Aggressive bunny

[Eric's pride]

Good day!

To start I have 3 super cute bunnies. We got our first, his name is Mufasa. He is currently 2 years old, neutered and we got him when he was around 5 months. He is very timid but we are bonded with him and he loves us Success! When he was 8 months we decided he needed a friend and got a new bunny named Guinness. He was about 3 to 4 months and they initially got along great. When Guinness started into puberty he got aggressive towards Mufasa and they started fighting. We had them separated into separate cages close to one another until we got Guinness neutered as well. We tried bonding them and Guinness instantly attacks. We waited longer to let all the hormones out of his system. Their cages almost side by side and their play area separated by a play pen fence. After months and many attempts at bonding in confined neutral areas Guinness still instantly attacks. We tried stress bonding in a box and car and before I can even lower Guinness into the same box as Mufasa, Guinness is trying to attack. In the car and driving and shaking the box, nothing seems to stress him enough to take the blood lust out of him. We have them on completely different floors of the house now. We got another bunny name Sarabi, a 2 year old spayed female, and she is bonded completely with Mufasa. Success! We tried to bond Sarabi and Guinness but Guinness was immediately aggressive the moment he saw the other bunny. Guinness is not aggressive towards us in the slightest.

I would love for Guinness to have a companion when we are not around. I feel like i have tried everything and it has been a year and a half of trying different things to no avail. All Mufasa wants is forehead licks and Sarabi will only do so much. Any suggestions will be welcomed.

Thanks

[DanaNM]

Bunnies can hold grudges, so since Mufasa and Guiness fought, he is likely hanging on to those bad feelings.

You can try a long break (3 months or so) with no contact between them (so sight, minimize smells), to see if he can forget. You also didn’t describe the bonding space you used, but very large, very neutral spaces can be helpful. In small spaces bunnies that are afraid feel they have no choice but to fight.

If you are open to having 2 separate pairs, I would probably give up on bonding Guiness with the other two, and see if you can take him on some dates at a local rescue. That would give you a sense as to whether he would prefer to be a solo bun, or whether you just haven’t found the right match.

. . . 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.  

[Eric's pride]

Ok I will try the separation for 3 months and a bigger neutral space. I kind of figured he might be a solo bunny, he has always been very pushy, but I will try him with the dating life and hopefully find him a match.

Thanks for the suggestions!

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