Rabbits fighting

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BINKYBUNNY FORUMS

This topic has 5sd replies, 3 voices, and was last updated 7 years, 1 month ago by Mikey.

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- 10/20/2017 at 7:47 AM
  Elizbun
  Participant
  3 posts
  There are three rabbits in my house that all live in the same room. One boy and two girls. Their names are Dude – the boy and Bun bun – a girl and Taco – a girl (all fixed). While lately the girls fight with Dude occasionally it’s mostly the two girls fighting. In this one incident about 15 minutes ago while Bun bun was out of her cage and Taco was in hers’, Taco tried to bite and scratch Bun bun, but I didn’t think anything of it because I thought Taco was protecting her territory. I calmed them down and let Taco out of her cage with Bun bun but as soon as I put Taco down she went straight for Bun bun. As I picked Taco up to separate their most aggressive fight yet, Bun bun was still dangling from Taco’s fur. 2 seconds later she fell back landing on her bum. She got right back up and seems fine and Taco had some fur fall out, but also seems ok. They have never fought like this before and I am wondering what could be causing it. They are peeing and pooping, drinking water, eating their pellets, hay, and veggies everyday. I am now scared to put them together again and disappointed because I thought they were doing well enough that when I moved I could let them free roam in my bedroom. Sorry for any spelling and or grammar mistakes I am typing very quickly on my phone. Any replies are appreciated, thank you!
- 10/20/2017 at 11:00 AM
  Mikey
  Participant
  3186 posts
  They shouldnt be in the same room if they keep fighting through the bars. At the least, you need to set up another layer around their cage to protect every bunny. You can use xpens or DIY grids.
  
  Whats causing the fighting is that theyre not bonded, or even prebonded, and youre allowing them to interact. As far as theyre concerned, theyre all strangers. Rabbits will fight strangers to protect their territory.
  
  Do you want to bond them or do you want to keep them all single buns? Depending which will depend what steps you should take next.
- 10/20/2017 at 11:36 AM
  Bam
  Moderator
  16966 posts
  I agree with Mikey in that you must make sure they can’t reach each other through the cage bars. You can get bad eye- and facial damage, like a bit through nose or cheek or a severed ear. Rabbits are a territorial species and will fight unless they are properly bonded. Bonding rabbits is rarely straightforward. It has to be done in steps. If you’ve moved recently, the buns might still be feeling insecure in their new home, because there are new smells and sounds – things us humans can’t even pick up on. If they’re feeling insecure, they’ll be more prone to defending themselves.
- 10/20/2017 at 1:26 PM
  Elizbun
  Participant
  3 posts
  Thank you for your advice. I will make sure to have their cages far away enough so they can’t touch each other and have them separated during play time. I do want them to be bonded so they can all free roam in my room.
- 10/20/2017 at 1:32 PM
  Elizbun
  Participant
  3 posts
  Thank you for your reply. I have actually noticed a little but of fur missing on Bun bun’s nose. At one point Taco was grooming Bun bun so I thought I was going in the right direction, but I guess not. I will do more research on bonding and will definitely be more careful. Should I start the bonding process now or wait to bond them until I move and they are more familiar with their surroundings?
- 10/21/2017 at 12:55 PM
  Mikey
  Participant
  3186 posts
  When are you moving? If youre going to move in a month or two, it would be best to wait until after the move as moving can disrupt bonds, too. But, if youre going to move in, like, a year, you could start bonding now.
  
  Youll want to start with prebonding, though. Prebonding is having all cages nearby, but about 10 inches apart so they can see and smell one another, but cannot reach one another through the bars. Youll keep them like this for a week or few, then start swapping them. When swapping, youll want to allow them to mark as much as you can stand, which also means cleaning litter boxes less often. Swapping allows them to learn to get used to one anothers scents as well as get used to having others in “their” territory.
  
  Exampled on swapping:
  Day 1, Dude is in cage1, Bunbun is in cage2, and Taco is in cage3.
  Day 2, Taco is in cage 1, Dude is in cage2, and Bunbun is in cage3.
  Day 3, Bunbun is in cage1, Taco is in cage2, and Dude is in cage3.
  Day 4, Dude is in cage1, Bunbun is in cage2, and Taco is in cage3.
  Ectectect
  
  Youll repeat this pattern for a month or longer, depending on their temperament with sharing. A good temperament would be no more marking, no aggression towards anything in the cages, flopping against the side of the cage, ect.
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