The aim of this study was to investigate the role of coprophagous behavior in suckling rabbit on the implantation of caecal microbiota and to try improving the health status of rabbits modifying this behavior. Three groups were compared: in FM group (n=24 litters), pups had free access to maternal hard feces, in NF group (n=28), ingestion of hard feces was prevented, and in FF group (n=28), pups had access only to hard feces excreted by foreign females (n = 5, 7 and 9 feces from 2 to 13 d, 14 to 17 d, 18 to 20 d, respectively). Pup mortality, excretion and ingestion of feces were measured daily. Bacterial composition was assessed by 454 pyrosequencing of the V3-V4 region of 16S RNA genes at 14, 35, 49 and 80 d of age. The total number of feces excreted by the does from 2 to 20 d after delivery ranged widely, but was similar among groups (16.1 ± 12.6 feces doe-1). Ingestion of feces was 3 times greater in FF than in FM group (35.6 vs 9.9, p < 0.001). From 1 to 80 d of age the FF and NF groups exhibited respectively the lowest (9.3%) and highest (22.8%) pup mortality compared to FM group (15.5 %, p = 0.03). At age 14 d the caecal bacterial community was dominated by Bacteroidetes phyla (63.3%), Bacteroidaceae family (36.0%) and Bacteriodes genus (36.0%). With increasing age, Firmicutes phyla, Lachnospiraceae and Ruminococcaceae families became the dominant taxa (92.0%, 44.0 % and 37.9 %, respectively at 80 d of age). Impairment of feces ingestion delayed this ecological succession, with greater and lower relative abundance of Bacteroidaceae and Ruminococcaceae respectively in NF than the two other groups at age 35 d (p < 0.1). In conclusion, the coprophagous behaviour of suckling rabbits is implicated in the maturation of caecal bacterial microbiota and stimulation of this natural behavior improve the health status of animals and could be used to limit the use of antibiotics.