New Bunnies- scared of eachother?

[Irina]

Hello! I have three Rex bunnies, littermates, approx 3 months old. 1 male, 2 female (I am pretty sure). They have been together since they were born, always cuddly with eachother, sleeping on top of eachother ect. Two weeeks ago, the male started humping (or “aggressively loving”, as I put it to my young children) the girls. One of the girls has become ? scared of him, and crouches down, almost shaking when he comes around. She runs away from him if he goes anywhere near her, even if he is walking by to get food. I found two scratches/scabs on her, and don’t know if she has been traumatized by him.  The other girl does not mind him too much, sometimes she runs away, and other times she just lies there. They still cuddle together sometimes.  I have seperated the boy from the girls when inside, as it seems wrong to put them in the same pen where she cannot get away. (They are let out togethe in a large grassy run, but there she can get away!) Once the boy was removed, I did see the cared bunny hump the other girl, who mostly did not mind. The boy is going to the vet tomorrow to see if his testicles are down so he can be fixed. My question is, should I keep them separated? The boy seems sad when he cannot play with the girls. Their indoor pens are side by side and he runs along the divider sticking his face in, and the girls will sometimes come close and give him kisses. Before this started and I seperated them, they would sleep together in a pile of bunny! I don’t know if I have overreacted and this is normal bunny stuff? I don’t want the girls to be afraid of him long term as I want to keep them all, but at the same time, I cannot let them out in their hutch together because there is no easy way to keep them apart, so they are inside (in large ex pens- but inside nonetheless). Is this just normal bunny dominance stuff, and my scarted girl isn’t really scared but just running away so he does not catch her- as in refusing to be submissive to him? Any ideas?

[MoveDiagonally]

Yes, keep them 100% separated with ZERO contact (no playtime in the yard together). Take them all to the vet have their gender determined and make a plan to spay/neuter all of them. Do not house intact male and female rabbits near each other or allow them contact. Rabbits can mate through cages and it literally takes 1 second for them to do the deed. After a male is neutered he still has viable sperm for 30 days and can impregnate a female.

If you have two same sex rabbits, determined by the vet, they can stay together as long as there is no fighting. If they fight don’t hesitate to separate them. Intact rabbits often fight, even litter mates, once they reach puberty. Females are notoriously bad territorial and aggressive once their hormones kick in.

Once all your rabbits are spayed/neutered and healed you can work on bonding them together.

[Elrohwen]

Yep, definitely keep them separate. Theoretically the females are not old enough to mate (though the male probably is), but no sense in taking chances. They can mate in seconds even if you think you’re watching them closely.

Once he is neutered, he will have to stay separate for 4-6 weeks, since sperm can live in the body that long and he could still get them pregnant.

The females can stay together, just make sure that they are both females. It’s difficult to sex baby rabbits and even vets are known to make mistakes. Also be aware that many females start fighting at sexual maturity, so they may need to be separated at some point. It’s normal, and after spays and rebonding they should be fine together.

[Irina]

Wow! THank you for the quick replies! I am not worried about pregnancy- I have several people who will take babies. I am more concerned with having the bunnies happy and bonded. I have read that if they are seperated for any period of time, it is hard to get them to get along again. Is this true? How do I know if Tofu (my male bunny) is really scaring Butterscotch (scared female bun)? Could it be something they just have to work out in their hierarchy? I have never had bunnies before, but we are loving them and how playful they are- I don’t want to do the wrong thing by interfering and make things worse.

[CheriB603]

PLEASE be worried about pregnancy! There are too many bunnies in the world as it is! And pregnancies in buns so young can be really bad for them. Take all 3 to the vet to be SURE who is a boy and who is a girl and then SEPARATE them! Don’t be irresponsible. Spay and neuter all of them. They will be MUCH happier in the long run when they don’t have the hormones making them crazy. And clearly one of your buns is sexually frustrated and one is scared and getting injured. Be smart.

[MoveDiagonally]

Wow! THank you for the quick replies! I am not worried about pregnancy- I have several people who will take babies. I am more concerned with having the bunnies happy and bonded.

A pregnant bunny can’t be bonded to other rabbits. Pregnancy also makes rabbits more aggressive, territorial, and for younger does it can be fatal. If you want healthy/happy/bonded rabbits you don’t want a pregnancy at all. 

I have read that if they are seperated for any period of time, it is hard to get them to get along again. Is this true? How do I know if Tofu (my male bunny) is really scaring Butterscotch (scared female bun)? Could it be something they just have to work out in their hierarchy? I have never had bunnies before, but we are loving them and how playful they are- I don’t want to do the wrong thing by interfering and make things worse.

Your male rabbit is hormonal. He’s not humping for dominance he’s humping to make babies. He needs to be completely separated until he’s neutered + 1 month. That’s how long it takes for hormones to dissipate. While he is hormonal he CANNOT be bonded. Allowing him around your other rabbits will cause more harm than good to their future ability to bond. The wrong thing would be to keep putting them together.

You don’t have to worry about separation hurting their future bond because they are not “really” bonded right now. They are babies and baby rabbits like most other rabbits. Once they reach puberty they start to develop their adult personalities and become hormonal. Hormones impede bonding and it’s nearly impossible to bond rabbits when they are hormonal. After their spay/neuter removes their hormones from the situation you can try to bond their adult personalities with each other. This is the way it goes when you get a group of baby rabbits.

Being together as babies and/or being siblings doesn’t really benefit bonding adult rabbits. These are common misconceptions.

[Irina]

Thanks. I am planning to get all
if them spayed/neutered- without question! I did not know that they could not really “bond” until after they are fixed. I also thought that separating them might make Tofu lonely as he/they all seemed to want to cuddle and be close to each other all the time. This is all new to me- that is why I joined the forum and posted these questions. I will keep them apart until 1 month after Tofu is fixed, and watch how the girls get along as they mature. Thank you for the tips.

[MoveDiagonally]

No worries, I wasn’t trying to make you feel bad or anything. It’s great that you’re asking questions and open to new information. I would suggest reading up about rabbit bonding so you’re prepared when it’s time.

Here are some good beginner links:
https://binkybunny.com/BUNNYINFO/tabid/53/CategoryID/9/PID/940/Default.aspx
http://www.wheekwheekthump.com/2013/08/25/complete-beginners-guide-rabbit-bonding-everything-need-know/

[LBJ10]

Ditto everything the others have said. Baby bunnies will like any bunny. They are used to being with their litter mates, so it is natural. Once hormones kick in though, they could start fighting. True bonding cannot take place until they are spayed/neutered.

[Irina]

Well- all is explained! Butterscotch (my scared girl), is actually a BOY! So the two boys were not getting along as they were fighting for territory/dominance- it had nothing to do with a “female” being hurt or scared of a “male”. That explains why Shadow (female- confirmed) gets along fine with Tofu and Butterscotch. Both boys are being fixed on Monday. Does anybody know if they will get along again after their hormones settle down? How long does it take for the hormone levels to drop and for their behavior to change? Any tips for how to encourage them to be friends again?

[Hazel]

Posted By Irina on 09/06/2013 06:13 PM
Well- all is explained! Butterscotch (my scared girl), is actually a BOY!

This happens SO often, that’s why it’s so important to seperate them before they sexually mature. Baby bunnies are very very hard to sex correctly. I’m glad you found out the truth in time.

Their hormones should level out 4-6 weeks after the neuter. Most bonding attempts are successful, but not all. It takes a lot of patience. Hop on over to the bonding section, there’s tons of great info and lots of bonding threads for you to read and learn from other people’s experiences. If you can keep their cages in the same room, it would probably help. If they get too agitated then you’ll have to put them where they can’t see each other. If they stay in the same room, make sure they are seperated by two barriers with a couple of inches inbetween as they can bite each other through the cage bars.

[MoveDiagonally]

Well- all is explained! Butterscotch (my scared girl), is actually a BOY! So the two boys were not getting along as they were fighting for territory/dominance- it had nothing to do with a “female” being hurt or scared of a “male”. That explains why Shadow (female- confirmed) gets along fine with Tofu and Butterscotch.

Butterscotch being male doesn’t mean he wasn’t being hurt or scared by the other male. Male rabbits are capable of the same nervousness and fear as female rabbits. It’s likely your female rabbit is not quite in the throes of hormones yet. Female rabbits are usually MORE territorial than males once they reach puberty. So I would definitely keep an eye on her behavior and plan on spaying her at around 6 months.

Both boys are being fixed on Monday. Does anybody know if they will get along again after their hormones settle down? How long does it take for the hormone levels to drop and for their behavior to change? Any tips for how to encourage them to be friends again?

I’m glad your bunnies are getting neutered so promptly! It should help the situation very much. It takes 4-6 weeks after being neutered for their hormones to dissipate. Check out the links in my previous comment as they provide a plethora of information about bonding.

[Irina]

So- they are in the same room, but only separated by an ex pen panel. I have never seen them biting or trying to get each other in the pens. In fact they sometimes sleep so their bodies are touching through the grate. So- is it ok then to keep them like that? I could separate them if I see any aggression- but if all seems ok as is- should be fine? Also- what about Shadow- my girl? I have been letting Shadow and Butterscotch out on their big grassy run together, and putting Tofu in our outdoor hutch when they are in the run. That was when I thought I was separating the girls from the boy. But if Shadow gets along well with both, could I alternate which male goes out to run with her? That way they all will get a chance to run outside. They are never out there alone- I am always there, so could intervene if there were any issues. I don’t want to keep Tofu away from Shadow if they can still play well together. The problem is Tofu and Butterscotch. Shadow is like Switzerland!

[Beka27]

Shadow, being a female, is very much a problem. She must be kept separate from the boys for a MINIMUM of 4 weeks from the date of their neuter (October 7)… But preferably until she is spayed at 6 months and allowed to heal for one full month (January 1 approximately).

It’s very good that you are getting the boys neutered ASAP, but if you continue to allow them to interact with the female before the minimum 4 week post-neuter mark and a pregnancy occurs, it will be considered intentional because you’ve been informed of the danger by multiple people and dismissed the advice.

[Irina]

The only time they are allowed to be together is in their outdoor run, where, like I said, I am always present. There is nowhere for them to get into anything without me knowing and being able to intervene. Moreover, my vet is a breeder who breeds and raises rabbits. He has been doing it for 30 years. He told me yesterday that my rabbits are not Rex, but Polish, and that it is impossible for Shadow to get pregnant so young. I told him I had heard it could happen as early as 5 weeks, and he assured me that Shadow could not get pregnant before at least 5-6 months of age. I am not being careless or irresponsible. I am following the advice of a professional. That notwithstanding, they are still separated, with the exception if running outdoors with supervision.

[Hazel]

Please don’t let them run outside together. It takes literally 2 seconds for them to mate. There’s no way you could stop them in time. Rabbits can and do get pregnant under 5 months old. Some reach sexual maturity sooner than others and calling up to 5 months a “safe zone” is wrong and dangerous advice. I understand you want to trust your vet but he’s just wrong there, please don’t risk it.

[Beka27]

You are, of course, free to proceed however you choose. We have shared our advice, experience, and concerns, so I don’t think there’s anything else to add at this point.

[Author]

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