title: Immediate postnatal sucking in the rabbit: its influence on pup survival and growth.
abstract: This study was aimed at characterising the impact of immediate postnatal sucking on pup survival and development. The interactive effects of postnatal success with the day 0 weight of pups, the nest-access regimen (controlled or free) or parity of females was investigated. Pups (n = 900) were categorised according to their initial ingestion of colostrum. In primiparous does: (1) pup mortality between d0-d10 was higher for unsuccessful than for successful early suckers; (2) lighter d0-weight reduced survival for unsuccessful but not for successful pups; (3) free nest-access of females annihilated the survival advantage fostered by the initial sucking success. In secondiparous does, these impacts waned. Finally, whatever the does' parity, only d0-weight influenced pup weight-gain between d0-21. Thus, pup survival seemed to depend (at least in primiparae) on their ability to suck right after birth, and to display a pattern of energy saving without being disturbed by the females' nest entries.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Comportement Animal, INRA/CNRS, URA 1291, Station de Physiologie de la Reproduction, Nouzilly, France.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Coureaud
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Schaal
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Coudert
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Rideaud
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Fortun-Lamothe
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hudson
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Orgeur
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000502:physiology*; D001724:Birth Weight; D003126:Colostrum; D005260:Female; D009026:Mortality; D010298:Parity; D011817:Rabbits; D013391:Sucking Behavior; D013997:Time Factors