The maintenance and termination of maternal behavior in rabbits: Involvement of suckling and progesterone

Rabbits mated at postpartum estrus become concurrently pregnant and lactating. They wean the first litter shortly before delivering the second one. Lactating-only rabbits do not spontaneously wean their young. These differences suggest that: a) suckling contributes to the long-term maintenance of maternal responsiveness and b) pregnancy-associated factors are essential to promote weaning. To explore if […]