would say that being a bad mother is a genetic personality trait and should be culled from the herd, but what you are describing doesn't seem genetic. Especially when you said that one doe who was a successful mother before, is no longer caring for her babies.

Here are some things to consider:

-Stress and confusion can lead to cannibalism and neglect.
 -When a doe is pregnant try not to handle her or move her to another cage.
 -Keep all other animals and unfamiliar people out of the rabbitry.
 -Make sure there are no pests, such as mice, in the rabbitry.
 -Though it is rare that a doe would mind, try not to disrupt the nest box too much.

-Look for a pattern.
 -Are any of these does related?
 -Have you changed anything since the problem started? Such as routine or feed?

-Experiment.
 -Try bringing one of the does into a quiet secluded area of the house away from all disturbances.
 -Maybe try feeding a couple of the does a different feed. Such as Purina Rabbit Chow Professional. It is full of nutrients for breeding rabbits.
 
Good luck!
I hope that you find a solution.