Bunnies as neighbors and territorial aggression

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BINKYBUNNY FORUMS

This topic has 5sd replies, 3 voices, and was last updated 2 years, 9 months ago by DanaNM.

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- 01/23/2022 at 11:28 AM
  attemptedquad
  Participant
  52 posts
  Hi everyone! I have 4 bunnies.
  
  2 are a bonded pair that have been together for about 2 years. (M Sage, F Bear).
  
  2 are currently attempting to be bonding (M Bodhi, M Salem).
  
  When I first brought the new bunnies home, months ago, it triggered a fight between Sage and Bear and I had to keep them in a smaller pen while they cooled down. Recently, I’ve been seeing more and more aggressive behavior from Sage towards Bear. It started with food aggression, particularly greens. He would grunt and take chase her from food and she would just go and hide. Now, I’ve seen him start chasing her when there’s not food involved too, and she just runs and hides and doesn’t fight back. They still do a lot of their bonding behaviors, like snuggle and groom each other, too, but I’m worried.
  
  I bought some solid C and C grids that are like a thin plastic and I put them over their main pen so they can’t really see the other bunnies moving. I still need to do their free roam space because I noticed most of the aggression happening there, where they could still see the other bunnies.
  
  I was thinking of just having two pairs, but at this point, I’m wondering if I should go back to plan A of bonding everyone together, so they can all share the same territory and limit the stress. I know it could take a lot of work, but I really can’t end up with single bunnies- it would break my heart to see them alone and is obviously stressing them out to be sharing their home with rabbits that aren’t a part of their family.
  
  Anyone with similar situations or words of advice?
- 01/23/2022 at 6:22 PM
  Wick & Fable
  Moderator
  5813 posts
  It is unfortunate that the new rabbits’ presence have strained your bonded pair, and that is something that happens at times. In both scenarios (trying to do 2 bonded pairs and trying to do a quad), you could end up with singles — it really depends on how they all mesh together.
  
  Is there any way you can house the pairs in more separated areas? I wouldn’t try for a quad unless your existing bonded pair is more secure in their bond.
  
  There’s also the option of trying to introduce just one into the pair first for a trio, and then adding the 4th if the trio is successful.
  
  The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.
  - 01/24/2022 at 3:04 PM
    attemptedquad
    Participant
    52 posts
    Not really. If I moved them to a new location, there wouldn’t be a lot of space for them, so idk if it could work. It’s something I could try to figure out tho. I’m not sure if it’s to the point where I should split them or not though. I’m worried they could unbond and actually get into a fight while I’m gone. This behavior has been going on for many months and idk if it will escalate beyond this or not. I have a camera in their room and honestly don’t see any aggression from them on the camera and I’ll check and motion recordings from throughout the day. It seems to be when only I’m in the room, which I think is because I often = food. Honestly, they used to do the same thing with food before introducing the new bunnies, but it seemed to be way more frequently now. Often Bear would chase Sage and pull food from his mouth and he would do the same back to her, so I would separate and sit in their with them until they were done. I’ve checked Bear all over for any marks and there are none, and there’s never been any fur pulled or anything like that.
    
    I’ve considered separating the two of them (Sage and Bear) and once the other 2 bunnies are bonded (Bodhi and Salem) introducing Bear to them. Both boys are OBSESSED with Bear and she’s very interested in them too. I have put all 4 together as an attempt before and there was never aggression from Bear or Sage, but it may have just not been enough time for Sage to react. I only split them because Bodhi and Salem were fighting badly and had to be separated, but they’ve come a long way in their bonding now.
  - 02/07/2022 at 6:10 PM
    attemptedquad
    Participant
    52 posts
    I just wanted to update you that I decided to move the pair upstairs, away from the other bunnies. I made the room and I’m SO glad I did. The pair is so much more relaxed and no more squabbling over food. The only thing I’ve caught it humping, which he usually doesn’t do, but I think that’s normal given that they’re in a new space. I’m working on making a room that they can free roam full time- right now they have about half the room and then free roam time- and I’ve really enjoyed the extra time I get to see them now.
    
    The guest bed is now in the living room and I gave up on exercise equipment and shoved in into the basement, but they’re worth it lol.
- 02/08/2022 at 6:58 AM
  Wick & Fable
  Moderator
  5813 posts
  Thank you for the update! It’s great to hear that the separation is successful in keeping things peaceful for all buns. Indeed, the humping can be normal– just monitor if it gets too intense, includes latching, or becomes a lot of backwards mounting, which can be dangerous (due to a nip down there being damaging).
  
  The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.
- 02/11/2022 at 6:45 AM
  DanaNM
  Moderator
  9054 posts
  Thanks for the update! Happy to hear they are all doing well!
  
  . . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.
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