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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.

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Forum BEHAVIOR New to the forums and worried about my brother buns’ fighting behavior

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    • Maplesyrup
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        Hello everyone! I’m new to the forums but not new to owning rabbits. However, I’ve never run into a situation like this before and could really use some advice. Wish I didn’t have to make this situation my first post, and I hope I’m posting this in the right subforum, but circumstances being what they are, I’m quite worried
        I’ll try and sketch it out with as much detail as I can.

        I own a pair of mini lop brothers, Gabriel and Raphael. They’re a bit over a year old (born march 2015), and are neutered since late September. They used to get along very well, they were each other’s best buds, always cuddling, grooming each other, and keeping close when exploring. About a month ago, they were taken to the vet for their yearly shots. Gabi did ok but rafi had a terrible time of it, he was honking and thumping for a while after. Still, their bond didn’t seem to suffer from it at all.

        A few days ago I was alerted to a scuffling sounds in their pen and my first thought was that one of them was having a seizure. It turned out that a fight had broken out, and a quite vicious one, fur flying everywhere and someone even making a small squeal. Rafi came out of it with a scratch on his ear but no broken skin. I separated them, let them calm down, and tried a rebond after. The whole day, things seemed to be back to normal, cuddling and grooming all around. By the evening however, another fight broke out. I wouldn’t trust them together unsupervised after that, so now they’re separated, with occasional switches so no one claims me side of he pen for himself. They can still see and smell each other and don’t seem bothered by each other’s presence.

        Today I tried letting gabi explore the sofa with me while I was having a cuddle with rafi. Everything seemed tense but ok. They bump noses, they groom. However, when rafi turns and gabi smells his backside, that seems to set him off. He’ll stretch forward, ears low, and I think if I hadn’t been there to put a hand over his neck to keep him calm, he would have nipped. It seems like this is what started the scuffles; someone will initiate a chase after a butt-sniff and the other goes on the attack. When I observed rafi today, I noticed his bum is letting off that male bunny odor but stronger than I’ve smelled it on either of them before. Apparently the smell has something to do with it.

        Does anyone have any advice? What could be causing the smell? Rafi is clean and his anal glands look fine–is it hormones? They’re not aggressive at the sight of each other and even groom without squabbling, so is there any hope that this fighting will pass if they are given enough time? What can I do in the meantime to help restore their bond?

        I used to be so happy to see my boys lounging together and enjoying each other’s company, so this sudden change in behavior is heartbreaking to see. Any help would be very much appreciated.


      • Mikey
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          I would go to the vet for a double check that both buns are healthy, and to make sure that nothing bad could be causing the smell. But it really could be hormones. Some rabbits have random surges of hormones on and off until they die, even after theyve been fixed. My Blue hates the smell of bunny hormones and gets easily irritated if he smells any near him. His easy irritability about hormones is what led us to knowing when our youngest was finally going to hit puberty. Anyway, until the smell goes away, youll want to keep them separated but within eyesight and smell sight of one another so they dont forget about their bond together


        • Maplesyrup
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            Thanks for the reply Mikey. I’ll try to get a vet check scheduled for them ASAP.

            I was completely unsure whether hormones could still be a factor since they’ve been fixed–before they were fixed, Rafi was also the one doing all the chasing and humping, but that went away pretty quickly afterwards and we never saw any further issues. So these fights came as a huge shock. It’s helpful to know that they can still play a role.

            The boys are currently kept separate but able to see and smell each other, and they’ll poke their noses out to sniff at one another. I don’t see any signs of aggression at this point, crossing my fingers that it stays this way. As far as I can see, they’re both eating, drinking, and making poops alright too.


          • Chrystie
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              I am in a similar situation except my two previously bonded males did significant damage to each other requiring one to have part of his ear amputated as it was literally shredded!!! We discussed it with our exotic pet vet, whom is a bunny parent herself and has been for over 20 years, she told us to keep them separated for at least 3 months due to the significant damage they were doing to each other. She also told us that the alterations will also cause them to emit, what I refer to as their “man musk” smell which serves to tell the other bun to back off. She suggested that we do not try to rebond them until they no longer emit their smell upon seeing each other or in front of the others living quarters. We keep them completely separated with a block between their living areas so they can’t even see each other.

              Slowly, this seems to be working. They are emitting less of their man musk but it has been over a month. They are still a bit aggressive with each other when one is out and the other can see them in their living area. We have the pens made out of the wire cubes. But both boys literally stink up the entire room at times!!!

              I have been told that once the bond is broken, it can be very difficult to rebond them so be very patient and careful.

              Good luck.

              Chrystie


            • Maplesyrup
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                Hey Chrystie, sorry to hear about your situation, it can be really tough, and I’m so sorry your poor bun has been attacked so badly I hope he’s doing alright now. We haven’t gotten to that point, the fights mostly resulted in a lot of tumbling around and chunks of fur scattered around. I wouldn’t want to leave them together until things settle down though, not taking that risk. So far they’re peaceful when kept separate but side by side. I have noticed that Rafi is leaving some droppings around though and whew do they have some man stink to them! 

                Up until now, they seem interested enough in each other and are actually quite friendly when face to face, so hopefully the fights haven’t been bad enough to inspire the kind of animosity you are experiencing with your buns. If our rabbit vet advises us to keep them completely separated though, we will definitely do so! Thanks for your support and advice.


              • Chrystie
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                  It is very slowly getting better, thank you. But definitely talk to your vet. I know that smell is pretty pungent though. To me it smells like a triple onion cheeseburger going very wrong!!! Lol!!! But, for the most part, especially with males, bunny man musk is pretty normal!!!

                  I hope that you are able to rebond them. I have heard that it can be hard after they fight but it is doable!!!

                  Good luck.

                  Chrystie


                • Maplesyrup
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                    That’s good to hear. Sending good vibes to you and your bun!

                    At a vet check-up we found a few bites on both of them that I hadn’t seen myself, they were all cleaned up and are healing well. We were advised to keep them apart until these wounds are completely healed since they may still cause discomfort and defensive lunging. Vet also recommended the neutral ground approach for reintroduction that I’ve seen mentioned here a lot. If anything more changes about their behavior, eating habits, etc., we’ll take them right back for another check.

                    My mom used to compare the smell to pea soup–it’s potent! Although today, the stink is already less than it has been. Thanks again for your supportive words!


                  • Maplesyrup
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                      Just wanted to give a small update: both buns are still kept separate for now but they tolerate one another’s presence just fine, no aggression towards each other when theyre on their own side of the pen. I do notice that when Rafi is allowed to run around, Gabi will react more strongly and try to nip if he gets close, so I switched to moving one to another room when the other has floor time.


                      They get supervised couch time together and it’s going well! Rafi started out very still and motionless when Gabi came close, now he’s more active and responsive. They’ll groom one another, sometimes at the same time, but it’s clear that Gabriel wants to be in charge, as he’s grunted and thumped when Rafi tried to offer his nose for grooming and shoved his own nose forward instead. Luckily Rafi will let him do this and groom him, it’s never turned into a fight so I’ll let them figure out their hierarchy like this while building positive contact again.


                      I’ve included a picture from couch time today! I consider it a good achievement that Rafi is lying down comfortably next to his brother–there was lots of grooming for him at this point too.


                    • LittlePuffyTail
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                        Awwwww…they look so adorable together….hoping they keep it up

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                    Forum BEHAVIOR New to the forums and worried about my brother buns’ fighting behavior