Do rabbits eat their baby bunnies

by Jeorgia Evangelista
(Philippines)

Is it possible that the mother rabbit will eat her babies?

***Moderator Comments***
The very short answer is yes.

The better answer is - the incidence of does eating their young is rare, and we don't know of any does that just up and eat their babies for no reason.

The explanation is:
Rabbits are prey animals that exist at the bottom of the hierarchy. In the rabbit's perspective, everything out there has a huge set of fangs or a very sharp beak, along with a very big appetite. But that doesn't mean it just gives itself up and lays down on the dinner plate. The doe does all she can to personally survive and keep having babies for the good of the species.

If she is in the process of kindling or if she has a young litter, and then gets frightened for her life, it is well documented that she might eat her babies, destroying any evidence that would attract predators or reduce her chance of survival.

If those kits were even a few days old (in the wild), this doe would likely already be pregnant with her next litter. She will flee to survive another day so she can have her next litter and hopefully raise many more babies.

We don't know, Jeorgia, if you're just curious, or traumatized by your doe's awful brutality! If so, please know that she was acting out of instinct, and if you can provide an environment where she feels safe, this same doe (unless she is overly nervous) will most likely do an excellent job of mothering the next litter.

We wish you and your rabbits the best.