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BUNNY 911 – If your rabbit hasn’t eaten or pooped in 12-24 hours, call a vet immediately!  Don’t have a vet? Check out VET RESOURCES 

The subject of intentional breeding or meat rabbits is prohibited. The answers provided on this board are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet.  It is your responsibility to assess the information being given and seek professional advice/second opinion from your veterinarian and/or qualified behaviorist.

BINKYBUNNY FORUMS

Forum BEHAVIOR Behaviour

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    • Emma
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        I got a pair of male and female bonded rabbits from a rescue centre in June (both neutered). The male is about one and has lots of energy (he was found on the street) the female is two and is used to living on her own (her owners could no longer look after her due to emigrating). The rescue centre bonded them and I think they were together for about 4-6weeks before we got them.
        We have created a lovely outside space for them: they have a double storey hutch inside a walk in cage so I can go and hang out with them. There is a tube that runs from the cage to the bottom of the garden where there is a secure outside run.
        The problem is this:
        When we got the rabbits everything seemed fine – both settled in well and seemed to enjoy each other’s company. The female wasn’t really bothered with human attention and is pretty independent. The male has lots of energy, was more anxious at first but settled quickly. Back then I didn’t really know about dominance but I would say that she was the dominant one.
        After a month, due to our stupidity with fixing up a new run, the female had a run in with a fox. Fortunately she had no permanent physical damage and has survived the ordeal. Again stupidly however we did not know that you should never separate bonded rabbits – we took her to the vet alone. She had a bruised eye and was obviously shaken up. On return the male was not happy to have her back – he chased her and nipped her bottom. I contacted the rescue centre and she recommended keeping them together in a smaller space – I shut them in the top floor of their hutch. This helped considerably with the chasing but both rabbits looked miserable. I spoke to another expert who recommended that we bond them again. We bought a friend a hutch, took them on a long car journey in the carrier together, and put them on to neutral territory for a week. In the meantime I completely cleaned their space at home and moved things around as much as I could. My friends reported that there was some chasing but on the whole they were ‘okay’.
        After a week we brought them back home the female was back to her usual self – her eye was fully healed and she looked healthy. Both rabbits were bouncing around and, on the whole, happy.
        However, at times, the male does chase the female, nipping at her bottom. He loves being groomed by me and has tamed considerably. She will groom him although is a reluctant groomer and will give the bare minimum. She is more skittish than she used to be. She seems to tolerate being bitten on the bottom and chased but seems on edge…individually the rabbits seem very content I’m just worried that their relationship is not as good as it could be or. That it could be better with a different rabbit. People I’ve spoken to say that that’s what rabbits do and not to worry about it but i want to be sure that it is best to continue.
        Sorry for the long message – I hope it’s clear. Any comments would be greatly appreciated!
        Emma.


      • Jadeo09
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        217 posts Send Private Message

          If one is bullying the other that’s not on especially if they seem miserable.
          Maybe she smells of the fox?
          Boo gets miffed with me when I smell of a dog lol I stroke my mums dog and boo hates it. They have very sensitive sense of smells so maybe he can still smell it?
          I would try

          This is from this article

          http://www.rabbit.org/journal/4-4/tough-bonding.html

          Marriage Counseling
          Sometimes bonded rabbits break out in a fight after years of happy companionship. We don’t always know the cause, but suspects are: new rabbit arriving in the household; trip to vet or other incident where rabbits are separated and/or pick up a strange smell; a health problem that makes the sick bunny irritable or the healthy one anxious. Once any health problems are addressed by your veterinarian, go back to bonding basics. To mask a strange smell, dab both bunnies with a scent such as vanilla.

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      Forum BEHAVIOR Behaviour