Aggressive bunny help!

[emkent1000]

I have 2 male mini loop bunnies almost 8 months old. They are both from the same litter and were neutered about 3/4 months ago. When we got the bunnies they were kept in the kitchen and had free range of the kitchen and had a big cage that they were locked in at night. Now the weather is a lot better we decided to put them outside in a two story hutch with a run attached to the front so they still had quite a lot of room. We slowly introduced them to the hutch and the outdoors before they were put in the hutch. Last Sunday they had a massive fight and my black bunny took a Chuck out of my white bunnies ear!! Took a trip to the vets and now my white bunny is on pain killers and they have been separate since the fight but can still see and smell each other. We have tried putting them together on the garden where they had so much room and my black bunny just goes to attach my white bunny! My white bunny is eating normally but my black bunny does not seem to be eating much at all. Can someone help?!

[Wick & Fable]

It sounds like they need to go through a bonding process to establish a more secure relationship. They should not be put together unsupervised since such a violent fight occurred. Being from the same litter actually doesn’t too much in terms of ability to get along post-hormonal phase– rabbits will mate and attack their parents and siblings just as likely as non-relative rabbits.

Basic information on the bonding process can be found here:  https://binkybunny.com/infocategory/bonding/

I know it seems unusual to be so cautious and ‘baby steps’ when they had gotten along fine in the past, but younger rabbits just tend to get along with others better due to their age. Now that they are adults, they need some structure and process from you to safely figure out their social hierarchy.

 

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.

[LBJ10]

Oh gosh, that was a nasty fight! I agree that you’re going to have to take baby steps if you want to rebond them. Young bunnies tend to get along with everybody… then things can change when they become adults.

[emkent1000]

They have been absolutely fine when they were indoors and then our black bunny just seemed to be really out of character when we put them in their new hutch. They were slowly introduced to the hutch and we’re fine for a week. They had such a close bond up until now and he is just acting out.

[emkent1000]

We noticed they calmed down after being neutered which was good and they had such a close bond up until now. They are both separated but our black bunny is just acting out and seems to be really aggressive towards the white bunny when he runs past the hutch as we let them out in the garden to run around (separately) trying to bite through the bars. Our black bunny does not seem to be eating as much as he usually does since the fight.

[BZOO]

There might be something outside that is freaking them out.

Maybe just leave them inside and see if the black one calms down?

[Hazel]

Agree with BZOO, something outside might be frightening them. I would go back to keeping them inside. It’s safer and healthier for them anyway and there’s not any real benefit to keeping them outdoors. They’ll be much happier inside spending lots of time with you and getting to be part of the family. 🙂

[DanaNM]

Sometimes a change in location can upset a bond, and being outside in spring time may have further upset things. I’m sorry you have gone through such a stressful event, but I’m glad both bunnies are OK now. 🙁

With such a bad fight and such a serious injury, you will want to give them a long time to calm down, heal, and forget the fighting before attempting to rebond them. It is possible they won’t rebond, as bunnies hold grudges and the injury was a bad one. Ideally you would house them separately so that they can’t see or smell each other for several weeks. There aren’t hard and fast rules on things, but I think starting with 4-6 weeks of total separation is a good starting point.

. . . 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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